SEAFARING JARGON SPILLS OVER
INTO DRY-LAND CONVERSATION
Fred Dyson – Dyson's Starboard View – Messing About in Boats
A faithful reader has written inquiring about the meaning of some common seafaring expressions often used by sailors. Most of these gems have some charm and some collateral value in non-seafaring conversations.
DOWN THE HATCH
A hatch is an opening in the deck of a vessel that gives access to the space below. The hatch cover is a lid (generally watertight) for the hatch. The expression generally is used to describe the process of pouring a liquid down the "hatch" or mouth of a seaman. As a small child I vividly remember my papa looking across the galley (kitchen) table at me, grasping his glass of orange juice or V-8 or tomato juice, and commanding "down the hatch." I was then expected to grab my glass and do likewise. If we were under way in quartering or beam sea, I sometimes had trouble getting all of the juice into the "hatch."
THE SUN IS OVER THE MAIN YARD
In the British Navy it was customary to never serve the rum ration until the sun was above the main yard (a timber that held the top of a square-rigged sail). In the northern hemisphere it would be after 11 a.m. before a sailor could expect his ration of grog. The expression to have a drink was often, "All hands to 'splice the main brace.'"
THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND
At sea, a sheet is the line (rope) that secures the boom (a pole along the lower side of a fore and aft sail) to the bull of the sailing vessel. On larger sailboats the sheet will run through blocks (pulleys) to give a mechanical advantage to the sailor trying to hold a large sail against the considerable pressure of the wind.
To have "three sheets to the wind" means the seaman has rigged three sets of sheets in an effort to hold the sail inboard. A vessel, so rigged, will almost certainly be heeled far over (leaning) and maybe have its lee rails in the water. The common use of the expression is to describe a sailor who is not able to handle the pressure of booze and is having much trouble keeping upright, afloat, and navigating.
DEAD IN THE WATER
Also the contraction D.I.W. When a vessel loses power, it is "dead in the water." This condition can be the result of: a fouled prop, engine failure, torn or blown-out sails, out of fuel, loss of the mast(s), or problems with the nut behind the wheel. Unlike an automobile, a boat that is "dead in the water" doesn't stay parked. The wind and tide will push or carry the boat somewhere. My experience is that the "somewhere" is usually into trouble.
The "trouble" is often an inhospitable lee shore with ugly rocks or into a collision with some fancy yacht owned by liability lawyers. In this situation, a prudent sailor will deploy the boat's anchor to attempt to hold the boat in position.
I was caught in this situation in June 1990 and watched, with something like terror, as two anchor lines broke and let my vessel be driven onto a lee shore. The popular use of this expression is to indicate that a person is stopped in her or his progress on some project. On shore, operating engineers use a companion expression ''two blocked" to indicate that they can make no more progress on a project.
IN IRONS
If a sailboat is bow (front) into the wind and has no steerage way (momentum) to allow it to steer, it is helpless and is "in irons." Often the vessel will start drifting astern and can sometimes put the helm (steering wheel) over and rescue itself by turning so that the sails are exposed to the force of the wind. The expression is often used to describe a person who can't or won't make a decision.
DOG IT OFF
"Dogs" are the levers or clips that are used to latch or secure a watertight hatch cover or door. Generally there are several "dogs" around the periphery of the cover or door. The common use of the expression "dog it off" is to quit something or to shut up.
Therefore, if you are around sailors who are drinking, and a wife fixes her mate with a steely gaze and mutters "dog it off," she means he should stop ''three sheets to the wind" and will soon be "dead in the water" or even "aground on a lee shore" if he doesn't stop throwing the booze "down the hatch." She is also presumably convinced that his mind, if he ever had one, is "in irons."
In a different article, I deal with more seafaring jargon and some sailor superstitions. You will find out why Hawaiian fishermen don't take bananas on board and why sailing ships had a lovely topless lass for a figurehead.
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