Modern non nautical boat speak

[jfm]

... surely you have to know some nautical terms or you shouldn't be in charge of boat at all.

I sort of agree, but only so far as the term isn't duplicative. So I'd call the back corner of a sail a clew, or the cupboard at back of a car a boot, because there is no other word for that. But when there is a perfectly good landlubber word so that the nautical term adds nothing extra, I avoid the nautical term. So I prefer toilet/WC/lavatory/kahzee/anything to "the heads". This isn't inaccurate - as said above a set screw differs from a bolt. It's just avoiding pointlessness

 

[RogerRat]

Isn't it a mooring warp?

Most definitely, but mine are smaller diameter so I tend to play it down.

RR

 

[Davegriff]

Call us old-fashioned, but we still mostly use nautical terms in order to avoid any ambiguity. For instance we use port and starboard over left and right. Imagine going astern and being given the order 'turn left'. Which way would you actually steer the boat, port or starboard? Or you're on the fly bridge and want to send someone 'downstairs' to fetch the binoculars. Do you mean down the stairs to the cockpit? Down the stairs to the side/fore deck? Or do you mean 'below' (the interior of the boat). Simplifying the English language seems to me to just make things more complicated.

 

[pan]

Afraid I a bit guilty of this, coming from a sally back ground, saying things like 'prepare some lines' get me odd glances from the non boaties!

 

[Uricanejack]

I don't see the problem with this, things have names and thats what they are called. Most people know what parts of a car are called; bonnet, bumper, boot, wing etc.... I wouldn't ask someone to put
something in the cupboard at the back of my car.

Everyone after some basic exposure to boats should know what the bow, stern, mast, line are surely, maybe thwart and painter are unnecesary these days but surely you have to know some nautical terms or you shouldn't be in charge of boat at all.

I think it goes hood, fender, trunk

 

[Coaster]

Everyone after some basic exposure to boats should know what the bow, stern, mast, line are...

Over time the meanings of words change.

Bow is a good example.

Our boat has two bows, port and starboard. They meet at the stem.

However many people now refer to the stem as the bow.

Fair enough. I know what they mean. I probably also understand when someone refers to the front of the boat.

Nevertheless, being old fashioned, I'll continue to use the words stem and bows when the audience is reasonably knowledgeable.

 

[Searush]

What do you call a rope?

That will depend on what it is used for. I'm surprised that you don't know that, even given your mobo background tends to encourage land lubbery terminology & behaviour.

 

[Elessar]

I know - just teasing jfm. I dont have a bolt rope nor any soap in an amusing shape, so there are no ropes on my boat

 

[MapisM]

What, no bell onboard?!

 

[cryan]

Nautical terms, like aeronautical ones, are there to avoid confusion in an emergency. They remove ambiguity when passing orders or transmitting emergency information. Should you bother to learn them? Should you bother to learn to navigate on a paper chart? I mean there is sat nav and chart plotters now that will tell you exactly where you are right? Well they do until you're suddenly without power and drifting out of site of land and needing to pass your position to the coastguard. Some might think that nautical terminology is quaint and pointless in the modern world but it is no more irrelevant than other terminology. Do you pop into kwik-fit and ask them to check the spinny things on your broom broom?
So knowing the difference between a tow and a halyard and which one you should bend or loop onto the forward bitts to enable a tow. Or being able to tell a crew member that the man over board is two points off the starboard bow and that you are going to come down wind of him and bring him aboard on our windward beam will allow the correct information to be passed quickly and without confusion. If you don't attach importance to that then as Latestarter said, there is always caravanning.

 

[piratos]

Over time the meanings of words change.

Bow is a good example.

Our boat has two bows, port and starboard. They meet at the stem.

However many people now refer to the stem as the bow..

Luckily the Wikings used a different language
- otherwise they would not have known which way to row their kind of boats

 

[James L]

Or being able to tell a crew member that the man over board is two points off the starboard bow and that you are going to come down wind of him and bring him aboard on our windward beam will allow the correct information to be passed quickly and without confusion.

It will avoid confusion if you've given everyone on board a vocabulary exam before heading off.
Anyone who grew up on boats will understand, but most others on board will still be thinking "Starboard, that's the opposite of port, port has 4 letters so that's left, so starboard is right, so he's had 2 pints on the right hand side" while you've gotten to the point of shouting the instruction for the 3rd time.
Most people want to hear, "Pick him up on the left side"

For professional crews it is very important and for an owner you should know the range of correct terms, but you can't expect that everyone else does.

