Been thinking on this and had a few minutes to illustrate some examples: http://crewboatchronicles.blogspot.com/2013/09/garbleda-words-we-use.htmLast week I was a few keystrokes away from posing the question: “why is it called a Texas deck” here when suddenly I had a vivid mental image of a pointy stick and did a quick Google search which immediately yielded a (surprising, to me) result.
Anyhow, what terminology trips folks up where you work? Towing, I know, has a whole 'nuther universe of job-specific jargon.
There is a a temptation to refer to the physical operation of a vessel as “driving,” which is incorrect. One drives cattle, golf balls and trucks. A ship or boat is steered, conned or piloted, usually from a helm station. I personally prefer “piloting,” as it connotes more than simply directing the direction of the vessel.To my ear, it includes things like coastwise navigation, radar observation and operating the radios.
In aviation the pilot is told to prioritize tasks as follows: to aviate, navigate and communicate. Aviate meaning to actually fly or control the plane. The best nautical equivalent for aviate I can think of is watchkeeping.
On a larger vessel the helmsman (or the iron mike) steers. Leaving the mate on watch without a good term for what he’s doing. In the navy the watch officer is said to “have the conn” while a jr. officer had the deck or a single officer could have both “the deck and the conn” but you don’t hear the word “conn” on the merchant side very often although I do see it written in the log book.
I’ve heard captains say “I’ve got it” or" I’ll take it" but they don’t say what it is they are taking. Sometimes they will just start giving helm commands without saying anything.
[QUOTE=txh2oman;119854]Been thinking on this and had a few minutes to illustrate some examples: http://crewboatchronicles.blogspot.com/2013/09/garbleda-words-we-use.htmLast week I was a few keystrokes away from posing the question: “why is it called a Texas deck” here when suddenly I had a vivid mental image of a pointy stick and did a quick Google search which immediately yielded a (surprising, to me) result.
Anyhow, what terminology trips folks up where you work? Towing, I know, has a whole 'nuther universe of job-specific jargon.[/QUOTE]
racist analogies/similarities we can’t use anymore, but it still happens.
As a refugee from the Lakes, I often catch myself reverting to the verbage from home, ie the “forespar” instead of mast, “I am five cables from your stbd bow” instead of “a half mile”, and various others; spar deck instead of main deck, pilothouse instead of bridge. The one that gets the strangest look is my morning greeting of, “It’s a great day for steamboating!”
Oh, and we measure speed on the US side in mph instead of knots but I haven’t said that yet!
[QUOTE=kzoo pilot;119916]As a refugee from the Lakes, I often catch myself reverting to the verbage from home, ie the “forespar” instead of mast, “I am five cables from your stbd bow” instead of “a half mile”, and various others; spar deck instead of main deck, pilothouse instead of bridge. The one that gets the strangest look is my morning greeting of, “It’s a great day for steamboating!”
Oh, and we measure speed on the US side in mph instead of knots but I haven’t said that yet![/QUOTE]
The helm commands “steady” and “steady as she goes” are used differently in different parts of the world.
In the U.S. “steady” and steady as she goes" have the same meaning:
If; however, you receive the order, “Steady” or “Steady as she goes,” immediately check the swing of the ship and steady her on the course she was heading when you received the order. - From United States Maritime Service Training Manual, Deck Branch Training, 1943,
Outside the U.S. the command “steady” means check the swing of the ship and, once the swing is stopped, steer the course you are on.
When my helmsman get this command they stop the swing of the ship and then try to haul the ship back to the course when the command was given. In a narrow channel with sharp turns often the command is given before the ship is close to the new course as the pilot is anticipating the helmsman needs time to stop the swing. This means once the ship lined up with the channel the helmsman starts a new turn in the opposite direction from the last one in spite of the fact that the swing is stopped and the ship is pointed down the middle of the channel.
[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;119880] I’ve heard captains say “I’ve got it” or" I’ll take it" but they don’t say what it is they are taking. Sometimes they will just start giving helm commands without saying anything.[/QUOTE]
In practice, when the watchstander opposite me is in the wheelhouse prior to the end of my watch and appears anxious to make a decision, steer the vessel or hail another boat, I’ll ask: “Do you want it?” or “Are you taking it?” And I mean, I suppose, “the conn.” You’re right, though, “I’ve got it” is in my experience the most common shorthand for what I suppose in the Navy would be: “I relieve you.”
[QUOTE=txh2oman;119929]In practice, when the watchstander opposite me is in the wheelhouse prior to the end of my watch and appears anxious to make a decision, steer the vessel or hail another boat, I’ll ask: “Do you want it?” or “Are you taking it?” And I mean, I suppose, “the conn.” You’re right, though, “I’ve got it” is in my experience the most common shorthand for what I suppose in the Navy would be: “I relieve you.”[/QUOTE]
I think it’'s the “watch” is what he wants. The watch is all the duties, steering, look-out, navigation, communications and record keeping. The “conn” is “giving steering and engine orders”. For example with a pilot aboard conning the watch officer still has the watch and is keeping a nav plot and doing the admin stuff, looking out.
One term used in the offshore business is “tour” (pronounced “tower”). It is used interchangeably with “watch”. It comes over from the onshore drilling side of the business. It has also drifted into the vessel side, too.
[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;119942]I think it’'s the “watch” is what he wants. The watch is all the duties,steering, look-out, navigation, communications and record keeping. The “conn” is “giving steering and engine orders”. For example with a pilot aboard conning the watch officer still has the watch and is keeping a nav plot and doing the admin stuff, looking out.[/QUOTE]
True enough, though in practice while underway on a 165-ft crewboat, I’m sliding out of the seat and he’s sliding in (I’m also giving him our course, ETA, cargo and/or passengers aboard, any significant targets ahead or vessels in the area with dive operations, etc.)
[QUOTE=txh2oman;119929]In practice, when the watchstander opposite me is in the wheelhouse prior to the end of my watch and appears anxious to make a decision, steer the vessel or hail another boat, I’ll ask: “Do you want it?” or “Are you taking it?” And I mean, I suppose, “the conn.” You’re right, though, “I’ve got it” is in my experience the most common shorthand for what I suppose in the Navy would be: “I relieve you.”[/QUOTE]
On my boat it was not “Conn” which I think is short for ‘control’, but ‘wheel’ or ‘helm’. Usually wheel.
Sailing deep-sea a captain had a chuckle at my expense when I said the sea was “lumpy” . He asked me what it meant and I couldn’t answer on the spot.
In Alaska, fisherman and others say the sea is “choppy” at some point when the wind is causing the seas to build. When the wind dies down and the sea start to “lay down” it is said to be lumpy. So the seas might be described as “starting to get choppy” when it is building and as “still a bit lumpy” or “there’s still a bit of a lump running” when the wind is decreasing.
