Pedals to Fins

For those of you who have just about had it listening to my road cycling stories, fear not!  A new sport has come to town.  Since I am going to be (mostly) taking a hiatus from cycling this year, I have decided to focus on running and swimming.  And you know what happens when someone runs, swims, and cycles.  You guessed it.  They do triathlons.  Well, let’s not put the cart before the horse, or rather the bike before the goggles, just yet.

 

My old kind of swimming: sunglasses on, hair staying dry.

While I know how to run (kinda), I am not a freestyle swimmer.  I can swim all day long, staying afloat, staring at my toes as I lie on my back.  But I’ve never been a fan of freestyle swimming.  I’m averse to water going up my nose.  I just don’t like the feeling.  It’s a fear that I can’t quite put my finger on.  I don’t consciously think I am going to drown, but I do get the sensation that I won’t be able to breathe if there is water up my nose.  So I usually take a big gulp of air, dive under the water, and swim like a frog until I need to come up for air.  Apparently, that is “Not Fast”.  I can also backstroke okay, but that’s not going to cut it in a race, either.Last fall, I took a swim “lesson”, talking to a swimmer friend about my fears, and getting in the water to practice getting over them.  In one hour, I made a huge amount of progress.  Since then, I have tried swimming whenever I could, but in the winter in New Jersey, you can guess how many times that was.  So when we left on our trip two weeks ago, I made a goal to get in the water every day I could for the entire year.  Even if it was only to swim one time around the boat.  I figure if I swim for 365 days straight, I’ve GOTTA make some improvements.  Maybe even become an actual Swimmer.

So far, so good.  It may be a bit of a challenge to swim every single day, but I’ve gotten in the water almost every day so far.  I quickly learned that “open water” swimming is quite different from swimming in a pool.  And salt water is way different than chlorine water.  The open water has waves and current, so when you turn your head to get air, you will most likely swallow a fish.  I was told to really rotate my body so that my face is practically looking directly up at the sky when I open my mouth to take a breath.  That seems to be working.  (Although today, I was talking to a lifeguard and he told me that in open water triathlon swimming, you want to lift your head up forward, so you can see where you are going.  I’m going to have to YouTube this, unless any of you avid swimmers want to weigh in.)

 

swimming against max current in Piscataqua River (Portsmouth, NH)

Open water is also not clear, like a pool.  They don’t paint those cute little lane lines at the bottom of the ocean so you can see where you are going, make sure you stay in a straight line, and know when the “end” is near.  In the open water, you can’t see if some creature is about to eat you for lunch or sting the bejesus out of you.  There is also a distinct lack of a pool edge to hold onto while you hyperventilate every 25 meters.  However, I am quickly discovering that the salt in open water is my new BFF.  The extra buoyancy that the denser salt water provides is just enough to allow me to focus on stamina and technique, rather than fighting to stay afloat.  Add a wetsuit to the equation and I practically feel like a hydroplaning high-speed ferry.  I have only used my wetsuit once, since it is quite an ordeal to put on, take off, and wash down, but it was an absolute joy to use.  Once we get to Maine, I think I will be relying on it daily to steel myself against the infamous brisk waters there.Today I got to use the pool at a yacht club in Marblehead, MA, thanks to our new sailing friend Alec, who offered to have us use the facilities as his guest.  I spent the early morning and evening using the laundry room there, so I took advantage of the long wash cycles to swim laps.  After two weeks of open water swimming, where you have no idea how far you have gone, I was so excited to see that I could now swim 350 meters freestyle (with aforementioned hyperventilation breaks, of course).  In the evening, I had time for an additional 200 meters before the pool closed.  I was so jazzed about my improvement from just a few weeks ago that I could have done more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjskhoGHlBU

It’s a good thing I have a whole year to practice, though.  I still feel like I’m flailing around quite a bit.  And I have no idea what my kicking situation is.  I can’t stay in a straight line (unless I’m in a pool with the cute little lines).  Sometimes I have to stop and clear the water out of my goggles.  I certainly can’t do that cool turn around thing at the end of the pool to go back the other way (if I can manage that someday, I will be so impressed.)  But I’m on my way, and I love being on my way.  I love learning new things and practicing them until I can see improvement.  I especially love fun ways to exercise that allow me to eat ice cream at every port along the East Coast.  And you should hope that I stick with it, because I think reading about swimming is probably about 6 million times more exciting than reading about running…

Oh, and in other Sports News, there will be a slight delay in learning to do a yoga head stand on our new inflatable stand-up paddle board.  One of the seams exploded in Newport and we are waiting for a new one to arrive.

