Here is the Second Edition of our wonderful world of offbeat nautical terms, and we present it with some trepidation. It seems that the first edition has been blamed for the bodily ejection of a boat club member whose conduct was beyond approach until he suddenly began to holler “Fantod! “ at the commodore.
Once again, all information is accurate, gleaned from marine manuals and seafarer scuttlebutt. (I wonder where “scuttlebutt” originated.)
Knot
The word knot is not a short form of nautical miles. Rather it derives from the method used on early ships to establish their speed through the water. This was done by trailing a rope with knots tied in it at regular intervals and a small log tied to the end of it. As the rope unwound from a drum, the knots were counted.
It was crude, but it gave an approximation of the ship’s speed. In those early times before speedometers, this was always a knotty problem.
Shagreen
Shagreen is a piece of dried skin off certain types of sharks and it is used for rasping or polishing wood. You can also face it onto a fishing mitten used to lift hooked fish out of the water without damaging them. It works well and lasts forever.
It comes with instructions. The first is, before attempting to skin the shark, make absolutely sure that it’s dead!
Freebooter
A freebooter, as anyone who has read about Captain Kidd knows, is a pirate, a buccaneer, a plunderer. It is also a strange and inexplicable fact that “filibuster,” describing an action using words instead of deeds, began as a synonym for “freebooter.” Occasionally; it seems, the cut and thrust of debate can produce more positive results than slitting a throat.
Inconnu
The Inconnu is a strange type of fish that is caught almost exclusively in the McKenzie River in Northern Canada. It is thought to be a cross between a salmon and a whitefish. How it got that way, nobody seems to know.
Probably either a broadminded salmon or a shortsighted whitefish.
Learn more: https://spectacularnwt.com/what-to-do/fishing/inconnu/
16 Bells
It is never 16 bells aboard ship, except in the British Navy where it is a very old tradition and then only at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Mind you, after a tot or two or seven of good old Pusser’s Rum, you too will probably hear bells ringing and ringing.
Once again, it appears, we have an example of how Britannia waives the rules!
Electricity
Of course, you know what it is, but where did it come from? No, Thomas Edison did not invent electricity.
History tells us that the early Romans discovered static electricity many centuries ago. We don’t doubt it, but something bothers us. What in the world did they use it for?
Perhaps it was part of the “bread and circuses” that we hear so much about. Or maybe it was just used to kick-start Antony before Cleopatra arrived!
Soogee-Moogee
Believe it or not, soogee-moogee is a solution of washing soda, soap powder and whatever else is handy, used to wash down the painted surfaces on a boat. Not good for fibreglass, aluminum or unpainted wood.
You probably wipe it off with a squeegee-weegee!
Rope Walk
Until recently, maybe 60 years ago, all rope was made of natural fibres gathered from many different plants; abaca, hemp, sisal, flax and cotton were the major ones. It was made by hand in a “rope walk,” a long, covered building named from early times when rope markers walked as they spun fibres into yarns, then yarns into strands and finally strands into ropes.
Maybe that was why it was sold by the foot!
Dead Reckoning
This is a term that comes from “deduced reckoning” and simply means keeping track of how far you go and how long it takes.
A good example of this is, if you’re navigating down the Niagara River and suddenly the roar of the falls gets very, very loud you can reckon that you’ re in trouble. So if you decide to get into dead reckoning, just stay clear of cataracts.
Tidal Bore
There are tidal bores all over the world. The highest is on the Amazon River and is known as the Prororoca.
A name that is feared by natives on the river, the Prororoca reaches a height of 15 feet when a big Atlantic tide pushes a wall of water upstream from the ocean.
There are other big bores on India’s Ganges and Indus rivers. Canada, of course, has its own big bore. Not that little four-footer that drives up from Fundy Bay to Moncton.
Ours is in the House of Commons.
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