Nautical Terminology

trapezeartist

trapezeartist

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The thread on the commands for going about got me thinking. I've often felt that some nautical terminology is unnecessary and pretentious when there is a perfectly good normal-life word to do the job. Although I do tend to the use of the "correct" terms most of the time, I really feel that we could do without these:
Bow (front)
Stern (back)
Port (left)
Starboard (right)
Galley (kitchen)
Heads (toilet)
Cabin (bedroom)
Berth (bed)
Line, warp (rope)

Many other words are indispensable of course because there is no land-lubbers equivalent. Just a few:
Halyard
Sheet (even though the land-lubbers always get that wrong)
Berth (the place in a marina where you "park")

And talking of "parking" which was criticised in the other thread, surely that is just a facetious reaction to the pomposity of some nautical terminology. Like "string".

What is the opinion of the panel?
 
Davy_S said:
When reversing, make the back go left! I can see problems:) I would stick to port and starboard, you can call the bog whatever you like.
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Yes, port and starboard are very important as almost any other direction is relative to something other than the boat. I was rowing a dingy where the steersman kept changing from 'more right oar' to 'right' to starboard. The later was the only one that made immediate sense. Most of the other words are up to you but then using incorrect words paints an incorrect picture in the mind. If I said 'I went to bed' you think of a completely different image as when I say 'I got into my berth'.
 
Davy_S said:
When reversing, make the back go left! I can see problems:) I would stick to port and starboard, you can call the bog whatever you like.
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Lol +1.

Re. Port and starboard, the whole point is that they are not relative to the observer in the manner that left and right are. The port side of your boat, and the starboard side of the one about to hit you, are both left from where you're standing.

Front and back are fine for AWB's where no-one is going to appreciate the lines anyway; think how horrible it would be to be talking about the 'fine entry at the front' of that fifties classic ;)
 
Davy_S said:
When reversing, make the back go left! I can see problems:) I would stick to port and starboard, you can call the bog whatever you like.
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+ Another

I was working on a car last weekend and I was facing the engine and the manual said something about the thingummajig on the right. It took me a few seconds to work out whether it meant the right as I was looking at it or the right from the point of view of someone sitting in the car.

The manual could have used offside or nearside but that is often misunderstood as well. Driver's side or passenger side as useless as off/nearside as most cars are sold in left and right hand versions.

So, yes, port and starboard for cars as well!

Richard
 
As narrowboaters in a previous life, I call to First Mate-who is I/C helming when picking up a mooring or coming alogside-"Steer in" or "steer out".

This is old canal terminology for steering towards or away from the towing path. I our current boating the towing path is replaced by the hammerhead, pontoon or finger berth.

Works for us......................................
 
Anyway, it's not "toilet", it's "lavatory", or if you prefer, "loo". I'll stick to "heads", the natural habitat of bottoms.
 

"Left hand down a bit"....

There's a reason for the terminlogy, even if it's not always evident and even if it's sometiomes just historical. What's the objection to learning how to use it properly?

Mike
 
So many people feel they couldn't cope with left and right on their boat. How many of you talk port and starboard in your car? Left and right works, with the possible exception of the oarsman mentioned. In the motor industry no-one has found any need to anything but left and right: cars are right-hand steer or left-hand steer, and engineering drawings are RH as drawn, LH sym opp.

Let's try another one on you. Why do we need so many words for the sail in front of the mast? Jib, genoa, foresail, staysail, yankee, solent! If your boat has more than one, I accept the need to differentiate, but most of us do have just one. Foresail would be most logical, but jib is easier to say.
 
Nautical terminology is precise and allows clear communication between people who may not speak English as a first language.

It also helps native English speakers from stepping into a huge social dogshit if they use the wrong word for toilet.
 
foeu said:
We could definitely do without the terms which you have bracketed :(
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Humm, yes quite correctly stated Sir

Anyways, glad that 'Ahoy there' was not in the substitute listings :-)

Just think, one just might hear 'oi you', or 'hey there', or 'excuse me', 'f face' or all manner of other landlubber obscenities?
 
trapezeartist said:
So many people feel they couldn't cope with left and right on their boat. How many of you talk port and starboard in your car?
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I don't talk of it, because nobody else is interested in what goes on in my car. I do tend to think that way, though. I might be unusual.

In one of the Hornblower books, a sailor talks about a bullock having his "starboard leg" over a line.

Pete
 
trapezeartist said:
Bow (front)
Stern (back)
Port (left)
Starboard (right)
Galley (kitchen)
Heads (toilet)
Cabin (bedroom)
Berth (bed)
Line, warp (rope)
Click to expand...

Mostly, the terminology is, quite simply, more precise than the "landlubber" equivalent. Port and starboard are obvious ones. But back and front? They can refer to the back or front of anything - the cockpit, for example, or the coachroof. Or the ends of the boom. Bow and stern simply have precise meanings - the front and back of a boat. Similarly, different ropes have different purposes, as you have acknowledged when you admit halyard and sheet to your vocabulary. A warp is a warp, not a spare sheet........

In other cases, the landlubber words may not cause confusion, but they are less precise and precision is (I think) a good quality in a language and one too easily blurred when we use it wrongly. A galley is the cooking area on a boat, not just any old cooking area. The bunks on my boat are certainly not what would normally be described as a bed (especially not the sea berths) Looking at the great big island beds in the after cabin of many recent boats then bed is what they are. (Please note - after. Aft cabin is grammatically incorrect and grammar is also a key to precision. And who will may sneer and probably will, as it seems impossible for some here to cope with views different from their own without bringing out the insults! :rolleyes:)

And some, like heads, are just inoffensive references to the history of our pleasant pastime and none the worse for that.

When it comes to "pretentious", I must say that I find the self conscious use of non nautical terms an affectation. All specialised professions, trades and activities have their own terminologies, which are in reality just specialised areas of the language for specific purposes. Talk to me about golf and you might as well speak Greek. But if I wanted to take up golf, which I don't, I would happily learn the language. There it is. Different ships, different long splices.
 
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If you must enter our environment kindly do yourself the credit & us the honour of learning & using our nautical terminology. If you cant be bothered then may I suggest you take up model yacht racing & visit your local boating pond.
 
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