Also, if you are NOT tired of hearing my road cycling stories, click on my Personal Blog to read about my riding from the first time I clicked in to my first century!

Boat Terminology

(thanks to boatsafe.com)

It’s driving my boat friends/family crazy when I talk about our boat in layman’s terms to make it easier to understand.  So I’m going to transition to the correct terminology and offer this little glossary for future reference, as if you have nothing to do but read my blog and look up obscure boating terms.  Either way, it’s interesting to read through and see some of the common terms that have crept into English idiom usage over the last couple hundred years.  Well, it’s interesting if you are a complete and utter geek, like me.

Oh, and if you don’t read through it, you won’t understand stories like this, which are sure to come:  “We were moored at a beautiful lee anchorage.  I was lounging up top in the aft cockpit.  I went forward to check on the fouled ground tackle.  The chocks were clear, but when I leaned on the brightwork and looked overboard at the waterline, I could see the bitter end of the rode and knew I had used too little scope.  The anchor was aweigh and Patronus was adrift.  I let out some slack, called to Chris for a sounding, and braced my foot on the forward hatch for some leverage as I set the anchor properly.”  Which can be translated as, “I’m an idiot and I don’t know how to set an anchor.  Now we are floating away.”

A ABAFT – Toward the rear (stern) of the boat. Behind.

ABEAM – At right angles to the keel of the boat, but not on the boat.

ABOARD – On or within the boat.

ABOVE DECK – On the deck (not over it – see ALOFT)

ABREAST – Side by side; by the side of.

ADRIFT – Loose, not on moorings or towline.

AFT – Toward the stern of the boat.

AGROUND – Touching or fast to the bottom.

AHEAD – In a forward direction.

AIDS TO NAVIGATION – Artificial objects to supplement natural landmarks indicating safe and unsafe waters.

ALEE – Away from the direction of the wind. Opposite of windward.

ALOFT – Above the deck of the boat.

AMIDSHIPS – In or toward the center of the boat.

ANCHORAGE – A place suitable for anchoring in relation to the wind, seas and bottom.

ASTERN – In back of the boat, opposite of ahead.

ATHWARTSHIPS – At right angles to the centerline of the boat; rowboat seats are generally athwart ships.

AWEIGH – The position of anchor as it is raised clear of the bottom.

B BATTEN DOWN – Secure hatches and loose objects both within the hull and on deck.

BEAM – The greatest width of the boat.

BEARING – The direction of an object expressed either as a true bearing as shown on the chart, or as a bearing relative to the heading of the boat.

BELOW – Beneath the deck.

BIGHT – The part of the rope or line, between the end and the standing part, on which a knot is formed.

BILGE – The interior of the hull below the floor boards.

BITTER END – The last part of a rope or chain.The inboard end of the anchor rode.

BOAT – A fairly indefinite term. A waterborne vehicle smaller than a ship. One definition is a small craft carried aboard a ship.

BOAT HOOK – A short shaft with a fitting at one end shaped to facilitate use in putting a line over a piling, recovering an object dropped overboard, or in pushing or fending off.

BOOT TOP – A painted line that indicates the designed waterline.

BOW – The forward part of a boat.

BOW LINE – A docking line leading from the bow.

BOWLINE – A knot used to form a temporary loop in the end of a line.

BRIDGE – The location from which a vessel is steered and its speed controlled. “Control Station” is really a more appropriate term for small craft.

BRIDLE – A line or wire secured at both ends in order to distribute a strain between two points.

BRIGHTWORK – Varnished woodwork and/or polished metal.

