Captain Cook and Life at Sea

The crew of the first voyage was very experienced, and they were young, there weren’t many over the age of 30 years old. One man, Lieutenant Gore, had already circumnavigated the globe twice, under other captains. Five crewmen had been on an expedition that circumnavigated the globe once. Five other crewmen had sailed with Captain Cook before. On the second voyage, Lieutenant Tobias Furneaux, who had sailed around the world before, commanded a second ship, the Adventure. On the third voyage, Charles Clerke commanded the secondary vessel, the Discovery. Many who participated in the first voyage went along for the second, or the third, or both. An astronomer named Charles Green was aboard for the first voyage, to help Cook with his astronomical observations.

Captain Cook, dressed in the standard gentleman’s clothing of the day. He wore tight, fitted breeches with stockings and buckled shoes. On top, they wore white shirts with a vest called a waistcoat, and a long-sleeved jacket. Common sailors had the freedom to dress a little more casually. They wore slops, loose, short pants and shirts, and were not required to wear waistcoats or jackets. Many sailors did not even wear shoes on board the ship, becuase it was easier to climb in the rigging of the ship with bare feet.

The high-ranking members of the expedition, such as Captain Cook and Joseph Banks, had their own private cabins. They were not large, but they did offer the men a little bit of privacy. Much of the scientific work done on board the ship was also done in these private cabins. The sailors slept on the mess deck in hammocks. The mess deck is also where the sailors ate and relaxed.

One of Cook’s most important discoveries during his voyages was about food. Cook realized that there were certain foods that, if eaten, prevented the disease called scurvy. Scurvy, we know today, is caused by a lack of vitamin C in the diet. Scurvy was common among sailors, because most vitamin C comes from fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables were very difficult to keep fresh during long sea voyages in the days before refrigeration. So, sailors before Cook’s time ate a diet that was mostly dried, hard bread known as hard tack, and dried, salted meat.
Cook took two major steps to change the diet of his crew. First, every time the ships stopped anywhere that grew fresh fruit and vegetables, he bought some to feed to the crew.

But, because there were sometimes weeks between stops, and fruit and vegetables would rot in that time, he had to have another plan. He knew that sauerkraut, which is pickled cabbage, had been shown to prevent scurvy. Sauerkraut, because it is pickled, can be kept in jars, and will not go bad. Cook brought a lot of sauerkraut on his voyage, but the crew didn’t want to eat it at first.
Captain Cook played a very interesting trick on his crew. When he realized that the men were refusing to eat the sauerkraut, he took it away from them. He said only the officers could eat it, and only put it out on the officers tables. Telling the crew they couldn’t have it made them want it more, so they started eating it.

Cook’s crew was out to sea for a longer period of time than any sailors before them. And yet, not one of Cook’s sailors died of scurvy. This means that Cook proved that certain foods could prevent scurvy, and sea captains after him followed his example and took sauerkraut, fruit, and vegetables on their voyages.

The captain had to make all the difficult decisions. He decided what course to follow, how punishments would be dealt amongst the crew, and, in Captain Cook’s case, he had the freedom to choose members of his crew as well as his ships. Captain Cook’s talents also led him to personally make maps of places he visited. Lieutenants ranked below the captain, but could be in command of their own ship. Furneaux was only a lieutenant when he commanded the Adventure. A lieutenant is someone who steps in “in lieu” of the captain. If the captain is incapacitated, on another ship, or busy with something else, a lieutenant can also make decisions on board, punish the men, etc.

Navigators used equipment that could determine the ship’s position in the world. They could take that information and, after knowing where the captain wanted the ship to go, plot the course. A navigator had to be an expert at using navigational instruments, and very good at math. Marines were on board Cook’s ship as well. While people in the navy could fight using the ship’s guns, marines were called upon for fighting that might happen on land. The boatswain was in charge of the rigging, he and his crew made sure the sails were set properly.

The carpenter was responsible for keeping the wooden parts of the ship in good shape. He worked on the masts and the hull. The carpenter on the Endeavour had a very important role, when the Endeavour wrecked on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, if they had not had a good ship’s carpenter on board, they might not have been able to repair the ship and get safely home.
The quartermaster made sure the supplies on board the ship were distributed. If the ship ran low on supplies, he would decide whether or not to change the size of the men’s rations.

