Safety Equipment

[Vaughan]

3 hours ago, floydraser said:

Excuse me, is there an interpreter in the house?  Any photos?

Since taking up boating I have formed a theory that all naval terms were developed in the old days so that they may be understood when shouted through a howling gale by an old Cornishman with no teeth!

Here is a scan from the Admiralty Manual of Seamanship, revised 1979 :

 

I think that should explain it.

The asterisk * on the term "fake" goes on to say :

A fake is one of the turns of a rope when stowed or coiled. The term "flake" has been used incorrectly in the past.

All the same, I think what my father was taught in 1936, still holds good today!

[annv]

Hi Floyd Cheesing is twisting the rope as you coil it on deck in a circle, as to rope i have found that the platted rope looks better but it picks up thorns or any sharp bits that then prick your hand the three stranded gives a better grip when wet, easier to keep clean and undoes easier when wet,  a pr of yellow gardening gloves the rubber gripping type gives a good grip if needed and protects the hands, a bottle of TCP and a tin of water proof plasters is handy along with a bottle of crack sealer, a roll of insulating tape,  sharp knife,  a extending gripper to pick up dropped items that you cant reach along with a mirror on a stick, a small bottle of petrol to clean the odd bits make sure it has a good cap and dosnt leak together with some cotton rag, a small multi meter is handy to check if battery's are flat or with the ohms a bad circuit it will also check if fuses are ok boats electrics have  a habit of not working for no reason userly corrosion by damp. John

[floydraser]

32 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

Edit

I think that should explain it.

The asterisk * on the term "fake" goes on to say :

A fake is one of the turns of a rope when stowed or coiled. The term "flake" has been used incorrectly in the past.

All the same, I think what my father was taught in 1936, still holds good today!

That's brilliant, thanks Vaughan; couldn't be clearer. 

[Smoggy]

15 minutes ago, annv said:

a small bottle of petrol to clean the odd bits make sure it has a good cap and dosnt leak together with some cotton rag,

A man asks about safety equipment and you tell him to take a molotov cocktail.

[MauriceMynah]

ahhh, did someone mention "Cocktails"? Don't mind if I do. :-)

[Vaughan]

4 hours ago, floydraser said:

Since taking up boating I have formed a theory that all naval terms were developed in the old days so that they may be understood when shouted through a howling gale by an old Cornishman with no teeth! 

You mean "Ooh aah - Jim lad!" and "Avast heaving!" or what the BBC Radiophonic Workshop used to call "Days of Sail" sound effects.

For those who may not have heard of them, they were using what amounted to a Moog Synthesiser before it had even been invented and composed - among other things - the theme music to "Doctor Who".

[FairTmiddlin]

Anyone who is interested in Electronics, Doctor Who or electronic music should read this about the birth of The BBC RW

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/04/how-the-original-doctor-who-theme-changed-music/237938/

[floydraser]

1 hour ago, Vaughan said:

You mean "Ooh aah - Jim lad!" and "Avast heaving!" or what the BBC Radiophonic Workshop used to call "Days of Sail" sound effects.

For those who may not have heard of them, they were using what amounted to a Moog Synthesiser before it had even been invented and composed - among other things - the theme music to "Doctor Who".

I was thinking more that "halyard" and "sheet" would be easier to say than "rope".

[JennyMorgan]

22 minutes ago, floydraser said:

I was thinking more that "halyard" and "sheet" would be easier to say than "rope".

Only one rope of a boat and that is the bell rope. Other than that a halyard pulls a sail up whilst a sheet pulls one in!

[floydraser]

5 hours ago, JennyMorgan said:

Only one rope of a boat and that is the bell rope. Other than that a halyard pulls a sail up whilst a sheet pulls one in!

Cliche alert! 

I wish I had a pound for every time I've heard "there's only one rope on a boat" and I've not been boating long! 

[BroadAmbition]

Yeah me to.

 When onboard all types of RN vessels the deck calls / orders were always 'Ropes' i.e  'Check away headrope'   'Down slack stern rope' and the like.  The springs however were just fwd or aft springs, no mention of 'Rope' with those

Also on the small patrol boats I was on, the ships bells were small so the 'Bell Rope' was referred to as a lanyard

Griff

[JennyMorgan]

My experience of the Navy was that terminology was used that was most likely to be understood by deck crews, many of whom had no maritime tradition or upbringing. Indeed there was some resistance to such tradition. On one instance I was aboard HMS Lowestoft and without any thought I used a term like 'starboard, aft quarter', certainly wasn't affectation or pretension, just rolled off the tongue so to speak. A young matelot accompanying our group burst out laughing and went into immediate micky taking mode before profusely apologizing for his indiscretion. He explained that on deck there was a resistance to tradition and culture which he personally regretted but that was how it was. Me, I saw the funny side of it and for the rest of the day really laid it on thick. 

