Another Boat Dog!

Greetings Fishies!

Word has come my way that the TimeBandit now has a boat dog. I don’t have any of the details as to breed, name etc. I hope that Discovery will show this dog as well as Taz of the Maverick.

I want to clear something up that I posted a while back about the TB. Seems there was some confusion. The Hillstrand brothers sold almost all of their king crab quota. There was a rumor that they informed their crew via text message, and yet another rumor that they allowed the boys to get all the way up to the boat before they were told. Either way, the crew you knew will not be on the back deck.

Its my understanding that the TimeBandit's boat website was created and managed by Mike Fourtner. Since he appears to no longer be employed by the TB, that may be the reason you can no longer access the site.

The TB was slated to be a secondary boat in the television series for king crab as they had almost no king crab to catch. At the last minute they leased some quota. I do not know if this will bring them from secondary to main or not. Editing will tell…..

Stay tuned!

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Yahoo Buckaroo!

Hello Fishies!

Ok that title really belongs to Hiram, but after last night’s viewing of the National Geographic Channel’s Cowboys of the Sea, I just had to use that!

It was great fun to sit here with my fishermen friends and family exclaiming “Hey! There is the Triumph!” Or, “Look! Look! That is so-and-so!” Of course, given the company I keep, there was also a running commentary about the men, the boats and the fish cops.

Yes, it was most definitely patterned after the Deadliest Catch, but I can forgive that. What’s that line about mimicry being the sincerest form of flattery? It was a treat to see the Bristol Bay gillnet fishery finally televised. I know that those who live and work there were thrilled to see Naknek “put on the map”.

Oddly enough, the gill netters are made up mainly of school teachers and college students. While there are a few full time professional fishermen in the mix, it is an exception rather than the rule. The deck crew, or pickers or pullers as they are known, can be the place that those of you aspiring to become fishermen on the big boats can start.

Stay tuned!

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Extreme Fishin’: Cowboys of the Sea

Hello Fishies!

Tomorrow night the National Geographic Channel will air what looks to be a great show about the Bristol Bay salmon season. Many of the boats from the Deadliest Catch tender for this fishery. Tune in!

From the National Geographic Channel Website:

Cowboys of the Sea [TV-14 L]

Monday, February 26, 2007, at 09P

Three captains must battle the elements, fiery competition, and the law during the 2006 sockeye salmon commercial fishing season in Bristol Bay, Alaska. For six weeks every summer, the tranquil Naknek River mouth becomes a bustling epicenter of commercial salmon fishing. Hundreds of fishermen come every year to stake their claims. The fishing district is small and the payoff can be huge. Captains have been known to make six figures in six weeks. One of the most competitive fishing seasons in existence.

A blog from the producer of the show:

Cowboys of the Sea (NGC Blog)

And finally, a nice page with good photos about the gillnet fishery:

Cowboys of the Sea

Stay tuned!

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Well My Goodness!

Hello Fishies!

I knew I would get under the skin of a few of the more reactionary and hysterical of you. Thank you so very much for your well researched and thought out replies, or maybe not. There are several of you that are just a wee bit on the nasty side, but that’s been obvious from the jump on your forum postings. You are all too eager to create drama and make disparaging remarks on all other vessels except one. To wit:

“And I thought a certain Captain thought Sig's loading crab on the deck(season 1) was an unsafe move? Very interesting.”

That’s just the most recent example. (I often wonder if we are watching the same television show.) More than a few of you should go back, waaaay back, and look at some of the asinine things you have posted. Glass houses, stones and all that.

So let me get this straight. I am fine when I give information that you want to hear, such as the listing of boats that would be on the third season. But if I give you facts you do not want to hear then I am full of BS? My goodness! Such a mature reaction! I have inside information on these guys and their personal lives that would make you scream and tear your hair out were I to post it.

First let’s examine my statements regarding season one and the crab count. Some of you are confusing king crab with opilio crab. It was the deck load of opilio crab that died – NOT the king crab. These are two dramatically different seasons.

