release the nautical masses from nautical terms

[BandB]

Maybe you should correct him.
A statute mile is 5,280 feet in length.
A nautical mile is 6,076.11549… feet in length.

Ted

Nautical miles less in that there are fewer for the same distance.

I'm sure my wife will explain to them. They knew a statute mile translated to fewer nautical miles somehow. They thought 1 nm was less than one statute mile simply because if you were 100 statute miles away you were only around 87 nm. And it's a her, not a him. 87 less than 100. Now Wifey B will explain why they're the same. I'd love to hear that lesson.

 

[BandB]

Ted...reread and think like a seven year old....

Less NM, so shorter distance right? NM must be shorter, it all works. Or is the vice versa? Hard for me to decipher...not up to 7 YOA mentality yet......

You did a great job of 7 year old girls and then refuting that argument takes real teaching. They're both so smart but time and distance and speed is a concept they haven't mastered yet, much less nautical vs. statute. I was amazed she knew there were fewer nm in the same distance.

 

[AlaskaProf]

I agree, it is a rope until it is assigned a task then, it becomes a line.

Only if the "assigned task" is that of a line. There are many other tasks. A rode or a fall is not made of "line".

 

[Benthic2]

You did a great job of 7 year old girls and then refuting that argument takes real teaching. They're both so smart but time and distance and speed is a concept they haven't mastered yet, much less nautical vs. statute. I was amazed she knew there were fewer nm in the same distance.

It's not just 7 year old girls.....

 

[charlesamilton]

The irony here, of course, is that left / right was literally the second item in his list of questions.

Sorry, Ted, just wanted to throw the poor OP a bone since he’s getting so roundly thrashed otherwise. I assume he’ll more carefully phrase fairly legitimate questions next time, if he ever comes back.

if I ever come back, you underestimate me my fine sir

 

[backinblue]

I don't see it as OP bashing. He asked a legit question that has gotten a lot of responses, mostly good-natured IMO.

 

[AlanT]

Alan
You are THAT GUY, who knows the answer the the age-old question, "how long is a piece of string?"
Please?

LOL!
I think my son discovered the answer age about 4 or 5 (He's now 39). I was working on the boat, he was in the cockpit bored I guess. When I finally paid attention to him I found that he had uncoiled both jib sheets, mainsheet and halyard, traveler p&s sheets and tied them all together in a kind of cats cradle hanging between the winches. The answer to "how long..." is not measured in feet, it is measured in time. In my case about an hour to untangle it all!
~Alan

 

[Art]

LOL!
I think my son discovered the answer age about 4 or 5 (He's now 39). I was working on the boat, he was in the cockpit bored I guess. When I finally paid attention to him I found that he had uncoiled both jib sheets, mainsheet and halyard, traveler p&s sheets and tied them all together in a kind of cats cradle hanging between the winches. The answer to "how long..." is not measured in feet, it is measured in time. In my case about an hour to untangle it all!
~Alan

Now... That is priceless!!

 

[backinblue]

This is good too......

In the Farm Credit Administration applicants lined up for jobs and were given tests of a kind which some find so delightful.
“How long is a piece of string?” was one question. And another: “How far can a dog run in the woods?”
Now, the cute little trick is that you are supposed to write down “no answer,” and if you do anything else you miss.
But there was one fellow who replied, “a piece of string is twice as long as the distance from the center to either end”; and, “a dog can run only half way into the woods; after that he is running out.”
We don’t know whether this man got the job he was after or not, but we think he should have the one held by the expert who was asking the foolish questions.

 

[AlanT]

This is good too......

In the Farm Credit Administration applicants lined up for jobs and were given tests of a kind which some find so delightful.
“How long is a piece of string?” was one question. And another: “How far can a dog run in the woods?”
Now, the cute little trick is that you are supposed to write down “no answer,” and if you do anything else you miss.
But there was one fellow who replied, “a piece of string is twice as long as the distance from the center to either end”; and, “a dog can run only half way into the woods; after that he is running out.”
We don’t know whether this man got the job he was after or not, but we think he should have the one held by the expert who was asking the foolish questions.

ADMINS: We definitely need a 'like' button for posts like these!
~A

 

[charlesamilton]

I suppose I have kicked a sensitive bee hive but I have enjoyed and learned from the threads, wasn't sure what a thread was until I joined this forum. What have you learned Dorothy? " I have learned tradition is the main factor here but a dash of clarity, a pinch of common sense, a tiny bit of snobbery and a basic love of boats is the bottom line" can I click the ruby slippers now?

 

[backinblue]

If you are here, you're not in Kansas anymore! lol

Thanks for starting a funny and intersting thread. Like most threads, I always learn something. I've used the term "head" most of my life, but until now never bothered to know where it originated.

 

[OldDan1943]

LOL I remember from my days in the US Navy, head, port, starboard, bow, stern, overhead and deck, swab, mess deck. I served 8 months on a destroyer and potty for folks who served on an aircraft carrier. They have to memorize deck number, frame number, odd and even etc. When I spent about 5 years on subs, everything was so much easier. One path forward and the same path aft.
Now I am back in the real world.... so many ways to get lost.
I have long ago learned, I cant get lost because people are always telling me where to go.

 

[Hippocampus]

AlanT serious question.

Is it a kicking strap or a boom vang? You guys don’t speak English. Glad the Koreans, Russians and others do when at sea. . Oh who the hell is Cunningham?

 

[koliver]

AlanT serious question.

Is it a kicking strap or a boom vang? You guys don’t speak English. Glad the Koreans, Russians and others do when at sea. . Oh who the hell is Cunningham?

