The mainsheet traveler is on the rear taffrail. He wrote under the name Taffrail. A taffrail is the handrail around the open afterdeck or poop deck. The motto ""Where there's a Willis away"" was inscribed along the taffrail. Sometimes taffrail refers to complete deck area at the stern of a vessel. A taffrail log is a mechanical device used to determine a ship's speed. A taffrail log is a mechanical speed logging device, used like a car odometer.