The cook had the job of feeding all the men on board. The cook on board the Endeavour had only one hand, which probably made his job very difficult. However, many sailors who had serious injuries would find themselves as cooks on board ships. It was a job they could still do, even if they had only one hand or one leg. The surgeon was a very important member of the crew. He kept the crew healthy while they were on board the ship. If a crewman was injured, he cared for him.

The following pay scale was for the Royal Navy. The exact pay of Captain Cook’s crew might have been a little bit different than this, when sailors would go on a voyage, their pay would be raised, because they were on such a risky mission. Able-bodied seamen, men who had two or more years experience at sea made about 14 pounds a year. Ordinary seamen, men who had between one and two years experience at sea, made 11 pounds, and landsmen, men who had less than one year of experience at sea, made 10 pounds. This was the pay scale for the British Navy from 1653-1797, when Royal Navy seamen got their first pay raise. Officers were paid much better, depending on what sort of vessels they were serving on.

Captains of first-rate ships made about 30 pounds a month, twice what able-bodied seamen made a year, captains of third-rate ships made about 20 pounds a month, and captains of sixth-rate ships made 16 pounds. A lieutenant made the same rate no matter what, 8 pounds a month.
What type of punishments did they have? On Cook’s voyages, not many crewmen required punishment. When they did, they were flogged, beaten with a cat o’ nine tails. There are no examples on board Cook’s ships of some of the more serious punishments, such as keel-hauling. The natives Cook encountered were dealt with differently, however. Cook was especially well known for being kinder than most European explorers to the natives. That did not mean he let them get away with doing mischief to his crew. When natives of various islands stole from his crew, he often had to fight them to get back the stolen property. During some of these skirmishes, Cook’s men shot native Pacific islanders for theft. Even this, though, was often an accident. The shots were made to warn and frighten, not to kill. But, sometimes the shots missed and people did die.

Timekeeping and Longitude

One of the most pressing problems of navigation during Captain James Cook's time was the inability to ac­curately calculate longitude. For many years, sailors could find their latitude with the use of celestial navigation. An instrument called a quadrant was used to sight a particular star or the sun, and then the angle between the horizon, the star, were measured. Latitude could then be calculated from this measurement.

Longitude was another problem altogether, to be able to calculate longitude, one needed to know exactly what date and time it was to complete the celestial calculation. In 1714, the Longitude Act was passed in Britain. There were mon­etary prizes of 20,000 pounds for a method to determine longitude to an accuracy of half a degree of a great circle, 15,000 pounds for a method accurate to within two-thirds of a de­gree, and 10,000 pounds for a method accurate to within one degree. One "degree" would be about 60 miles.

There were two major schools of thought on the subject of longitude: those who believed that accurate star and lunar charts alone could lead nav­igators to an accurate measurement of longitude, and those who believed that an accurate timekeeping device would suffice for the same reason. Each had problems, the celestial option had the issues that on cloudy days celestial navigation was troublesome and that one had to be an able mathematician to perform the necessary calculations, and the timekeeper's problem was that no clock yet created was nearly accurate enough to keep correct time over long periods, nor during varying levels of temperature and humidity.

The main figures representing each side of this argument were Nevil Maskelyne on the side of celestial navigation, and John Harrison on the side of the clockmakers. One problem for Harrison was that Maskelyne had a very important position: He was Astronomer Royal. Captain Cook and his scientists carried out tests for the Board of Longitude, comparing the lunar distance method with chronometers modeled after Harrison's designs. He took a chronometer named K-l (Larcum Kendall's first, and a close copy of H-4, Harrison's fourth at­tempt), and three copies of it by a clockmaker named John Arnold. Cook's log refers to K-l on manyocca­sions, calling it "our trusty friend the watch," and noting "It would not be doing justice to Mr. Harrison and Mr. Kendall if I did not own that we have received very great assistance from this useful and valuable timepiece." Cook believed so much in the use of the chronometer that he carried it on his third voyage as well.

The lunar dis­tance method, which an able navigator such as Cook could master, worked effectively, but only under clear skies. Cook preferred the chronometer, however, since Nevil Maskelyne was on the Board of Longitude, Harrison did not receive the full award until the king intervened for him.