 

[Spirit of Glenans]

I can't comment as i'm not a subscriber, but even 'herself' (is that a nautical term?!) knows to understand the nautical basics when on-board, such as:

"We're running out of wine"
"Is the food ready yet?"
"Ah Jaysus, I said drop the fenders on the other side"
"Nah, let more anchor chain out"
"Would you please wash the side of the boat. [When completed with one side] No, the other side" (Lads, this one is invaluable!)

Lol, as they say on facebook

 

[Spirit of Glenans]

I fully accept that Jack Haines as a reporter on articles to the new to boating and just interested public has to appeal to the widest audience available. In a report aimed at existing or experienced boaters, use of the correct vocabulary would be nice.

Being critical, is either a sign of age or your early introduction to boats. I was taught to sail as a toddler and my father always made the point that if I didn't know what things were called, it could create confusion at a time that may contribute to a capsize, contact/crash or just falling in etc. Now obviously, this doesn't apply to modern motor cruisers. A toilet is a toilet so no confusion there, you wouldn't want someone peeing on your head eh?

But when it comes to things like ropes, it simple. I buy rope in a 'shiny shop' and keep some in stock. Once it's been cut to size and spliced etc, for a task it then is given the name for the task, mooring line, spring, halyard, paynter. etc. It's less confusing to ask for a spring to be removed than the 'big rope in the middle.' " No the long one!" :encouragement:


RR

+1. The correct terminology completely removes ambiguity, that's why it was developed. Learning it and using it could save your life.

 

[Spirit of Glenans]

Origin of the terms "port" and "starboard":
Before rudders were invented, ships were steered with a steering oar. This would have been situated on the right-hand side (or "borde", in French), which suited the majority of steersmen. Hence that side was called the steerboard side, which was later corrupted to "starboard"
Because they did not want to damage the steering oar when tied up in port, they usually did so with the left side of the ship closest to the quay, hence - "Port side".

 

[Spirit of Glenans]

I think education of those lacking nautical term knowledge is the key to improving things so found this and hope it proves useful


ABEAM -- a large length of metal, supporting something like a deck or a wall

ABOARD -- same as abeam , but made of wood

AFT -- anyplace behind the bow

ATHWARTS -- cross between foot fungus and growths on hands; caused by handling or walking on very active toads

AYE AYE -- expression of surprise, usually followed by "cheewawa"

BEARING -- what goes on around the pool

BERTH -- what you hope does not go on around the pool; also a parking spot for the ship. You have to look very carefully to see the lines painted on the water.

BOW -- bend over in honor; also pointy end of ship, usually passes through the water before the rest of the ship

BRIDGE -- where the Captain rants and rails when he gets stern

BULKHEAD -- very large toilet

CABIN -- closet-like space costing $300 per day, used for sleeping and not much else

COURSE -- what the Navigator is studying in his spare time at night school, hoping to figure out what an astrolabe or a sextant is

DAVIT -- killed Goliath, never went to sea

DECK -- 52 cards, used in casinos

DISEMBARK -- get off the Ark; a good example of just how old most nautical lingo is

DOCK -- member of ship's crew caring for passenger's health

DRAFT -- type of beer served in ship's bar

EMBARK -- get on the Ark

FATHOM -- measure of water depth, somewhere between 6 inches and 20 feet

FREEBOARD -- see abeam and aboard; this one costs nothing

FOR'ARD -- not a Mondeo or focus

FUNNEL -- the only place on the ship where you should see smoke, other than the bar; see stack

GALLEY -- where the slaves sit and row, or, in the case of modern ships, turn the screws

GANGWAY -- ramp where groups (gangs) of salespeople await the ship's passengers

HAWSER -- passenger from Indiana

HEAD -- something like a scuttlebutt or scupper, but with running water

HELM -- steering wheel or part of male anatomy

JACOBS LADDER -- song popular at camp

KEEL -- barnacle collector; don't worry, you can't see it, so don't expect to be invited to admire the ship's collection

KNOT -- not a mile-per-hour, but a little more

LATITUDE -- what the Captain will NOT give his crew, when he is stern (see), or ranting and railing (see)

LEEWARD -- in the direction of Atwater, Petty, Greenwood, or Harvey Oswald

LINE -- what can attract that blonde in the bar

LOG -- tree, lying down; could become aboard (see)

LONGITUDE -- like latitude, but longer

MASTER -- another term for the Captain; don't pronounce it Massa', or he may get stern (see)

NAUTICAL MILE -- not a real mile; too far to swim to shore

PITCH -- what the ship's bow (see) does in rough weather; what the passengers do, on the other hand, includes the word "throw"

PORT -- favorite nautical wine; also means "left" (both words have four letters, a mnemonic device useful to many); also city with ship berths (see), designed to create a giant sucking sound in the vicinity of your wallet

PORTHOLE -- the entry to a harbor; OK, it really means a small window that costs an extra $100 per day, but how funny is that?

