AUTHOR'S NOTES -


CHAPTER 36: LEARNING ANEW
‘He told me to take - ’ Frodo appeared to be searching for a word, but shrugged his failure. ‘I can’t translate the name, but he told me to undo that strap that holds the boom down. He said we won’t need it, and if the boom rides higher, you will be in less danger if it swings suddenly across. I should have thought of that myself.’
The kicking-strap. Running down wind (ie the wind is blowing directly behind them) there is the possibilty of an accidental jibe which would bring the boom swinging hard across the boat with no warning. The kicking-strap is most needed when sailing close to the wind (ie trying to sail as close to the direction the wind is coming from as possible) and the sails are pulled in tight. By undoing this strap, the boom will ride a little higher, and if it suddenly swings across it is more likely to miss an unwary hobbit's head.

Sam felt supplanted, and his old demon, jealousy, stirred within.
This seemed to cause some confusion, since Sam does not show jealousy in this story (he has little need to, he is the one who gets both Frodo and Rosie). This is a reference to book!Sam who does show evidence of jealousy - Gollum anyone? It was not my intention to imply that Sam was jealous of a non-existent sexual relationship (as he makes clear when he muses about Frodo in a “lonely bed”).