Sunday 18 December 2011

Nickname required

One of our Brethren survives without a nickname. Time for a baptism. Due to his sailing predeliction, I've raided a glossary of sailing terms and invite you to pick your favourite. Of course, if you come up with something better, put it forward but there are surely enough to suffice in this lot. Firstly my top 5, then a pile of the cream of watery words with their meanings.

Here are my Top 5:
Keef 'The Buoy' Milruoy
K 'The Gollywobbler' M
K 'The Jiffy Reefer' M
K 'Sea Cock' M
K 'Monkey Deck' M

Baggywrinkle - Clumps of frayed rope that protect the sails from chafing against the lines.
Bilge - A rounding of the hull along the length of the boat where the bottom meets the side.
Binnacle  - A support for the compass, raising it to a convenient position.
Boom - free swinging spar attached to the foot of the sail with forward end pivoting on the mast.
Boomkin (bumpkin)- Short spar extending aft from the transom. Used to anchor the backstay or the sheets from the mizzen on a yawl or ketch.
Boot Top - A painted stripe that indicates the waterline.
Bulkhead - An interior partition commonly used to stiffen the hull. May be watertight.
Bunk - Sleeping Berth
Buoy - An anchored float used for marking a position on the water or a hazard or a shoal and for mooring.
Capsize - To turn over.
Chafing Gear - Tubing or cloth wrapping used to protect a line from chafing on a rough surface.
Charley Noble - Galley stove pipe
Coxswain - Sailor in charge of and steering a small boat
Cuddy - A small shelter cabin in a boat.
Ditty Bag - Small bag used for carrying and stowing small personal items or kits
Dodger - A screen, usually fabric, erected to protect the cockpit from spray and wind.
Gollywobbler - A full, quadrilateral sail used in light air on schooners. It is flown high, between the fore and main mast, and is also known as a fisherman's staysail.
Gooseneck - The fitting that connects the boom to the mast.
Head Knocker - A block with a jam cleat, located on the boom and used to control the main sheet on small boats.
Jiffy reefing - A fast method of reefing. Lines pull down the luff and the leech of the sail, reducing its area.
Lazy Jack - Light lines from the topping lift to the boom, forming a cradle into which the mainsail may be lowered.
Monkey Deck - A false deck built over a permanent deck.
Roller reefing - Reduces the area of a sail by rolling it around a stay, the mast, or the boom.  Most common on headsails.
Sea Cock - A through hull valve, a shut off on a plumbing or drain pipe between the vessel's interior and the sea.

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