Bob Dollar installs a bell rope at the Boston's Old South Meeting House

Bells are chiming from Boston’s Old South Meeting House once again, thanks in part to R&W’s Bob Dollar who installed a bell rope on the museum’s recently installed historic bell, made by Paul Revere in 1801. The historic meeting house, where the Boston Tea Party was launched in 1773, just completed a renovation of their 245-year-old clock. There hadn’t been a bell in the iconic building’s clock tower for almost 150 years.

The bell hanging in the clock tower of the Old South Meeting House was made by Paul Revere in 1801.

Bob installed 1” POSH Polyester 3 Strand and tied a crowned Matthew Walker, a simple decorative knot that will not slip and is used to keep the end of a rope from fraying. “POSH is spun polyester, easy on the hands and long lasting,” explains Bob. “It’s a traditional looking, hemp-colored line.” While the colonists would have used hemp, it would wear more rapidly than today’s more durable ropes. “I don’t’ expect that this bell rope will need to be changed in my lifetime or my grandchildren’s lifetime,” he says.

Bob completed the project swiftly and even got a chance to climb up the stairs of the nearly 200-foot steeple for a breathtaking view of the City of Boston. “I felt like a little kid going to the circus,” say Bob. “It was absolutely great to be a part of this project. The sense of history is unbelievable.”

On November 20th, the bell rang out in its first public sound check for the Old South Church Founders’ Day worship service, the special once-a-year Thanksgiving event that welcomes the Old South Church congregation back to their ancestral home for a special service honoring the shared history of the two institutions.

For now, the only way to hear the bell is for someone to pull the bell rope crafted by Bob. The 876-pound bell will be connected to the original 1766 clock in the coming weeks, once the striking mechanism is installed.

Jonathan A. Root

1957-2011

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our colleague and friend, Jonathan Root, after a two year battle with melanoma cancer.  Jon worked for R&W for three years (1988-1991) during the early days of our start up, helping to formulate and develop the vision and ethos which still enables our success to this day.

Some of our longer term customers may remember Jon from his attendance at the Las Vegas ASD shows, the Harrisburg Sportsman shows, or various other outdoor and marine trade shows where we have exhibited, as well as his friendly countenance on the phone.  We’re sure you will recall his quick wit, warm smile, and sincere interest in everyone he came in contact with.

Gifted with great creativity, passion, and a deep understanding of the critical nature of customer relationships and service, Jon went on from his time with R&W to work as a rehabilitation engineer for Crotched Mountain School in New Hampshire where he developed many mechanical devices and equipment modifications to assist handicapped children.  From there he started his own medical equipment company, which he located next door to us at our former Nash Road location, before finally joining the Department of Defense Army Research Labs in Natick, MA developing and testing individual protection gear for the soldier in the field as well as mobile temporary structures for use as field hospitals.

Even after leaving our official employ, Jon retained an active interest in our business and team members, and was invaluable as a consultant, trusted adviser, cheerleader, and sounding board.

We will miss him deeply.

Read Jon’s obituary here.

R&W Rope is now an official distributor of Chafe-Pro, the toughest and most durable line of marine line anti-chafe products on the market.  Chafe-Pro is a cost effective way of preventing chafe abrasion to synthetic lines such as nylon, Kevlar, Spectra, HMW-PE, and other polyethylene and polyester lines.

“Chafe-Pro was created for captains by captains,” says R&W’s Paul Adam.  “The inventor worked with the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy to create Chafe-Pro.”  Used primarily by the military and commercial boating customers for the past 20 years, today Chafe-Pro is available for recreational watercraft.

Chafe-Pro’s Yacht Grade Series was the only chafe gear to receive an excellent rating by Practical Sailor magazine. “Some consider Practical Sailor to be the bible for the cruising sailor!” notes Adam.

Chafe-Pro offers the perfect solution to unwanted chafing over a cleat, cap rail, or at the anchor roller and is great for anchor lines or mooring pennants, where chafing through a line could result in the loss of your vessel.

R&W now offers a complete line of Chafe-Pro products, including several Yacht Grade items for pleasure boats, Chafe-Pro Wooly, used to prevent dock and fender lines from scuffing paint or gel coat finishes on yachts, and Chafe-Pro’s Commercial Grade series developed to protect mooring lines from pier and/or chock abrasion and to protect lines used for towing.