Astrolade a Navigational Tool

One of the oldest of all the altitiude measuring devices, the Astrolabe is a angle measuring tool thats name comes from the Greek, " to take a star" It was invented by the greek astronomer and mathematician, Hipparchus, it was used for astronomy and astrology.

As an astronomer's tool, the Astrolabe was introduced to the Europeans by Arab astronomers in the 10th century. But the first documented use of it used at sea is in 1481 on a voyage down the African coast by Portuguese explorers. It is likely that it was in use by sailors for many years before that.

So how does it work? To correctly measure the angle of the sun or a star, the Astrolabe must hang down so that it is perpendicular to the ocean. If it's tilted right or left, or front to back, the angle will not be accurate. To keep it straight, the user holds it with a finger through a ring and lets the Astrolabe dangle. There are two plates on a rotating arm. They each have a pinhole perfectly lined up so that when the sun shines through the top one, and hits the second pinhole, the angle is accurate. You then read from the scale along the circumference.

For Polaris, you can sight over the edge of the two plates. One advantage of the Astrolabe is that you do not need a clear horizon to use the instrument, you do need a clear horizon when mea­suring the height of the sun or Polaris with other navigational instruments. It is not a accurate tool at sea because of the difficlty in keeping it steady in a rolling ship and high winds. The Portuguese explorers would take their Astrolabe ashore and set it up to avoid this problem, this is what they did when they were mapping the coast of Africa in their early exploration. Using it at sea could result in errors.

Using it at sea could result in errors as much as five degrees, or 300 miles. However, ashore, it would be much more accurate, certainly less than one-half degree, or 30 miles. The sea­going version might be 6" in diameter, where as the one they took ashore (and which would be awkward to use at sea) might be two feet in diameter, making it more accurate and easier to read.

How to make a Bell Rope

Back in the day of sailing ships there use to be a bell rope attached to a bell. Today even the smallest boats carry a ships's bell as required by law, but the average yachtsman generally tosses it into a locker where it lies until the day arrives when he suddenly needs it, then he discovers it has no bell rope.

Now your old time sailor, to whom the making of so common a thing as a bell rope was a labor of love rather than a chore, would have welcomed the opportunity to display his talents and would have proceeded straightforth with care and patience, as though his life depended on it. The result would be a bell rope useful and handsome, and many years and many ships later it would still be doing its duty, a monument to a simple sailor who knew his craft and took pride in the knowing.

So drag that old bell out from under the after deck where it has laid for who knows how long, polish it up, and fit it out with a real old time bell rope, sailor fashion. I'll bet you won't hide it again, but will keep it where friends can see and admire it. Which is as it should be.

The bell rope described here is a rather simple example and easy to make, it took me about four hours. Four 12 foot lengths of white cotton rope were middled and a 20 inch section laid up into a 4 strand flat sennit braid. This was doubled to form an eye or becket and a seizing put on. Then the 8 strands were divided into pairs and a square sennit worked a distance of 3 inches by alternately crowning the 4 pairs of strands first to the right and then to the left. Here the 8 strands were seized and all the slack worked out of the sennit by pulling up each bight in turn with a crochet hook.

The handle required a solid core, for which I used a 4 inch piece of wooden dowel. The 8 strands were continuously crowned to the right around this core and a seizing put on the end. The pattern formed by the crowning had a tendency to spiral to the right somewhat, so it was necessary to twist the whole works to the left in order to get the bights aligned vertically. The slack was taken out carefully until all the strands were tight and the core completely hidden.

To finish off the end, the strands were again paired and made up into a double wall and crown knot. Around the base of this knot was placed a 4 strand Turk's head. A 3 strand Turk's head next to the eye or becket, and a 2 strand Turk's head in the middle completed the job. The finished bell rope was then shellacked and given two coats of semigloss white paint. This treatment fills up the interstices between the strands and gives a weatherproof finish.

The becket was secured to the striker or clapper of the bell by a lashing of marline. You can and I have stained and vanished bell ropes, just use your imagination, make it a work of love.