BULKHEAD – A vertical partition separating compartments.

BUOY – An anchored float used for marking a position on the water or a hazard or a shoal and for mooring.

BURDENED VESSEL – That vessel which, according to the applicable Navigation Rules, must give way to the privileged vessel. The term has been superseded by the term “give-way”.

C CABIN/BERTH/STATEROOM – A compartment for passengers or crew.

CAPSIZE – To turn over.

CAST OFF – To let go.

CATAMARAN – A twin-hulled boat, with hulls side by side.

CHAFING GEAR – Tubing or cloth wrapping used to protect a line from chafing on a rough surface.

CHART – A map for use by navigators.

CHINE – The intersection of the bottom and sides of a flat or v-bottomed boat.

CHOCK – A fitting through which anchor or mooring lines are led. Usually U-shaped to reduce chafe.

CLEAT – A fitting to which lines are made fast. The classic cleat to which lines are belayed is approximately anvil-shaped.

CLOVE HITCH – A knot for temporarily fastening a line to a spar or piling.

COAMING – A vertical piece around the edge of a cockpit, hatch, etc. to prevent water on deck from running below.

COCKPIT – An opening in the deck from which the boat is handled.

COIL – To lay a line down in circular turns.

COURSE – The direction in which a boat is steered.

CUDDY – A small shelter cabin in a boat.

CURRENT – The horizontal movement of water.

D DEAD AHEAD – Directly ahead.

DEAD ASTERN – Directly aft.

DECK – A permanent covering over a compartment, hull or any part thereof.

DINETTE – dining room table.

DINGHY – A small open boat. A dinghy is often used as a tender for a larger craft.

DISPLACEMENT – The weight of water displaced by a floating vessel, thus, a boat’s weight.

DOWN BELOW – inside the boat

DRAFT – The depth of water a boat draws.

E EBB – A receding current.

F FATHOM – Six feet.

FENDER – A cushion, placed between boats, or between a boat and a pier, to prevent damage.

FIGURE EIGHT KNOT – A knot in the form of a figure eight, placed in the end of a line to prevent the line from passing through a grommet or a block.

FLARE – The outward curve of a vessel’s sides near the bow. A distress signal.

FLOOD – An incoming current.

FOLLOWING SEA – An overtaking sea that comes from astern.

FOREPEAK – A compartment in the bow of a small boat.

FORWARD – Toward the bow of the boat.

FOULED – Any piece of equipment that is jammed or entangled, or dirtied.

FREEBOARD – The minimum vertical distance from the surface of the water to the gunwale.

G GALLEY – The kitchen area of a boat.

GANGWAY – The area of a ship’s side where people board and disembark.

GEAR – A general term for ropes, blocks, tackle and other equipment.

GENOA/JIB/SPINNAKER – the various sails of different sizes attached to the forestay (at the bow of the boat).

GIVE-WAY VESSEL – A term used to describe the vessel which must yield in meeting, crossing, or overtaking situations.

GRAB RAILS – Hand-hold fittings mounted on cabin tops and sides for personal safety when moving around the boat.

GROUND TACKLE – A collective term for the anchor and its associated gear.

GUNWALE – The upper edge of a boat’s sides.

H HARD CHINE – An abrupt intersection between the hull side and the hull bottom of a boat so constructed.

HATCH – An opening in a boat’s deck fitted with a watertight cover.

HEAD – A marine toilet. Also the upper corner of a triangular sail.

HEADING – The direction in which a vessel’s bow points at any given time.

HEADWAY – The forward motion of a boat. Opposite of sternway.

HELM – The wheel or tiller controlling the rudder.

HELMSPERSON – The person who steers the boat.

HITCH – A knot used to secure a rope to another object or to another rope, or to form a loop or a noose in a rope.

HOLD – A compartment below deck in a large vessel, used solely for carrying cargo.

HULL – The main body of a vessel.

I INBOARD – More toward the center of a vessel; inside; a motor fitted inside a boat.

INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY – ICW: bays, rivers, and canals along the coasts (such as the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts), connected so that vessels may travel without going into the sea.