For what it's worth I've always taken an interest in traditional marine culture, I suppose I grew up with it. Terminology is something that develops as life passes us by. My father always referred to Port & Starboard as Larboard & Starboard, I suppose because his dad and grand-dad had used that terminology. There is obviously a chance of confusion between larboard & starboard thus I suppose that port & starboard became the norm.

We are a maritime nation with what I suppose can be considered an etiquette as much as a tradition. Flag etiquette is an example, woe betide anyone who wears (flies) a red ensign on the bow (front) of a boat or a Union flag from the stern (blunt end). I think that is rather nice to 'get it right' although at the end of the day does it really matter?  

[MauriceMynah]

Whilst flag etiquette may or may not "really matter" knowing which bit of ones boat is going to be hit by some vandal in a Drascombe, is! "Starboard aft quarter" tells me immediately where I should aim any projectile I have to hand. Just out of interest, did your young friend mention how he would have described his version of "starboard aft quarter" ?

[Smoggy]

1 hour ago, MauriceMynah said:

did your young friend mention how he would have described his version of "starboard aft quarter" ?

Right bum cheek!

[Timbo]

I grew up with Uncle Albert's RN slang which I have to admit I unconsciously pass on to my grandkids, simply because it's what 'things' have always been called. The problem being that quite often the language used is not considered shall we say 'PC'?

Griff may be able to confirm some of these, but
 
Port and starboard scran spanners are cutlery.
The names given to various meals would often have my mother dreading people asking me what I was having for tea as a kid...and the mods would have a field day with me! 

A bunch of b***ards is a tangled rope or fishing line.
Le bunch of b***ards is a French Knot
Irish Pendant is a poorly tied or loose rope

'MUPPET' this word was in regular use well before the TV show. Most Useless Person Pusser Ever Trained.

Saturday Admiral is a private boater who uses all the terminology and dresses the part.

 

[JennyMorgan]

2 hours ago, MauriceMynah said:

Just out of interest, did your young friend mention how he would have described his version of "starboard aft quarter" ?

He might have done, long time ago now, just a bit of banter I suppose. I suspect that even in the RN the toilet was still 'the heads' whilst the thing that you sat upon was 'the turd strangler' and the kitchen was stiil 'the galley'. 

[JennyMorgan]

1 hour ago, Timbo said:

Saturday Admiral is a private boater who uses all the terminology and dresses the part.

Maybe that was how I was seen by the young matelot but on principle I refused point-blank to adopt a washed out, battered Breton cap and baggy pink trousers as was seemingly regulation dress amongst SA's at the time, plus I was employed as a full time yachtsman so the Saturday bit didn't apply and anyway, Saturday was my day off.

[JennyMorgan]

1 hour ago, Timbo said:

The names given to various meals would often have my mother dreading people asking me what I was having for tea as a kid...and the mods would have a field day with me! 

The one that stuck in my mind, even to this day, was 'hen-tit', breast of chicken, for some odd reason that one always amused me.

[Poppy]

34 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

The one that stuck in my mind, even to this day, was 'hen-tit', breast of chicken, for some odd reason that one always amused me.

Surely that's 'Norwich' for 'isn't it ' ?

[floydraser]

2 hours ago, Timbo said:

I grew up with Uncle Albert's RN slang which I have to admit I unconsciously pass on to my grandkids, simply because it's what 'things' have always been called. The problem being that quite often the language used is not considered shall we say 'PC'?

Griff may be able to confirm some of these, but
 
Port and starboard scran spanners are cutlery.
The names given to various meals would often have my mother dreading people asking me what I was having for tea as a kid...and the mods would have a field day with me! 

A bunch of b***ards is a tangled rope or fishing line.
Le bunch of b***ards is a French Knot
Irish Pendant is a poorly tied or loose rope

'MUPPET' this word was in regular use well before the TV show. Most Useless Person Pusser Ever Trained.

Saturday Admiral is a private boater who uses all the terminology and dresses the part.

 

And how could you miss out WAFI? 

An ex colleague of mine was also ex navy and used to like to explain why a submarine is a boat and not a ship.

I could be someone's straight man couldn't I?

[JennyMorgan]

9 minutes ago, Poppy said:

Surely that's 'Norwich' for 'isn't it ' ?

Yis bor, tha hully is!

[JennyMorgan]

4 minutes ago, floydraser said:

I could be someone's straight man couldn't I?

You might be!! 

[JennyMorgan]

5 minutes ago, floydraser said:

And how could you miss out WAFI? 

Wind assisted friendly individual? 

In regard to MAFI & DAFI it might be that the F and the I have an alternative meaning, especially during the Three Rivers or Yare Navigation races.

By the way, why is a submarine a boat and not a ship?

[floydraser]

1 hour ago, JennyMorgan said:

 

By the way, why is a submarine a boat and not a ship?

I couldn't possibly say, I'm the straight man. Anybody?

[Vaughan]

2 hours ago, JennyMorgan said:

The one that stuck in my mind, even to this day, was 'hen-tit', breast of chicken, for some odd reason that one always amused me.

They had "babies heads" as well !