Second, if you will watch the final episode you will see that when Sig Hansen comes into the wheelhouse he tells the crew that their finally tally is actually higher than they had thought. The reason for this is that the dead crab must also be weighed. The live crab that you saw was unloaded out of the tanks.

It has not escaped my notice that a few of the more prolific posters are now going to great lengths to avoid referring new people with questions to this blog. It must take you some goodly amount of time to go over the ground I have already covered, using the links that I have provided. At least some of us know that the original is mine.

Stay tuned!

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Crab Counts – Seasons 2 and 3

Hello Fishies!

After the competition during Season 1 it is understandable that the Discovery Channel would want to continue with the drama during Season 2. After all, considering the posts on their own Forums, the fans seemed to love it.

However, crab rationalization threw a bit of a kink into the works. This time there was no real race to see what boat would catch the most crab. Each boat had been allotted a fixed amount of crab, all based on an average of their catching history. The original crab poundage assigned to each vessel is not public information. There is no way of knowing exactly how many pounds each boat had to catch that originally belonged to the boat. We know that there was a dramatic decrease in the number of boats participating in the fishery. Where did that quota go? Easy answer – the majority of it was sold or leased. To who? To the boats that actually fished.

Now comes Discovery Channel with their effort to create even more drama on the Bering Sea. They do this by creating an artificial race with a crab count. We have no way of knowing what each boat was originally assigned, what the owner bought and what was leased. I seriously doubt that any captain or owner would share the paperwork with a film crew, so we have only their word on it. Remember that the season continued for an extended period of time, it went for months, not days. Film crews were not aboard for all the season. The final tallies would have been supplied after the filming had ended.

So what will happen with Season 3? Will there be a crab count? Yes Fishies, there will be! Only this time it’s a personal competition between the skippers. One they thought of all on their own, one that will test their skills. As I have said before, most fishermen have a bit of an ego. Get them going and bragging on themselves and their crews and pretty soon a wager is made and the dice are rolled. Behind the bar in a world famous watering hole is an envelope for the victor. Provided they don’t edit it out, and as long as Discovery is honest, this is going to be fun!

Stay tuned!

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Season 1 Crab Count

Greetings Fishies!

Some interesting news has come my way regarding the crab counts in each of the seasons of the Deadliest Catch. This information may upset some of you, I know that it did me.

The first season as we know, the Derby style was in effect. That meant each boat caught as much crab as they possibly could in the allotted time. Discovery decided to up the ante by offering that $250,000 prize money for the boat that caught the most. This was NOT for ALL of the vessels that participated in the king crab fishery. It was only amongst the boats that were filmed for the series. There were many boats with tremendously higher scores that what we saw on the show.

The broo-ha-ha over this has been well covered in various newspapers and other media. There was much ado in Dutch Harbor/Unalaska regarding this. It has been reported to me that the Discovery people were very nearly run out of town, boats that had intended to commit to a film crew bailed, and the Coast Guard refused to participate in the filming:

TV's offer of $250,000 prize for crabbers is called risky

When the Opilio season opened the crab counts remained – but without the prize money, which was a good thing. I can understand having the crab count for the viewers. It had always been my assumption that the boats did not know this “count” was going on. I was wrong.

I recall reading one of Donna’s posts on the Discovery Boards regarding these counts. Since the Maverick stopped fishing in order to deliver, she spent less time catching crab than the other boats. There was a huge chunk of time there that the other vessels continued to add to their count while the Maverick sat in port. She claims the Maverick out fished them all. What she says makes a certain amount of sense to me.

At the end of the season the Discovery folks phoned around to get the final tally for each of the boats. The Maverick was told that they had indeed won the count. They continued to believe this until they viewed the last show of the series. Not nice Discovery.

What caused the confusion? Well if your blood pressure isn’t already up I guarantee its going to be….remember that deck load of crab? It was not counted in the first tally because they were ALL DEAD. That’s right fishies. I am sorry to have to tell you this. In the original figure of live crab caught, the Maverick did win. However, when the dead crab were factored in the Northwestern won. Hmmmmm.

I know that there are some of you that will castigate and berate me for telling this. So be it. I got my information from some one who was there.