J JETTY – A structure, usually masonry, projecting out from the shore; a jetty may protect a harbor entrance.

K KEEL – The centerline of a boat running fore and aft; the backbone of a vessel.

KNOT – A measure of speed equal to one nautical mile (6076 feet) per hour.

L LAZARETTE – A storage space in a boat’s stern area.

LEE – The side sheltered from the wind.

LEEWARD – The direction away from the wind. Opposite of windward.

LEEWAY – The sideways movement of the boat caused by either wind or current.

LINE – Rope and cordage used aboard a vessel.

LOG – A record of courses or operation. Also, a device to measure speed.

LUBBER’S LINE – A mark or permanent line on a compass indicating the direction forward parallel to the keel when properly installed.

M MAIN SAIL – the large sail aft of and attached to the mast.

MARLINSPIKE – A tool for opening the strands of a rope while splicing.

MAST – the tall spar on a sailboat that holds the sails.

MIDSHIP – Approximately in the location equally distant from the bow and stern.

MOORING – An arrangement for
securing a boat to a mooring buoy or a pier.

N NAUTICAL MILE – One minute of latitude; approximately 6076 feet – about 1/8 longer than the statute mile of 5280 feet.

NAVIGATION – The art and science of conducting a boat safely from one point to another.

NAVIGATION STATION (NAV STATION) – desk down below where electronics are displayed.

NAVIGATION RULES – The regulations governing the movement of vessels in relation to each other, generally called steering and sailing rules.

O OUTBOARD – Toward or beyond the boat’s sides. A detachable engine mounted on a boat’s stern.

OVERBOARD – Over the side or out of the boat.

P PILING – Support, protection for wharves, piers etc.; constructed of piles (see PILE)

PILOTING – Navigation by use of visible references, the depth of the water, etc.

PLANING – A boat is said to be planing when it is essentially moving over the top of the water rather than through the water.

PORT – The left side of a boat looking forward. A harbor.

PRIVELEGED VESSEL – A vessel which, according to the applicable Navigation Rule, has right-of-way (this term has been superseded by the term “stand-on”).

Q QUARTER – The sides of a boat aft of amidships.

QUARTERING SEA – Sea coming on a boat’s quarter.

R RODE – The anchor line and/or chain.

ROPE – In general, cordage as it is purchased at the store. When it comes aboard a vessel and is put to use it becomes line.

RUDDER – A vertical plate or board for steering a boat.

RUN – To allow a line to feed freely.

RUNNING LIGHTS – Lights required to be shown on boats underway between sundown and sunup.

S SALOON: living room

SATELLITE NAVIGATION – A form of position finding using radio transmissions from satellites with sophisticated on-board automatic equipment.

SCOPE – Technically, the ratio of length of anchor rode in use to the vertical distance from the bow of the vessel to the bottom of the water. Usually six to seven to one for calm weather and more scope in storm conditions.

SCREW – A boat’s propeller.

SCUPPERS – Drain holes on deck, in the toe rail, or in bulwarks or (with drain pipes) in the deck itself.

SEA COCK – A through hull valve, a shut off on a plumbing or drain pipe between the vessel’s interior and the sea.

SEAMANSHIP – All the arts and skills of boat handling, ranging from maintenence and repairs to piloting, sail handling, marlinespike work, and rigging.

SEA ROOM – A safe distance from the shore or other hazards.

SEAWORTHY – A boat or a boat’s gear able to meet the usual sea conditions.

SECURE – To make fast.

SET – Direction toward which the current is flowing.

SHEETS/HALYARDS/LINES: various ropes around the boat that serve different functions

SHIP – A larger vessel usually thought of as being used for ocean travel. A vessel able to carry a “boat” on board.

SLACK – Not fastened; loose. Also, to loosen.

SOLE – Cabin or saloon floor. Timber extensions on the bottom of the rudder. Also the molded fiberglass deck of a cockpit.

SOUNDING – A measurement of the depth of water.

SPRING LINE – A pivot line used in docking, undocking, or to prevent the boat from moving forward or astern while made fast to a dock.

