Sailing Terms: Belaying Pins
A belaying pin is a pin or rod, typically of metal or wood, used on board a ship and in mountaineering to secure a rope fastened around it.
Sailing Terms
Sailing Terms: Fathom
A unit of length equal to 6 feet (1.8 m), roughly measured as the distance between a man’s outstretched hands.
Sailing Terms: Slush Fund
Everyday words derived from sailing: “Slush fund” The money obtained by the cook selling slush ashore. Used for the benefit of the crew (or the cook). “What is slush?”, you may ask… Well, it’s a greasy substance obtained by boiling or scraping the fat from… Read More »Sailing Terms: Slush Fund
Sailing Terms: Cat o’ nine tails
A short nine-tailed whip kept by the bosun’s mate to flog sailors (and soldiers in the Army). When not in use, the cat was kept in a baize bag, hence the term “cat out of the bag”. “Not enough room to swing a cat” also… Read More »Sailing Terms: Cat o’ nine tails