The Unofficial Glossary of Nautical Terms

The Unofficial Glossary of Nautical Terms

Berth:	1. Sleeping quarters.
	2. Mooring area next to a pier or wharf.
Buoy:	1. Floating navigation marker.
	2. Signage found over the men’s room at many seafood restaurants. (Usually plural…Buoys)
Can:	1. Cylindrical buoy with a flat top, usually painted green and displaying odd numbers.  Kept to starboard going seaward.  Kept to port returning from the sea.
	2. See “Head” below.
Cuddy Cabin:	1. Cabin area with a low overhead that you cannot stand upright in.  This is a common configuration for berths on recreational boats or forward storage areas on workboats.
Dinghy:	1.Small boat carried aboard or towed to serve as transportation when the mother ship is at anchor.
	2. Mental state of the crew after an extra ration of grog.
Dolphin:	1. Group of pilings (usually three to five) bound together at the top, which provides a structure for mooring the ship.
	2. Marine mammal, specifically a porpoise.  (Flipper and/or any of his family.)
Day Mark:	1. Navigational marker that resembles a sign, usually attached to a dolphin.
Fender:	1. Cylindrical or spherical object, usually of a soft material or inflated with air, tied onto the side of the ship to keep it from rubbing on the dock.
GPS:	Global Positioning System.  GPS is a radio navigation system which receives a signal from several satellites, in orbit around the globe, to determine the location of the ship.  Most GPS receivers are accurate to less than 10 meters (35 feet).
Gull:	1. Genes of sea birds with strong beaks and webbed feet.
	2. Signage found over the ladies’ room at many seafood restaurants (usually plural...“Gulls”)
Head:	1. Potty, john, privy, commode, hopper, throne, can.  Also the compartment in which such apparatus is located.
ICW:	1. Intracoastal Waterway*.  Series of navigable waterways, both natural and man-made interconnected to provide passage for vessels without requiring them to enter the open ocean. The “Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway “ starts on the Elizabeth River at Chesapeake, VA (mile 0) and continues to Key West Florida (mile 1240). *Not “inter”coastal.  Intercoastal would be from coast to coast.  “Intra” is within the same coast.
Mayday:	1. Distress call made when in peril with possible severe injury, loss of life or loss of ship.
	2. Celebration on May 1st conducted by dancing merrily around a pole.
Nun:	1. Cylindrical buoy with a cone shaped top usually painted red and displaying even numbers.  Kept to port going seaward.  Kept to starboard returning from the sea.
	2. Order of religious females, usually wearing black, who may accompany the Priest the during Blessing of the Fleet.
Pea Soup:	1. Thick fog.
	2. Rations served when the cook is in a foul mood.
Port:	1. The left side of the ship looking forward.
	2. Waterside town where a ship may be anchored or moored.
	3. A type of wine used to make the crew dinghy.
Starboard:	1. The right side of the ship looking forward.
	2. Feeling achieved by watching Inside Edition, TMZ, Access Hollywood, etc. on TV.
VHF:	1. Very High Frequency radio.  This is the most common radio type used for ship to ship and ship to shore communications.
	2. Very Hot Female.  Woman onboard the boat moored three slips over.  Best if ignored by the captain.
Wake:	1. The wave created by a ship moving through the water.
	2. The memorial celebration for a deceased sailor, who probably drank himself to death, by his drunken sailor friends.
Windless:	1. A winch used to pull up the anchor.
	2. Condition when the wind is not blowing.  (Thanks, Teresa that’s a good one)
	3. Physical attribute of a sailor after rowing the dinghy a considerable distance.