SQUALL – A sudden, violent wind often accompanied by rain.

SQUARE KNOT – A knot used to join two lines of similar size. Also called a reef knot.

STANDING PART – That part of a line which is made fast.The main part of a line as distinguished from the bight and the end.

STAND-ON VESSEL – That vessel which has right-of-way during a meeting, crossing, or overtaking situation.

STARBOARD – The right side of a boat when looking forward.

STEM – The forward most part of the bow.

STERN – The after part of the boat.

STERN LINE – A docking line leading from the stern.

STOW – To put an item in its proper place.

SWAMP – To fill with water, but not settle to the bottom.

T THWARTSHIPS – At right angles to the centerline of the boat.

TIDE – The periodic rise and fall of water level in the oceans.

TILLER – A bar or handle for turning a boat’s rudder or an outboard motor.

TOPSIDES – The sides of a vessel between the waterline and the deck; sometimes referring to onto or above the deck.

TRANSOM – The stern cross-section of a square sterned boat.

TRIM – Fore and aft balance of a boat.

U UNDERWAY – Vessel in motion, i.e., when not moored, at anchor, or aground.

UP TOP: on deck

V V BOTTOM – A hull with the bottom section in the shape of a “V”.

W WAKE – Moving waves, track or path that a boat leaves behind it, when moving across the waters.

WATERLINE – A line painted on a hull which shows the point to which a boat sinks when it is properly trimmed (see BOOT TOP).

WAY – Movement of a vessel through the water such as headway, sternway or leeway.

WINDWARD – Toward the direction from which the wind is coming.

Y YACHT – A pleasure vessel, a pleasure boat; in American usage the idea of size and luxury is conveyed, either sail or power.

YAW – To swing or steer off course, as when running with a quartering sea.

Pirate and Sailor Superstitions

by Erica

A few people have asked us about changing the name of our new boat, remembering that it is considered bad luck.  I found the following information online.  Many of them are based on not pissing off this guy, so it’s not surprising that many of them have lasted well beyond the 17th Century!  We’ll see how many of these superstitions we hold to!

Sailors and Pirates were very superstitious and would throw salt over their left shoulder. Throwing salt over your shoulder is a way of keeping the devil at bay. Early seaman believed that a sailor who died from violence or being lost at sea was said to go to “Davy Jones Locker“. Sailors weren’t the only ones that were superstitious as people on the land would say if you “Watch a ship out of sight, and you will never see her again”.

17th century sailors who would knock on the wood hull of their ships to listen for worm or rot, hearing a solid sound would imply that the hull was in “ship shape” When in a conversation a reference is made to ‘Good luck’ they would sometimes say ‘Touch wood’ and touch some part of their wooden vessel. The ‘good luck’ they were implying also referring to the luck they were having and hoping to have while their wooden hull held true and fast during their voyage at sea.  Knock on wood!

 

Good Luck

1. A figurehead in the form of a naked woman, perched on the bow, calms the sea and her open eyes will guide it to safety. A naked woman on board was thought to be good luck.  This is the reason for naked figureheads on the Bowsprit.

2. Swallows seen at sea are a good sign, as are dolphins swimming with the ship.

3. Tattoos and piercing are said to ward off evil spirits.  For sailors to wear gold hoop earrings was good luck.

4. It is good luck to spit in the ocean before you sail.

5. Coins thrown into the sea as a boat leaves port is a small toll to Neptune, the sea god, for a safe voyage.

6. Horseshoes on a ship’s mast will turn away a storm.

7. Cats brought luck. If a ship’s cat came to a sailor, it meant good luck.

8. A child to be born on a ship was good luck (probably not for the child)  The term “Son of a Gun” refers to a child of questionable parentage conceived on the gun deck.

9. St. Elmo’s fire is the discharge of static electricity from points on a ship, such as masts and spars. According to some superstitious sea stories, if one flame appears, it means bad weather is coming. If two flames appear, it means the weather will be clear.

