A “life preserver” for “land lubbers” having a conversation with a “salty dog.”

So, here I am minding my own business at the Village Cay bar in Road Town, Tortola, and a couple shows up, just off the plane from Chicago, to jump on board a charter yacht in the morning for an unforgettable week sailing in the BVI. This is their first visit to the Caribbean. They apparently had not been in the sun for months, and they were a bit intimidated by staying full time on a sailboat for a week because they had NEVER been on a sailboat before.

In their effort to not be too ignorant regarding the sailing “terminology” they expected to hear all week, they had purchased a book of terms and their definitions. It was a very fascinating conversation that I just couldn’t avoid jumping into. I decided to give them my favorites of the basic terms one needs to know – at least the ones the Captain will be using with his guests in which to have some fun while on the voyage. Here goes…

• Starboard – the right side of the vessel
• Port – the left side of the vessel ( confusing these two definitions could cause a shipwreck
• Bow – the front of the vessel.
• Stern – the back of the vessel.
• Sheets – the ropes and lines that are connected to the sails that are used to “trim the sails” while underway.
• Bimini – the canvas or fiberglass covering the stern sitting area.
• Brightwork – the polished metal objects on the vessel. “Bright it should be and work it is.”
• Pusser – this is the name that has evolved from “Purser”. The Purser on the ship is the one who gives the wages to the crew, and the VERY important allocation of daily rum to each of the crew members. The rum made in the BVI is called Pussers.
• Fathom – Although a fathom is now a nautical unit of length equal to six feet, it was once defined by an act of Parliament as “the length of a man’s arms around the object of his affections.” The word derives from the Old English Faethm, which means “embracing arms”.
• Boot Camp – During the Spanish – American War, Sailors wore leggings called boots, which came to mean a Navy or Marine recruit. These recruits trained in “boot” camps.
• Scuttlebutt – the cask of drinking water on ships was called a scuttlebutt and since Sailors exchanged gossip when they gathered at the scuttlebutt for a drink of water, scuttlebutt became the U.S. Navy slang for gossip or rumors. A butt was a wooden cask which held water or other liquids; to scuttle is to drill a hole, as for tapping a cask.
• Painter – the line connected to your dingy from your vessel that is used to tow it.
• Shows his true colors – The rules of civilized warfare called for all ships to hoist their true national ensigns before firing a shot. Someone who finally “shows his true colors” is acting like a man-of-war which hailed another ship flying one flag, but then hoist their own when they got in firing range. ( Today the “colors” you sometimes see flying on the sailboats in the Caribbean have a martini glass emblem on them meaning it is cocktail hour and anyone is welcome. )

My new found friends were grateful that they would now be able to have an intelligent conversation with their Captain. What I failed to tell them is there are hundreds more of these phrases that will totally confuse a “land lubber” attempting to behave as a “salty dog”.