Vang story:
I had my vang come off the boom in a Laser race. Conditions were too much for my old boat, and also for me, so that was my excuse to retire. Our racing group is a bunch of old guys in old boats, so gear failures are not uncommon, neither are retirements.
a visiting Laser racer, who at that moment had no boat, IIRC his mast had broken in the same conditions as my own gear failure, asked me to let him get back into the race using my now incomplete boat. I agreed and he went on to win, without a vang. Since then I know that any poor performance in such races are not the boat.

 

[Gulf Comanche]

Yes, we are cool because we have our own language. In my early 70's now, not many things left that I can claim as cool so I'll take it.

 

[charlesamilton]

Yes, we are cool because we have our own language. In my early 70's now, not many things left that I can claim as cool so I'll take it.

I am an old red stick man myself LSU 77'-80

 

[rardoin]

Same here….80-‘95

Geaux Tigers!

 

[LovetoBoat]

Some language will change over time due to societal pressures.


In firefighting if you burnt your food and we responded we would say a Smoke Head was activated.
Now because we are announcing over the public airwaves and writing reports it is a Detector was activated.
Head is no longer considered appropriate and is being retired. Not sure how much longer Head will be nautically accepted... YMMV

 

[OldDan1943]

In my feeble mind, port and starboard are necessary terms to learn. Without learning 'bow', port and starboard are impossible to learn. Stern, opposite end from the bow.
Nice phrases to learn, "go forward", "go aft" With those terms and phrases, you wont get lost on the boat and will be an asset.

 

[charlesamilton]

my boat is only 36' long and 13' wide if I get lost
i have enjoyed way too many adult beverages, just saying

 

[charlesamilton]

Same here….80-‘95

Geaux Tigers!

15 years in college? you are an LSU man!!

 

[O C Diver]

I started learning boating and nautical terms over 50 years ago. Only have a handful of years left before I'm down to a runabout. Come to realize I really don't care what others call the parts of their boats, as most are dock queens anyway. I realize history, geography, nautical nomenclature, and boat / boating etiquette are archaic to the mind paralyzed robots that explore the world from their couch. Thankfully a very few will go 50 miles from the home dock, and certainly not off the Magenta line. So have your raft up, monopolize channel 16 like it's a CB radio, and focus on the big screen TV in your boat's living room instead of the world outside. Thankfully for the few of us, pristine paradise is too far away from the power pedestal for most of the modern boaters.

Ted

 

[rardoin]

15 years in college? you are an LSU man!!

Earned a little alphabet soup behind my name. LOL. Painful but worth it.

 

[charlesamilton]

Questioning why we use certain words to describe certain items is interesting to me. A dashboard is called a dashboard because on a buggy it was basically a screen to keep dirt from being kicked up on the driver when his horse was "dashing", a glove box is named for the location you put your driving gloves once again while driving your buggy. I was just interested in why we continue to use words in a specific situation , when it is really not necessary, head vs toilet and so on. BUT , confusing questioning norms and word usage with a lack of adventure and assuming a love for a big screen tv on a boat are two different things. I don't have a t.v. on my boat but I bet you have several on yours, probably one of those cool pop up screens next to your sub zero.

 

[psneeld]

I disagee.

Some people have pretty much one hobby. Many have several to many hobbies.

Those that spend at least if not more than 90% of their free time learning, reading, and doing one hobby....they seem to be the ones that "join the group" of others...no matter the hobby.

They learn the lingo as they want to be accepted at one point as "one of the gang".

Is it important in life? Not to many, but to some.

So for some that have been pretty much a boating for over 60 years like me and had jobs and careers on the water dealing with boaters and live and breath it....the nautical jargon separates the gang and the temps.

That doesn't mean they use it all the time on everyone...but sure as shi* know when to..... and a boating forum in my book is in "the when to".

But that's me......

PS.... as far as TVs on the boat. When I had real jobs and wasn't living aboard... and just had "getaway" trips on the boat....no TV wasn't a thing. But when full timing, living aboard...sure I have one TV...and no it isn't a slick popup or even large screen.

 

[OldDan1943]

Soooo, you call the harbor master to reserve a slip. He responds, "any slip in particular?" At this time how do you describe your desire, 'right side to the dock'. Well that leaves 2 possibilities bow in or stern in...... The point is, by using the terms Port or Starboard have a definite meaning.... No mistaking your request.
Port and Starboard are two constants on a boat.
Now, if you insist calling the bow, the pointie end, I guess I can live with that and smile.

 

[backinblue]

Just my guess, but I think "head" will continue in boating language for a long time, even though most probably don't kow its origin. (I admit I didn't before this thread). Same is true about necessary terms like port and starboard and bow and stern. Some of the more obscure terms will likely become more or less obsolete as some of us older folks go away in the years to come.

 

[backinblue]

Soooo, you call the harbor master to reserve a slip. He responds, "any slip in particular?" At this time how do you describe your desire, 'right side to the dock'. Well that leaves 2 possibilities bow in or stern in...... The point is, by using the terms Port or Starboard have a definite meaning.... No mistaking your request.
Port and Starboard are two constants on a boat.
Now, if you insist calling the bow, the pointie end, I guess I can live with that and smile.

I agree that Port and Starboard are very useful on a boat, but in your example of calling a marina, you would still need to specify bow or stern in. If you simply said "starboard tie" there are still 2 possibilities.

 

[OldDan1943]

I agree that Port and Starboard are very useful on a boat, but in your example of calling a marina, you would still need to specify bow or stern in. If you simply said "starboard tie" there are still 2 possibilities.

OOPS

Or maybe starboard side too, implies bow in?