Stay tuned for information on the crab counts for Seasons 2 and 3!

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Boat Builders

Hello Fishies!

Thought you might be interested in where some of the boats you “know” were built:

Giddings Boat Works, Inc. Charleston OR

Hull #4 - originally christened Maverick - Fishing Vessel - built 1982 - 173 tons - Active

Hull #5 – originally christened Tracy D - Fishing Vessel – built 1982 – 169 tons - Now "Watchman"

Pacific Boat Building Co. Toledo OR

Hull #8 – originally christened Shannon Marie - Fishing Vessel – built 1983 - 108 tons -Now "Aleutian Ballad"

Columbia Shipbuilders The Dalles OR

Marla Jo - Fishing Vessel – built 1981 – 175 tons - Now "Arctic Dawn"

Tri-Star Marine, Inc. Seattle WA

Hull #102 – christened Lady Kodiak – owner Suydam, KA - Fishing Vessel – built 1991 - Active

Hull #104 - christened Lady Alaska - owner Suydam, KA - Fishing Vessel - built 1992 Active

Stay tuned!

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Starrigavan Update

Hello Fishies!

From various news sources:

The 23-year-old skipper of the fishing boat that wrecked on the Tillamook Bay jetty was arrested a month ago aboard the 58-foot vessel for allegedly boating under the influence of alcohol, authorities confirmed. Kirk Opheim of Burlington, Wash., also was cited at the time by the U.S. Coast Guard for numerous safety violations.

The boat crashed on the jetty's south arm after waves rolled it three times as it tried to return to the Port of Garibaldi with a 5,000-pound load of crab.

In December, Opheim was arrested after an anonymous call to police that he was drinking and piloting the Starrigavan, said Oregon State Police spokesman Gregg Hastings. An officer found the boat tied up Dec. 23 at a dock at the Port of Newport with no one on board. About 7 that night, Opheim approached the Starrigavan and identified himself, Hastings said.

The officer noticed the smell of alcohol on Opheim's breath and physical signs of intoxication and arrested him, Hastings said. His blood-alcohol content registered .13 percent, according to the state police citation. A level of .08 percent is considered intoxicated under Oregon law.

That same evening, the Coast Guard inspected the Starrigavan and found numerous safety violations, according to an agency news release. Coast Guard officials wouldn't comment further because the case is still under investigation.

Opheim has arrests in Washington stretching back to 2000, including allegations of burglary, theft and fourth-degree assault.

The Coast Guard and the Tillamook County Sheriff's Office are investigating the wreck and awaiting the results of toxicology tests given to Opheim that night.

"There were some misjudgments made," Johnson said from his hospital bed shortly after the wreck. He declined further comment, saying investigators asked him not to discuss the case.

The Starrigavan is owned by Fire Island Fishery Corp. in Kirkland, Wash., according to the Coast Guard. Calls to the office weren't returned. The company would be responsible for removing it, Coast Guard officials said, but that may not be possible if the boat continues sinking.

Stay tuned!

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Fishing Vessel Buyback Program Part 3

Greetings Fishies!

So, you ask, what actually happens to a boat once it goes into the buyback program? As you have seen, ALL of the fishing licenses and permits are permanently retired and may never be fished again. This is not unique to the US, it is a program heralded and in place world wide.

Sadly, there are some boats that are in such bad condition that they can not safely carry lives or cargo. These boats are scrapped. They are taken apart piece by piece, with some fittings sold and the metal sent to be recycled.

Barging is one way that sound vessels continue to work the sea. They are used to carry cargo to many different ports. This cargo can consist of food and supplies for the off shore oil industry to any kind of freight that you can think of.

Probably the most interesting service that these vessels are entering into is in regards to extreme sports and eco-tourism vacations. The boats go into the shipyard where every interior part of her is refitted – much like what is being done to the Aleutian Ballad. The wiring and plumbing are updated as are all of the navigational aids. The staterooms and crew quarters are refitted to more closely resemble a small bed and breakfast. The galley is modernized as well.