10. Pouring wine on the deck will bring good luck on a long voyage.

11. If a woman sees a robin flying overhead on Valentine’s Day, it means she will marry a sailor. If she sees a sparrow, she will marry a poor man and be very happy. If she sees a goldfinch, she will marry a millionaire.

Bad Luck

1. Women onboard a ship distract the crew and place it in peril.

2. “Cut Neither Hair Nor Nails At Sea”. Cuttings of nail and hair were offerings to Prosperine, the Roman Goddess of the infernal regions, and it would make Neptune angry to have offerings to somebody else made in his domain. Doing so would bring bad luck.

3. It is unlucky to start a cruise on Friday.  This is the day Christ was crucified.

4. Never start a voyage on the first Monday in April.  This is the day that Cain slew Able.

5. Avoid people with red hair when going to the ship to begin a journey. Red heads bring bad luck to a ship, which can be averted if you speak to the red-head before they speak to you.

6. Whistling – One widespread and universal superstition forbids whistling in the wheelhouse or anywhere onboard for that matter. Whistling onboard will raise a gale, hence “whistling up a storm”.

7. Scottish Fisherman, landing a left boot rather than a fish is considered the ultimate in bad luck. Whenever a left boot showed up in the catch inside a trawling net, fishermen would instantly spit on it before tossing it back into the water. On the other hand, those same Scots considered the right boot to be a sign of good fortune. Coming up with a right boot in the net was looked upon as favorable and the boot would be fastened to the mast in the belief that it would bring good fortune to the fishing expedition.

8. It is bad luck to name a ship for an engaged woman.  This will make the ship jealous.

9. Sailors believed that if a cat licked its fur against the grain it meant a hailstorm was coming; if it sneezed, rain was on the way; and if it was frisky, the wind would soon blow.

10. Killing a swallow, albatross, gull or dolphin will bring bad luck.  Seabirds are thought to carry the souls of dead sailors.

11. Priests are not lucky to have on a ship.  They dress in black and perform funeral services.

12. NAME CHANGE: It’s bad luck to change the name of a boat. but if you have to: write the soon-to-be-exorcised name on a piece of paper, fold the paper, and place it in a small cardboard or wooden box. Burn the box. Scoop up the ashes and throw them into the sea on an outgoing tide. If you live on a lake, do it at night and only during a new moon. River dwellers should send the ashes downstream.

13. Sailors believed cats could start storms with the magic stored in their tails so they always kept them well fed and contented.

14. A rabbit or salmon found on board the boat was one of the stranger nautical superstitions, and would have prevented a fisherman from sailing that day.

15. Pigs: Atlantic seamen in the West Indies had a bizarre superstition related to swine. Pigs themselves were held at great respect because they possessed cloven hooves just like the devil and the pig was the signature animal for the Great Earth Goddess who controlled the winds. As a result, these fishermen never spoke the word “pig” out loud, instead referring to the animal by such safe nicknames as Curly-Tail and Turf-Rooter. It was believed that mentioning the word “pig” would result in strong winds. Actually killing a pig on board the ship would result in a full scale storm.

16. When the clothes of a dead sailor are worn by another sailor during the same voyage, misfortune will befall the entire ship.

17. If the ship’s cat approached a sailor and then went away, it was bad luck.

18. To see rats leaving a ship is bad luck.

19. To name the boat with a word ending in “a” is bad luck.

20. A black “sea bag” is bad luck for a seaman.

21. Bananas and suitcases bring bad luck and death.

Death

1. It is said that a ship’s bell that rings without human aid is an omen of death.

2. Disaster will follow if you step onto a boat with your Left Foot first.

3. A stone thrown from a vessel putting out to sea ensures she will never return.

4. If a cat was thrown overboard, a storm and very bad luck and maybe death would follow.

5. The word “drown” can never be spoken at sea or it may summon up the actual event.

6. A shark following the ship is a sign of inevitable death.

7. Manta rays, also known as devilfish or sea devils, were feared as much as sharks, for sailors believed these sea creatures could attach themselves to a ship’s anchor and drag her under the waves to Davy Jones’ Locker.

Do you know of any others?