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aggienaut "That's a beautiful schooner!" says one of my shipmates about the Lady Hawk, another vessel in the Sequim marina.
"It's actually a ketch, see how the front mast is taller than the aft one" corrects another shipmate, highlighting the only difference between a schooner and a ketch.
"I think it might actually even be a yawl" says a third shipmate, going on to point out the (only) difference between a ketch and a yawl -- that the mizzen (aft / more towards the back of two) is aft of the rudderpost rather than forward of it.
Why we need distinct names for such very subtle differences in design beats me. I'm also fascinated by the more obscure bits of terminology on the boats.
On the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain the "lazarette" is the storage space under the aft cabin. On the Pilgrim the lazarettes are storage spaces under benches on the foredeck.
On the Lady Washington the triangular room used as storage space in the very very front of the vessel is called the cable-tiers (usually rendered as one word, the cabletiers), whereas the corresponding same space on the Chieftain is the forepeak.
And then there's another space on the Chieftain above the bilges just aft of the main hold that's called the "liquor locker." There's no liquor stored there and I doubt there ever was but that's the name that the space seems to have. Is there an established nomenclature as to what constitutes a "liquor locker?"
And on the Lady under the bunks there are drawers in which personal stuff can be put and they are called "pookas" (sp?), and I always thought that was highly odd, and then we're touring the oil spill response vessel WC Parks Responder and the captain refers to crew lockers as pookas as well. So I guess it IS the term for such things??
And I'm sure I could come up with a dozen more examples of the more obscure nautical jargon, but at least most of these things are relatively unimportant. Just remember a chart is a chart and not a map, and I still want to see someone cite a source as to why a cannon is a gun and not a cannon.
Picture of the Day
Lady Washington at Port Angeles
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Only marginally related
Date: 2010-04-23 08:53 am (UTC)Re: Only marginally related
Date: 2010-04-24 01:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-23 09:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-11-04 08:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-23 11:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-24 01:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-23 02:38 pm (UTC)a GUN is a vicious, dangerous thing that causes damage...
a cannon is for display...
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Date: 2010-04-23 03:28 pm (UTC)Liquor lockers were originally designed to house beer (grog) and spirits. Eagle had a liquor locker where they stored the booze they used for parties or that shipmates had bought in foreign lands. Basically the liquor locker was a safe and locked space where the alcohol could be kept where the crew couldn't get to it until it was time to ration out the contents. Incidentally, the liquor lockers ended up being better locked-up than where they kept the weapons. So even though your ships don't have alcohol in the liquor locker, having a liquor locker gives the ship a more authentic design.
Pookas is an appropriate term. Military vessels usually call it something else like "lockers" but generally most non-military vessels will call them pookas. The reason why they call it a pooka is because according to Irish lore, pookas are shape-shifting fairies. People then called those bunk storage lockers pookas because it was a hidden place to store things - as if their bed could shapeshift into a storage compartment just like the pookas could shapeshift.
As far as the cannons go it's just a nomenclature thing. Back in the day "canon" referred to a weapon used on land - large bore weapons with wheels ideally suited for rolling around on land that were generally more accurate with greater fire power. "Gun" referred to weapons used at sea - a sea-cannon if you will, much smaller, not as accurate, but due to to their lesser weight more can be held on a deck of a ship, with smaller wheels. During a battle on land a scout might peek on the enemy and if he reported to his superiors that the enemy was using guns, this meant that they had taking their guns off the ship and put them on land. Muskets, rifles, and pistols were always called as such, never as guns. So a gun was more or less thought of as a type of cannon used at sea.
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Date: 2010-04-24 01:40 am (UTC)Quite silly about the origin of pooka though. (:
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Date: 2010-04-23 08:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-24 01:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-23 10:26 pm (UTC)It is the god given right for every sailor to be weirdly and inconsistently pedantic about our trade. ^_^
For what good are we mostly uneducated sailors is we are unable boast about our random knowledge of the Sea and all that sail upon her.
Also, along the lines of the gun/canon talk, you have the term 'Gun Decking'. Gun decking is used today to describe the practice of falsifying information in regards of a vessel to get out working. Originally the term came from sailors who would paint Gun Doors along the side of the ship there by creating a Gun Deck to trick other vessels into thinking that the particular ship had more guns that it actually did. Thus avoiding a confrontation when out gunned.
Also here is one more random sailor term. Hooray!
Scuttlebutt: It is used as a replacement for the word gossip and or water fountain. The term came about when ships used barrels to house fresh drinking water. Sailors would gather around the Scuttlebutt to gossip and talk about sailor-y things.
I suppose one more would be the term Skylarking. Its just means to daydream and not work. Often by sailors who would just look to the sky instead of doing their job. IE helm, lookout, or a hundred other things. Thankfully you (usually) don't get flogged any more for doing it.
And remember Manatees are not mermaids. No matter how long you have been at sea a Manatee is not a sexy swimming fat chick with a flipper!
Carry on Sailor and may you have Fair Winds and a Following Sea.
Also not sure if anyone has used them yet on your ship but here are some naval toasts.
Day Toast
Sunday "Absent Friends"
Monday "Our Ships at Sea"
Tuesday "Our Men"
Wednesday "Ourselves" (As no-one else is likely to concern themselves with our welfare!)
Thursday "A Bloody War or a Sickly Season"
Friday "A Willing Foe and Sea-Room"
Saturday "Sweethearts and Wives" (May they never meet!)
The words in brackets are understood but unspoken, though often those not toasting will say them in response.
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Date: 2010-04-24 01:35 am (UTC)Speaking of scuttlebutt, I am AT THIS VERY MOMENT drinking "SCUTTLEBUTT brewing company 'Gale Force IPA'"!
Thanks for the toasts, I'll be sure to put them to use (:
Scuttlebutt!
Date: 2010-04-24 04:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-24 12:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-11-04 08:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-25 11:34 am (UTC)