What kinds of sports could these boats engage in? Actually they serve as the transportation and floating quarters to extreme surfers! There are many reefs out in the ocean that have breaking surf of enormous proportions. The eco-tourism trip carries the participants into some remote river and ocean areas for kayaking and nature observation.

Finally, many are simply converted to “live-a-boards” or houseboats. Those of you who watch the series “Men in Trees” should take a closer look at Sam the plow guy’s boat, the Nimpkish II. The original house has been elongated to cover most of the back deck, and the mast has been removed to accommodate that.

Stay tuned!

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Fishing Vessel Buyback Program Part 2

Geetings Fishies! As promised here is part 2:

How did NMFS score the bids?

Bids were scored according to two factors: the asking bid price and the estimated value of the vessel's crab harvests. The bid score equaled the bid asking price divided by the vessel's total harvest value. To calculate the total harvest value, NMFS first determined the number of pounds the vessel harvested each year in each LLP crab fishery during the most recent five years the fishery was open. This harvest amount was then multiplied by the average ex-vessel prices per pound for each fishery in each year. The value of harvests in fisheries not covered by the buyback program were not part of the bid score calculation.

NMFS ranked the bid's score against all others and accepted bids in reverse auction, starting with the lowest scoring bids. Lower bid scores represented better buyback "value" because lower scoring bids resulted in removal of more effort for less money than did higher scoring bids.

Can a vessel still be used to fish if NMFS accepted a bid on that vessel?

No. The fishery endorsement of the vessel named on the license will be revoked. No one will be able to use the vessel to fish (including tendering and other activities considered fishing) in a commercial fishery, for any species, anywhere in the world. Current and future owners could use the vessel for any other legal purpose.

What happens to fishing history?
All fishing history (also called catch history) from the vessel whose history gave rise to the crab LLP license is surrendered. This includes crab fishing history and any other fishing history earned by that vessel. Once a history is surrendered, no person may use the history to qualify for any future fisheries permit program, including the Crab Rationalization Program.

What about the LLP groundfish license?
NMFS permanently revoked any LLP groundfish licenses, and other federal fisheries licenses bought back, that are based on the history of the vessel whose fishing history gave rise to the crab LLP license.

How is the loan payment fee determined for each fishery?
Participants remaining in each crab fishery under this program are responsible for repaying, with interest, a portion of the $97.4 million loan over the next 30 years. Participants in each fishery will pay for a portion of the loan equal to that fishery's proportion of the total value of the BSAI crab fisheries. The fee to be paid in each fishery is capped at 5%. This means that participants in any given crab fishery will not pay back more than 5% of delivery value of crab in that fishery.

Who collects and submits loan payment fees to NMFS?
"Fish Buyers" are responsible for collecting fees and submitting them to NMFS to repay the buyback loan. Fish buyers are: vessels that process crab, shore side processors that receive crab from harvesters, and persons that buy crab harvested by catcher processor vessels.

Groundfish:

The groundfish fishing capacity reduction program, or vessel buyback, was implemented in 2003 by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The purpose of the program was to reduce the number of vessels and permits endorsed for the operation of groundfish trawl gear in order to increase productivity in the groundfish fishery, help financially stabilize the fishery, and conserve and manage fish. The program also involved fishing capacity reduction in the California, Oregon, and Washington fisheries for Dungeness crab and pink shrimp.

To participate in the voluntary program, groundfish permit holders bid for reduction payments, and NMFS scored each bid against the bidder’s past exvessel revenues. A reverse auction accepted bids whose amounts were the lowest percentages of revenues. This created reduction contracts. A referendum on the fees followed the bidding process. All seven fisheries (federal groundfish and Washington, Oregon, and California pink shrimp and Dungeness crab fisheries) voted in the referendum. A statutory formula assigned different weights to each fishery’s votes.

On December 4, 2003, accepted bidders were required to permanently stop all further fishing with the reduction vessels and permits. NMFS is revoking the relinquished Federal permits, and NMFS will advise California, Oregon, and Washington about the relinquished state permits. NMFS will also notify the National Vessel Documentation Center to revoke the reduction vessels’ fisheries endorsement, and will notify the U.S. Maritime Administration to restrict the vessels’ transfer to foreign ownership or registry.