QUAY -- another word for dock (see); arguing about the proper pronunciation can pass hours (kway? kay? key? kwie? who knows?)

RAILING -- what the Captain does when he gets stern (see); same as ranting

ROLL -- small bread served in dining room; also another motion of the ship in rough weather, but greatly reduced by stabilizers

SCREWS -- propellers; apparently turned by slaves in galley (see)

SCUPPER -- drain at the edge of a deck, to allow water to run off; if water is running in, see "sink"

SKIPPER -- slang term for a flying fish, or a flat stone

SINK -- unless there is a huge amount of frantic activity on deck, large stainless steel unit in the kitchen.

STABILIZER -- device to counteract ship's roll; several umbrella drinks will have the opposite effect, in case you want to experiment with what cruises were like before the invention of stabilizers

STACK -- refers to pancakes, funnels (see), or girls around the pool

STARBOARD -- like aboard (see), but pointing at the night sky; also means "right", which has absolutely no mnemonic relationship, so no one remembers it without thinking about "port" (see) first

STATEROOM -- cabin (see) where you can lie in state

STERN -- the Captain, when the crew acts like the crew of the Love Boat; also the roundy (or, on modern cruise ships, squarish) end of the ship. Usually passes through the water after the rest of ship.

TENDER -- how your skin will feel after the first day on a Caribbean cruise; also small boat to take passengers ashore, making them wonder why their port (see) taxes are not being used to construct a dock (see) with cruise ship berths (see)

WAKE -- what you won't want to do at 6 a.m., if you attended the midnight buffet

WEIGH ANCHOR -- complicated operation involving very large scales, necessary before every ship's departure

WINDLASS -- completely still; no wind

YARDARM -- important ship feature, determining if it's time for a rum

Haha! But you forgot "Bottom"

 

[jfm]

Learning it and using it could save your life.

Introducing life/death is a classic debating technique to avoid the realities. For every situation you can imagine or find where saying "starboard" instead of "right" saved a life, I can imagine or find one where saying "right" not "starboard" saved a life. If lifesaving is your game, then you need to choose a word that the other person will understand. Indeed, if he/she happens to be French as are many on my boat, "a droite" might be your choice if you want to save a life
(I love Baltimore btw. Sail there lots. House/boat in Rosscarbery)

 

[epervier]

Introducing life/death is a classic debating technique to avoid the realities. For every situation you can imagine or find where saying "starboard" instead of "right" saved a life, I can imagine or find one where saying "right" not "starboard" saved a life. If lifesaving is your game, then you need to choose a word that the other person will understand. Indeed, if he/she happens to be French as are many on my boat, "a droite" might be your choice if you want to save a life
(I love Baltimore btw. Sail there lots. House/boat in Rosscarbery)

or in most cases with kermits on board, you get, "cent mille le nom de Dieu, put de merde" when things start to go pear shaped, or maybe I didn't explain myself fully at the time

 

[kcrane]

Indeed, if he/she happens to be French as are many on my boat, "a droite" might be your choice if you want to save a life

If the French pack as many on to mobos as they do on sailing boats (all males de rigueur in speedos) then you'd be lucky if you could save them all if there was a panic, whatever you shouted at them

 

[rustybarge]

Introducing life/death is a classic debating technique to avoid the realities. For every situation you can imagine or find where saying "starboard" instead of "right" saved a life, I can imagine or find one where saying "right" not "starboard" saved a life. If lifesaving is your game, then you need to choose a word that the other person will understand. Indeed, if he/she happens to be French as are many on my boat, "a droite" might be your choice if you want to save a life
(I love Baltimore btw. Sail there lots. House/boat in Rosscarbery)

Ive watched those old war movies on channel 5 and I can say with total certainty that's American sub-mariners say turn left/right on their boats.

if it's good enough for delta force.......