Whether you're an old salt or a young salt, there's always something new and exciting you can learn about your boat. That goes from important everyday matters such as how to boat safely and how to keep your vessel in tip-top condition to fun facts and trivia you and your crew might have a gam about as you enjoy snacks and beverages together in a quiet cove with the waves lapping against your watercraft's gunwales.
Here at Bakes Marine, we have been selling, working on and playing on performance boats for more than three decades. That has given us ample time to learn about the ins and outs of getting the most out of time on the water. Along the way we have also picked up some fascinating factoids about the boating life. Even the savviest old sea dog can learn something new about boating. Jump on board and sail along with us if you want to learn some boating fun facts you probably didn't know.
Getting the Lingo Right
As in any pursuit, when it comes to boating, you have to know the lingo. For boating newbies, boating nomenclature can seem especially mysterious at first blush. As far as the typical tyro is concerned, terms such as starboard and larboard might as well be ancient Greek.
Starboard simply means right (when you are facing the boat's front, which only landlubbers would describe that way. The correct word for the front of the boat would be bow.)
Why is it called starboard? That's easy. Well, actually it's not that easy. Understanding the word requires a trip back in time to ancient boating methods as well as a dip into long-gone languages like Old English and proto-German. Starboard comes from the Old English word steorbord, meaning rudder and side. It describes how boats once were maneuvered, with a steering paddle positioned on the boat's right side. Thus starboard means right.
The letters SS have some good and bad connotations, depending on what you are talking about. What does SS mean in ship terms? SS meaning is simple. Back in the days of steam, it stood for steamship. What does SS stand for on a ship or boat today? The word has evolved to mean single-screw, as in one propeller. So if you really want, you could probably put the letters in front of your towboat's name without getting too many horse laughs.
A Day in May
Mayday is a word that has multiple meanings. Yes, it could hearken back to folks merrily dancing around a May pole celebrating the rites of spring or workers honoring labor. But it also can be construed as a word no sailor or aeronaut wants to use except in cases of extreme peril.
As an internationally recognized distress signal, Mayday should only be used by captains in the event of extreme, immediate danger. Why do they say Mayday? The origins of this word's usage are a bit hazy. According to one source, this usage dates back to the 1920s when an airport radio officer in England coined the term. This bloke often communicated with his French counterparts, so Mayday is supposed to have derived from the French words m'aider — which mean come help me and, when pronounced with the proper Gallic accent, sound like Mayday. When broadcasting this cri de coeur, it should always be repeated three times.