Halyard
- Line For Hoisting Sails.
The sails used to be referred to as the "Yards" as in yards
of canvas. The line you "Hauled" the "Yards" up
with became known as the "Haul Yard", or Halyard.
Head
- Ship's Toilet
In the days of old square riggers that could only sail down wind, the
toilet was merely a hole cut in a plank hung out overboard on the
downwind most end of the boat, the bow, often called the
"head" of the boat. That way any odors were blow ahead of
the ship. Thus the toilet became known as the head because of it's
historical location on the ship.
Port
- Left Side.
To protect their steering boards from damage, ships would park along
the dock with the opposite side of the vessel. That was the side you
stepped off the boat from when you were at port, thus became known as
the "Port" side of the vessel.
Starboard
- Right Side.
Prior to the advent of the stern rudder, vessels had their steering
oars or steering board mounted on the right side of the vessel.
Thus the term "Steerboard" or Starboard side. Tonnage
- Weight/Capacity.
When is a ton not a ton? When it involves a boat. There are 3
types of "Tonnage". 1) A Short ton is 2000 lbs.
2) A Metric ton is 2200 lbs.
3) A Long ton is 2240 lbs. Displacement is the amount of
water a vessel, well displaces. This is equal to the weight of the
vessel and is measured in Long tons, or in the case of a
recreational vessel converted into pounds based on a long ton. Deadweight
tonnage used for commercial vessels is the cargo-carrying
capacity of the vessel, in Long tons. This is a measure
of the vessels full load displacement minus its lightship
displacement. Gross tonnage is also a measure of
a vessel's capacity but has absolutely nothing to do with
weight. One gross ton equals 100 cubic feet and is explained in
chapter 46 sub-part 69 of the Code of Federal Regulations, though not
in very simple terms. Gross tonnage is a measure of the interior
volume of a vessel. This is the tonnage found on your
certificate of documentation. To add to the confusion, an
ultra-light racing sailboat could have the same gross tonnage as a
heavy cruiser of equal size, while their difference in displacement
could be measured in tons (weight). A non-documented vessel may not
have a tonnage rating. The law allows for this, and an
estimation formula can be found in chapter 46 sub-part 69.209.
For sailboat gross tonnage use the following calculation.
Gross Tons = (Length x Depth x Beam / 100) x .5
A 42' sailboat that is 8' deep (Don't
count the draft of the keel,
but usable space below),
with a 14' beam would be 23.5 gross
tons. ((42*8*14)/100)*.5
If must use depth that includes the keel, use .75 as the multiplier vs
.5. A multi hull sailboat would use the sum
of all the hulls A vessel not designed for
sailing would use the following calculation.
Gross Tons = (Length x Depth x Beam / 100) x .67
Net Tonnage, to further confuse the issue, is the
theoretical earning capacity of a vessel. Net tonnage equals gross
tonnage minus non income potential volume area, such as crew quarters,
engine spaces, fuel spaces and the bridge, measured in 100 cubic-foot
units. Sorry you asked, right?
The New Alphabet?
- Give the Phonetic Alphabet a try!
| Letter |
Pronunciation |
Letter |
Pronunciation |
| A |
Alpha (AL fah) |
N |
November (no VEM ber) |
| B |
Bravo (BRAH VOH) |
O |
Oscar (OSS cah) |
| C |
Charlie (CHAR lee) |
P |
Papa (pah PAH) |
| D |
Delta (DELL tah) |
Q |
Quebec (keh BECK) |
| E |
Echo (ECK oh) |
R |
Romeo (ROW me oh) |
| F |
Foxtrot (FOKS trot) |
S |
Sierra (see AIR rah) |
| G |
Golf (GOLF) |
T |
Tango (TANG go) |
| H |
Hotel (hoh TELL) |
U |
Uniform (YOU nee form) |
| I |
India (IN dee ah) |
V |
Victor (VIK tah) |
| J |
Juliett (JEW lee ETT) |
W |
Whiskey (WISS key) |
| K |
Kilo (KEY loh) |
X |
X Ray (ECKS RAY) |
| L |
Lima (LEE mah) |
Y |
Yankee (YANG key) |
| M |
Mike (MIKE) |
Z |
Zulu (ZOO loo) |
|
