What's a shackle? (big ship anchoring)

[Twister_Ken]

Who are the old farts?

Don't think I've been on a yacht that used fathoms for anything in the last 20 years. Its all metres nowadays.

(someone will now tell us they are still using fathoms on Saucy Sue of Skegness, for sure)

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[Guest]

Re: Who are the old farts?

I use fathoms for anchor !!!!

I use metres for depth

I use fathoms for depth when appropriate !!!!!

I use cm's when talking .....


<hr width=100% size=1>Nigel ...
Bilge Keelers get up further ! I only came - cos they said there was FREE Guinness !

 

[Mirelle]

Well, that\'s two old farts?

I do almost exactly the same, but I still think of ships and boats dimensions in feet, apart, oddly, from the draft and the beam, which, in the case of boats, I think of in feet, but in the case of ships I think of in metres.

Ships seem to have been designed, in the days of the British Empire, to come in a range of standard lengths divisible by 60 feet, probably to match standard berth lengths - 360, 420, 480, 540 (once very common) 600 (handysize, very common to this day and 720 (Panamax, ditto) feet. Panamax beam, however I think of as 32.2 metres!

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[Twister_Ken]

Panamax beam

Presumably in metres because the whole scheme was conceived and started by a Frenchman (although it took 'good old American knowhow' to finish it.

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