Modern wells.
A pit is a bucket of a rope for ship use, which is intended for boarding offshore. On the bucket is a hinge, in which a curl is turned in the middle. In the curl there is a string of ropes with a not too thin line. That line is fitted with a drop-down knot and is of sufficient length to put it on deck or even from the ripple of water.
The wells shown here are a modern variant of the classic wells. It consisted of a round bottom and a number of doves, two of which were held in opposition. The wells had the shape of a truncated cone. Through the ends of those two doves the rope roped. A shutter knot was placed on the ends of the hinge outside the pit.
The use of a well puts down the experience. If a too light rope is split up, the wells can only be thrown out and are expected to take enough water. With a fast-moving ship this will fail. If the rope is heavy enough or, as shown in the picture, slightly overlaid with a decorative knot, the wells hang well above the water, gives a slight twist on the rope and at the same time lower the wells with the opening in the sailing direction. The wells "hops" water with it.
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