Chip log

A chip log is something that sailors used a long time ago to help them measure how fast their ship was sailing. It's basically a big rope with a piece of wood or metal on the end, called a "chip". The sailors would tie the chip log to the back of the ship, throw it into the water, and let it drag behind them.

As the ship sailed, the chip log would start spinning around in the water, and the sailors would use a special tool called a "sand glass" to measure how many times the chip log spun around in a certain amount of time.

Using this information, the sailors could figure out how fast the ship was going at that moment. This was really important because it helped them know if they were going too fast or too slow, and if they needed to make any adjustments to their sails or steering.

Nowadays, ships have much more advanced technology to help them measure their speed, but back in the olden days, the chip log was an important tool for sailors to get where they needed to go safely and efficiently.