Vessels participating in the program must be sold, scrapped, or converted to nonfishing purposes, and the owner must agree not to use the vessel for fishing again.

The program’s maximum cost is $46 million, of which a 30-year loan will finance $36 million. Future fish landing fees will be used to repay the loan. Each of the seven fisheries involved will pay fees at different rates. Congress appropriated the remaining $10 million of the program’s cost.

One hundred eight groundfish permit owners submitted bids. These totaled $59,786,471. NMFS accepted 92 bids. These totaled $45,752,471. The next lowest scoring bid would have exceeded the program’s maximum cost.

The accepted bids involved 92 fishing vessels as well as 240 fishing permits. Ninety-two of the permits were groundfish trawl permits, and 121 were crab and shrimp permits. The remaining 27 were other Federal permits.

NMFS received 1,105 timely votes in the referendum. After weighting, 85.85% of the votes approved the fees. The referendum was successful. The reduction contracts are in full force and effect.

Stay tuned for part three!

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Fishing Vessel Buyback Program Part 1

Greetings Fishies!

I have noticed that some of you have had questions about the fishing fleet reductions, also known as “buy back.” What follows is information taken from different governmental websites.

Bering Sea and Aleutian Island crab fishermen voted to take a 30-year federal loan to pay 25 of their competitors to withdraw their vessels from fishing and relinquish both their fishing licenses and fishing histories. 273 of the 313 qualified voters cast timely ballots, with 80% approving the buyback's industry fee system, which will repay all of the buyback's $97.4 million cost.

NMFS published a reduction payment tender notice in the Federal Register November 2004. The bidders' fishing licenses and fishing histories were revoked and their vessels permanently restricted from fishing worldwide on December 27, 2004. The agency completed making payments to the 25 accepted bidders on January 19, 2005.

Fishermen remaining in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Island crab fishing industry will pay back the $97.4 million loan with a fee on future crab landings. NMFS published a final rule to implement the fee system and fee payment collection began in October 2005.

The fishing capacity reduction program for the crab fisheries managed under the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs Fishery Management Plan reduced excess capacity and promoted economic efficiency. The program is authorized under both special legislation and existing NMFS regulations governing fishing capacity reduction programs. Its objectives include increasing harvesting productivity for crab fishermen who remain after capacity reduction, helping conserve and manage fishery resources, and encouraging harvesting effort rationalization.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

These frequently asked questions provide a general overview of the buyback program.

What is the crab fisheries capacity reduction program?

The crab fisheries capacity reduction program, also called the crab "buyback" program, reduced excess fishing capacity and promoted economic efficiency in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) king and Tanner crab fisheries. Under this program NMFS bought License Limitation Program (LLP) crab licenses and fishing privileges of crab vessels. All fishing permits, fishery endorsements, and fishing histories associated with the crab vessel were revoked. NMFS has borrowed from the U.S. Treasury to make buyback payments to successful bidders. Remaining BSAI crab fishery participants will repay this loan over 30 years.

Which crab fisheries does the crab capacity reduction program cover?
This program bought LLP crab licenses and fishing privileges of crab vessels for the following BSAI crab fisheries that occur in federal waters:

Aleutian Islands brown king crab
Aleutian Islands red king crab
Bristol Bay red king crab
Snow crab (C. opilio)
Tanner crab (C. bairdi)
Pribilof Islands red and blue king crab
St. Matthew blue king crab

These are LLP endorsement fisheries. License holders whose licenses only have an endorsement for Norton Sound red king crab may not participate in the buyback program.

How did the buyback process work?

The buyback was implemented in a series of steps, as follows. All notices sent to license holders were published in the Federal Register and available on the web.

