While aboard your river cruise, you will hear references to many nautical terms. Here’s your handy guide so you too can sound like an expert aboard the ship.

AFT toward the stern of the boat
ASTERN in back of the boat
BOW the forward part of a ship
BRIDGE the location from which a vessel is steered and its speed controlled
CLEAT a fitting to which lines are made fast
COURSE the direction in which a ship is steered
DISPLACEMENT the weight of water displaced by a floating vessel
DRAFT the depth of water a boat draws
FATHOM six feet
FLOOD an incoming current
GALLEY the kitchen area of a ship
GUNWHALE the upper edge of a ship’s sides
HELM the wheel or tiller controlling the rudder
HULL the main body of a vessel
KEEL the centerline of a boat running fore and aft
KNOT a measure of speed equal to one nautical mile (6,076 feet) per hour
LEEWARD the direction away from the wind
NAUTICAL MILE one minute of latitude; approximately 6,076 feet—about 1/8 longer than the statute mile of 5,280 feet
PORT the left side of a ship looking forward; a harbor
STARBOARD the right side of a ship when looking forward
YAW to swing or steer off course

But why stop at just being able to say some of these terms? Knowing the history behind a few of these terms will make your fellow river cruisers think you know just as much as the cruise captain!
OVER THE BARREL
The most common method of punishment aboard ship was flogging. The unfortunate sailor was tied to a grating, a mast, or over the barrel of a deck cannon.
TO KNOW THE ROPES
There were miles of cordage in the rigging of a square rigged ship. The only way to keep track of and to know the function of all of these lines was to know where they were located. It took an experienced seaman to know the ropes.
DRESSING DOWN
Thin and worn sails were often treated with oil or wax to renew their effectiveness. This was called “dressing down.” An officer or sailor who was reprimanded received a “dressing down.”
FOOTLOOSE
The bottom portion of a sail is called the foot. If it is not secured, it is “footloose” and dances randomly in the wind.
GROGGY
In 1740 British Admiral Vernon (whose nickname was “Old Grogram” for the cloak of grogram which he wore) ordered that the sailors’ daily ration of rum be diluted with water. The men called the mixture “grog.” A sailor who drank too much grog was “groggy.”
POOPED
The poop is the stern section of a ship. To be “pooped” is to be swamped by a high, following sea.
TOE THE LINE
When called to line up at attention, the ship’s crew would form up with their toes touching a seam in the deck planking.

For more insiders knowledge of cruising terms visit our nautical terms information pages.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 7:33 am and is filed under River Cruise. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.