The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea

The Oxford Companion is one of those reference books that it’s easy to get distracted by other entries on the way to what sent you there in the first place.

Here’s a couple I came across on my way to Buys Ballot.

This is a good alternative to the “we don’t need no stinkin’ compass” etc wrt some fisherman’s navigation methods in Alaska and elsewhere.
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I’ve not heard anyone saying “blowing great guns” for a long time and don’t recall anyone saying the “small arms” part at all.
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And Buys Ballot’s itself - The “rough and ready” is good.

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I’ve got the 1st edition from 1976 but at under $5 for a used edition might be worth it to get the 2nd edition, published 1994.

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