1. NMFS sent a list of potential qualifying bidders and referendum voters to all crab license holders.
2. License holders had 30 days to comment to tell us if any of this information was incorrect.
3. NMFS sent an invitation to bid and a bidding package to all qualifying bidders. Materials in the package explained exactly how to submit a bid.
4. Qualifying bidders submitted bids for buyback payments to NMFS.
5. NMFS scored the bids and accepted or rejected each bid based on terms explained in the final rule.
6. Also, NMFS calculated:
• the total gross value of the crab harvested by the vessels that successful bids will remove from each fishery.
• the loan amount for which each LLP endorsement fishery will be responsible, and
• the future repayment fee needed to retire that debt.
7. NMFS held a referendum so all crab license holders could vote to approve or disapprove the loan repayment fee. We provided voters the information necessary to make informed decisions on which to base their votes.
8. More than two-thirds of the license holders voted to approve of the fee, therefore NMFS is buying back the licenses and fishing privileges of the vessels.

How is the buyback funded?

Congress authorized a U.S. Treasury loan of up to $100 million to pay to successful bidders. Crab harvesters who remain in the crab fisheries will repay the entire loan, plus interest, to the government when they sell crab over the next 30 years.

Who could submit a bid?
Only a qualifying bidder, or a qualifying bidder and his/her co-bidder(s) could submit a bid. A qualifying bidder was defined as the person who holds a permanent, fully-transferable LLP crab license. The qualifying bidder could also own the crab vessel named on the LLP crab license. If the vessel was owned by another person, that person could be a co-bidder to the bid. Holders of interim crab licenses did not qualify to bid in the buyback program.

What was bid and bought back?

A bid included a permanent, fully-transferable crab LLP license, the crab fishing privileges of the vessel(s) named on that license, the complete fishing history of the vessel(s) whose history gave rise to that license, and any other licenses based on the history of that vessel(s) which were held by the bidder(s) when NMFS began to implements this program. All of these permits and privileges are permanently revoked by the program.

Here are the 25 boats:

Aleutian Rover - American Way - Arctic Eagle – Morzhovoi – Norseman

Diamond Head – Westling – Sirene - Kodiak Queen – Labrador - Shaman

Rebel - Norseman II - North Pacific - Northern Orion - Western Viking

Stormy Sea –Exito - Sea Spray - Lady Jessie - Silent Lady - Sitkin Island

Susitna - Secret Island -Zolotoi

Stay tuned!

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Pets on Boats

Greetings Fishies!

Donna’s posts about her pup being aboard the Maverick made me smile and take a trip down memory lane. I have known many, many boat pets over my years as a fishwife. They came in all shapes, sizes and species. Aside from the usual birds, dogs and cats, I have heard of pot bellied pigs, ferrets and even a praying mantis!

I knew a crewman of such size that he would make Hulk Hogan quake. His boat pet was a budgie! Seems some cruel jerk had pulled its tail and flight feathers out so as to render it flightless. While the poor little thing looked a fright, it was beautiful in the eyes of its owner. It was a curious thing to be talking to this giant of a man and have a little birdie head peak out from behind his ear or a shirt pocket!

Parrots have always been acquainted with sailors, albeit primarily pirates. I knew a gal who crewed aboard many different salmon trollers with a parrot. When the boat was in port you would see her on the docks with parrot firmly attached to her right shoulder. Considering the company that bird kept, I need not go into any detail about the things it would say…..

If you hang around the docks long enough you will get a pretty good idea of which breeds do the best. The retriever breeds – Goldens and Labradors seem to be the most numerous in the larger breed category and as far as the small breeds – anything goes! I know a certain crabber that was owned by a toy poodle for many years. That was always a hilarious sight to see – this crusty captain and his sidekick.

Most of the time boat dogs keep themselves occupied and are not a nuisance. Until they clamber up onto the dock and shake nasty boat basin water all over some poor unsuspecting tourists. Then they stand there drooling over the “treasure” they happened to have brought back, expecting – no – demanding – that it be thrown back into the water. Many brave souls have picked up said treasure, daintily between thumb and forefinger, all the while suppressing a gag. And when they feebly attempt to rid themselves of the treasure and the dog, find their actions not speedy enough for said dog, causing the dog to jump up and voila! Into the drink they go!

I have known many retrieving obsessed dogs on the docks. There are some that are so possessed, it was game time for many fishermen. No matter what you threw in, the dog would bring it back. Rocks, weights – no matter – back it would come. Down to the bottom the dog would go and bring back the correct object every time! On more than one occasion the dog earned its supper by finding a valuable tool that had been knocked overboard in the basin.

