Nautical terms

OK, just for the fun of it, I have been a lifelong sailor and Captain. This is not a contentious post just having some fun with words and terms.

you are on a ship, not a boat

The front of the ship is fore or forward

The back of the ship is in the stern or aft

The bathrooms are Heads

The kitchens are Galleys.

There are no floors, but decks

There are no rooms but cabins.

Port is left (it has 4 letters)

Starboard is right, it has more than 4 letters.

anyone else think of any other Nautical terms, add them on

stairs are ladders

I thought that the physical back of the ship (that you can touch) is the stern.

I thought that if you walk towards the back of the ship the direction is aft.

Is that incorrect?(or too picky)

stairs are ladders

 

I thought that the physical back of the ship (that you can touch) is the stern.

I thought that if you walk towards the back of the ship the direction is aft.

Is that incorrect?(or too picky)

I get what you area saying, I have heard the expression Bow to Stern many times...Maybe that's a boat, not a ship! ;p

not sure it's a physical thing, there is also astern as in leaving behind.

Many on CC refer to the back of the ship as "the aft", but this is not correct, and I don't think this is what the OP was saying. Aft is not a noun, but an adjective or adverb, in other words modifying a noun ("aft stair" indicating its relative position) or modifying a verb ("move aft", indicating a direction to move). The stern is the physical portion at the aft end of the ship.

And, in fact, there are "floors", but they are vertical frames across the inner bottom of the ship, so it is not possible to walk on a ship's floors.

chengkp and I are saying the same thing about aft and stern.

Forecastle - fwd most part of the ship.

Bulkhead - any wall

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OK, just for the fun of it, I have been a lifelong sailor and Captain. This is not a contentious post just having some fun with words and terms.

you are on a ship, not a boat

The front of the ship is fore or forward

The back of the ship is in the stern or aft

The bathrooms are Heads

The kitchens are Galleys.

There are no floors, but decks

There are no rooms but cabins.

Port is left (it has 4 letters)

Starboard is right, it has more than 4 letters.

 

anyone else think of any other Nautical terms, add them on

Walls are bulkheads. Halls are p-ways. Scuttlebutt are rumors.

Ceiling = Overhead

Water fountain = Scuttle

Smokestack = Funnel

hallway= Passageway

When someone is in the way you don’t politely say, “Excuse me. ”. Instead you yell, “MAKE A HOLE!” And if your in a hurry you might just toss in the F bomb between them for good measure. LOL

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Those are fun posts!

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lol FrickeNomads, you sound like Navy!

a "list" is what you get when the seas are high or the ballast is off........and Carnival brings out the barf bags :D

The angle of list is the degree to which a vessel heels (leans or tilts) to either port or starboard. A listing vessel is stable and at equilibrium, but the distribution of weight aboard (often caused by uneven loading or flooding) causes it to heel to one side.

One Captain insisted I learn the terms on Coevan's list or he would have me thrown out the little round window.

One Captain insisted I learn the terms on Coevan's list or he would have me thrown out the little round window.

It sounds like you’ll be going through that little round window.

How about some cruise ship specific nautical terms.

Breakfast.............................. Mimosa

Back rub.................................Swedish Thai Herbal Bamboo Lime and Ginger Stone Massage

Car payment...........................Swedish Thai Herbal Bamboo Lime and Ginger Stone Massage

:D

One of the coolest things to watch is docking. A small line (there aren’t ropes on a ship) with a complex knot called a Monkeys Fist is tossed to a Boatsman on the dock. It’s attached to a series of lines that get large enough to hold the ship. The lines are looped over a bollard and winched tight.

On a sailboat the lines that control sails are called sheets. Lines that hoist sails are called halyards.

The pulley on the rail that the sheet feeds from the headsail is called a snatch block. After nearly a decade of Hobie racing my wife wouldn’t call it that :).

At the docks the people that load the ship are Longshoremen. They work by the day out of a union, and are ranked by tenure. Most of those at the cruise terminal are class A, furnish their uniforms and carts. My dad was a a Longshoreman in Houston for 40 years. They can apply for the Clerks and Checkers union (supervisors) of a group called a gang. Dad did that his last 20.

I know; it’s early...

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Hand sanitizer is “Washy Washy”

(or is that only on NCL?)

Knee Knockers = a continuation of the bulkhead between doorways to prevent small amounts of water from one section entering others.

On cruise ships the lip to these are much shorter than what is seen on naval or commercial vessels but still will cause some to trip if not paying attention. On pleasure vessels knee-knockers are most often seen between the stateroom or passageway and the head, but can also be found on doors leading to exterior promenades or pool areas.

Hand sanitizer is “Washy Washy”

 

(or is that only on NCL?)

I think that os NCL, they were our first cruise & my DH still loves calling it Washy Washy to this day! We have went on nothing but Carnival after our first cruise❤️

Enjoying the posts here mates!

I think that os NCL, they were our first cruise & my DH still loves calling it Washy Washy to this day! We have went on nothing but Carnival after our first cruise❤️

 

Enjoying the posts here mates!

Actually Washy Washy is a slang word the crew started. In the early days the crew spoke even less English than they do now . So they pointed to the Hand sanitize and said, Washy Washy.;)

Amidships = center of the boat...er, ship ;)

Technically, and this is picky I know, starboard and port are right and left of the ship when one is facing forward.

OK, just for the fun of it, I have been a lifelong sailor and Captain. This is not a contentious post just having some fun with words and terms.

you are on a ship, not a boat

The front of the ship is fore or forward

The back of the ship is in the stern or aft

The bathrooms are Heads

The kitchens are Galleys.

There are no floors, but decks

There are no rooms but cabins.

Port is left (it has 4 letters)

Starboard is right, it has more than 4 letters.

 

anyone else think of any other Nautical terms, add them on

Submarines are affectionately known as "boats."

(there aren’t ropes on a ship)

 

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Actually, a "rope" is a "line" with no set purpose. So, in the bosun's store, you will have a coil of "rope" not a coil of "line", while if it is taken out to be used for docking, it becomes a "mooring line" not a "mooring rope". Just like you buy rope to renew your halyard, but once it is a halyard, it is a line.

A few minor clarifications (IMHO) -

The only purposed rope on a ship is the bell rope (attached to the clapper) - everything else depending on it's purpose has a specific name - sheets - downhaul - guys - halyards - cunningham (no not Richie) - outhaul - topping lift etc etc Most of these are on sailboats and not Cruise ships)

In regards to the "listing" comment - now don't be a "heal" (LOL) (listing is also referred to as healing)

A snatch block is a block that can open "sideways" to attach a line to it versus running it through the block (it snatches open and closed)

and my favorite nautical term - the quenchwench - the lovely lady closet to the cooler who hands you your PRB's ( not pabst but pre-race beers) - also related to the term sensuous - as in sensuous you was down there can you get me a beer

Cheers Y'all -

Walls are bulkheads. Halls are p-ways. Scuttlebutt are rumors.

Actually the scuttlebutt was a barrel containing water from which the powder monkeys and sailors servicing the big guns got water during battles in the Royal Navy sailing ships. And just like modern watercoolers, they became a venue for gossip - hence our modern use of the term.

3 square meals a day comes from the Royal Navy's use of square plates.

Many common expressions have their origins in the British Royal Navy.

Okay, my friends -- who knows where these came from?

"Son of Gun"

"Freeze the balls off a brass monkey" (not being dirty, that's the real term)