And let's not forget about cats! They have a nautical presence going back to the ancient Phoenicians and for centuries cats have played a critical role in controlling mice and rats on board ships. Even the famous explorer Capt. James Cook made careful log entries on his supply of cats while on history-making voyages.

Animals can get seasick, but usually get over it quickly. Seems the best preparation for boat rides are car rides so they get accustomed to motion. Clean up usually consists of a quick spray down with a deck hose, washing the pet waste off through the scuppers.

If you talk to the owners of these boat pets they are quick to point out the advantages in taking a pal to sea. They always agree, never talk back, although they have been known to fall asleep during a wheel watch.

Stay tuned!

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Sailor Speak Part 2

Hello Fishies!

Start Over with a Clean Slate A slate tablet was kept near the helm on which the watch keeper would record the speeds, distances, headings and tacks during the watch. If there were no problems during the watch, the slate would be wiped clean so that the new watch could start over with a clean slate.

Taken Aback A dangerous situation where the wind is on the wrong side of the sails pressing them back against the mast and forcing the ship astern.

At Loggerheads An iron ball attached to a long handle is a loggerhead. It was heated and used to seal the pitch in deck seams. Quarrelling crewmen were known to have used it as a weapon.

Fly-by-Night A large sail used only for sailing downwind and requiring rather little attention.

No Great Shakes When a cask became empty it was "shaken" (taken apart) so the pieces, called shakes, could be stored in a small space. Shakes had very little value.

Give (someone) a Wide Berth To anchor ships far enough away from each other so that they did not hit each other when they swung on their anchor with the wind or tide.

Garbled Garbling was the practice of mixing rubbish with the cargo.

Press Into Service Many vessels filled their ships' crew quotas by kidnapping men off the streets and forcing them into service. This was called Impressment and was done by Press Gangs. You might also know it as Shanghaied.

Touch and Go - This referred to a ship's keel touching the bottom and getting off again. Often during navigating shallow waters or those with many sand bars, the ship would touch and go.

Scuttlebutt A butt is a barrel. Scuttle means to put a hole in something. The scuttlebutt was a water barrel with a hole cut into it so that sailors could reach in and dip out drinking water. The scuttlebutt was the place where the ship's gossip was exchanged.

Under the Weather If a crewman is standing watch on the weather side of the bow, he will be subject to the constant beating of the ocean and spray. He is under the weather.

Overreach Should a ship hold its tack course too long, it will overreach its turning point and then it must travel much further to reach its next tack point.

Above Board Anything on or above the deck. If something is open and in plain view, it is above board.

Overwhelm Old English for capsize or founder.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea The devil seam was the curved seam in the deck planking closest to the side of the ship and next to the scupper gutters. If a sailor slipped on the deck, he could find himself between the devil and the deep blue sea.

The Devil to Pay - To “pay” the deck seams meant to seal them with tar. The devil seam was the hardest to pay because it was curved and intersected with the straight deck planking. Some sources define the "devil" as the seam below the waterline, between the keel and the adjoining planking. Paying the Devil was considered to be a most difficult and unpleasant task.

Rummage Sale From the French word "arrimage" meaning ship's cargo. Damaged cargo was sold at a rummage sale.

A Square Meal In good weather, the crew was fed a warm meal served on square wooden platters.

Son of a Gun When in port, and with the crew restricted to the ship for any extended period of time, wives and ladies of easy virtue often were allowed to live aboard along with the crew. Upon occasion, children were born on board, and one convenient place for this was between guns on the gun deck. If the child's father was unknown, they were entered in the ship's log as "son of a gun".

Taking the wind out of his sails Sailing in a manner so as to steal or divert wind from another ship's sails.

Let the Cat Out of the Bag In the Royal Navy the punishment prescribed for most serious crimes was flogging. This was administered by the Bosun's Mate using a whip called a cat o' nine tails. The "cat" was kept in a leather or baize bag. Obviously it was not a good thing when the cat was let out of the bag.

No Room to Swing a Cat The entire ship's company was required to witness the flogging. Often the crew would crowd around so closely that the Bosun's Mate might not have enough room to swing his cat o' nine tails.

Stay tuned!

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Sailor Speak Part 1

Hello Fishies!

I thought some of you might find the following interesting as well as educational.

Leeway The weather side of a ship is the side that the wind hits. The “lee side” is the side of the ship that is sheltered from the wind. A lee shore is land that is downwind of a ship. If a ship does not have enough "leeway" it is in danger of being driven onto the shore.

Over a Barrel The most common method of punishment on board a ship was flogging. The unfortunate sailor was tied to a grating, a mast or over the barrel of a deck cannon.

Know the Ropes There were miles and miles of cordage in the rigging of a ship. The only way of keeping track of and knowing 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 Sails that had become thin and worn were often treated with oil or wax to renew their effectiveness. This was called "dressing down". An officer or sailor who was reprimanded or scolded received a dressing down.

Footloose The bottom portion of a sail is called the foot. If it is not secured, it is footloose and it flaps in the wind.

Booby Hatch Aboard ship, the booby hatch is a sliding cover or hatch that must be pushed away to allow access or passage.

First Rate Implies excellence. From the 16th century, until steam powered ships took over, British naval ships were rated as to the number of heavy cannon they carried. A ship of 100 or more guns was a First Rate line-of-battle ship. Second rates carried 90 to 98 guns; Third Rates, 64 to 89 guns; Fourth Rates, 50 to 60 guns. Frigates carrying 48 to 20 guns were fifth and sixth rated.

Pipe Down Means stop talking and be quiet. The Pipe Down was the last signal from the Bosun's pipe each day which meant "lights out" and "quiet".

Chock-a-Block Meaning something is filled to capacity or over loaded. If two blocks of rigging tackle were so hard together they couldn't be tightened further, it was said they were "Chock-a-Block".

Windfall A sudden unexpected rush of wind from a mountainous shore.

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 watered down. The men called the mixture "grog". A sailor who drank too much grog was "groggy".

Three Sheets to the Wind A sheet is a rope line which controls the tension on the downwind side of a square sail. If, on a three masted fully rigged ship, the sheets of the three lower course sails are loose, the sails will flap and flutter and are said to be "in the wind". A ship in this condition would stagger and wander aimlessly downwind.

Pooped The poop is the rear or stern section of a ship. To be pooped is to be swamped by a following sea.



As the Crow Flies When lost or unsure of their position in coastal waters, a ship would release a caged crow. The crow would fly straight towards the nearest land thus giving the vessel some sort of a navigational fix. The tallest lookout platform on a ship came to be known as the crow's nest.

By and Large By meaning into the wind and large meaning with the wind: as in, "By and Large the ship handled very well."

Cut and Run - If a captain of a smaller ship encountered a larger enemy vessel, he might decide that discretion is the better part of valor, and so he would order the crew to cut the lashings on all the sails and run away before the wind. Other sources indicate "Cut and Run" meant to cut the anchor cable and sail off in a hurry.

In the Offing - From the 16th century usage meaning a good distance from shore, barely visible from land, as in - "We sighted a ship in the offing."

Skyscraper - A small triangular sail set above the skysail in order to maximize effect in a light wind.

The Bitter End - The end of an anchor cable is fastened to the bitts at the ship's bow. If all of the anchor cable has been played out you have come to the bitter end.

Toe the Line - When called to attention, the ship's crew would form up in a line with their toes touching a seam in the deck planking.

Back and Fill - A technique of tacking when the tide is with the ship but the wind is against it.

Overhaul To prevent the buntline ropes from chaffing the sails, crew were sent aloft to haul them over the sails. This was called overhauling.

Slush Fund A slushy slurry of fat was obtained by boiling or scraping the empty salted meat storage barrels. This stuff called "slush" was often sold ashore by the ship's cook for the benefit of himself or the crew. The money so derived became known as a slush fund.

Bear Down To sail downwind rapidly towards another ship or landmark.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

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