BOATING TERMS # 3

Wooden boats have FRAMES (called RIBS) they are set into the keel at a right angle, and covered with planking. Each line of planking along the hull from bow to stern is called a STRAKE. The lowest strake, next to the keel, is the GARBOARD STRAKE. The GUNWALE is the upper part of the SHEER STRAKE.
When the topsides are above the level of the deck, they are called BULWARKS, and at the top of the bulwarks is the RAIL. There are TOE RAILS, narrow strips placed on top of the gunwale to finish it off and provide safety for per­sonnel on deck.

A heavier strake in the topsides extending beyond the exposed face of the planking is termed a RUBBING STRAKE and is intended to protect the topsides from the rough­ness of piles, piers. A strip of wood for the same purpose added externally to the planking is generally called a RUB RAIL.

A BREAST HOOK is a triangular reinforcing member, usu­ally of wood, placed horizontally behind the stem of a boat to strengthen the bow. When another timber is fastened along the top of the keel to strengthen, it is called a KEELSON. On some boats an extra piece is fastened externally to the bottom of the keel to protect it.

If a deck is arched to aid in draining off water, it is CAMBERED. Camber occurs on the tops of cabins, deckhouses. The deck over the forward part of a vessel, or the forward part of the total deck area, is termed a FOREDECK. The AFTERDECK is located in the after part of the vessel. The deck of a cockpit or in­terior cabin is called the SOLE.

LIMBER HOLES are passages cut into the lower edges of floors and frames next to the keel to allow bilge water to flow to the lowest point of the hull, where it can be pumped out. These limber holes must be kept clean so that drain­age can occur, on some vessels a LIMBER CHAIN is run through these holes so that it can be pulled back and forth to clean them out.

SEA COCKS are valves installed just inside THROUGH-HULL FITTINGS where water is taken in for engine cooling, oper­ation of heads, etc. they are important safety devices.
The BOOT TOP is the portion of the exterior hull at the waterline. It is usually finished with special paint called BOOT­TOPPING.

Areas that are varnished are called BRIGHTWORK. Polishing brass maybe called the same.

LIFELINES are used on larger vessel's at the edges of the side decks to prevent people from falling overboard. These lines are of wire rope, with plastic-covered, supported above the deck on STANCHIONS. If they are made of solid material wood or metal they are called LIFERAILS.

A PULPIT is an extension, usually a heavy plank with rails extending from the stem, beyond the bow. Bow rails on sailboats are called pulpits, they extend forward of the stem.

BOATING TERMS # 2

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BOATING TERMS # 1

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JACOB'S LADDER

The term Jacob's ladder, used on a ship, applies to two kinds of ladders.
The first is a flexible hanging ladder which can be lowered down the side of a large ship. It consists of vertical ropes or chains supporting horizontal wooden or metal rungs, and is used to allow people to board the ship from small boats. Because the decks of most commercial ships are far above the waterline, pilots and others who need to come aboard at sea can only do so if a Jacob's ladder is put out. When not being used, the ladder is stowed away (usually rolled up) rather than left hanging.

The second kind of Jacob's ladder is found on some square rigged ships. To climb above the lower mast to the topmast and above, sailors must get round the top, a platform projecting from the mast. Although on many ships the only way round was the overhanging futtock shrouds, modern-day tall ships have a vertical ladder from the ratlines.

THE BOS'N PIPE

A boatswain's call or boatswain's pipe (or bosun's whistle) is a pipe that is made of a tube (called the gun), that directs air over a grape-sized metal sphere (called the buoy) with a hole cut in the top. The Bos'n opens and closes the hand over the hole to change the pitch.
The history of the boatswain's call was as a signaling device on a ship. Because of its high pitch, it could be heard over the activities of the crew and bad weather. It is now used in the traditional color, sunset and other ceremonies of several navies, sometimes combined with other auditive features: ruffles and flourishes, or even a gun salute.

Haul: The most basic of calls, crews of warships were not allowed to sing work songs or shanties so the pipe coordinated the sailors. The low note was for the pause and preparatory, the high for pulling on the line.

The Side: Or Away Galley, descends from the tradition of hoisting officers aboard ship in a chair. The higher the rank, the more men an officer received. It is a combination of Haul, and then a command to lower. This call remains in use as a honor given to officers when embarking or disembarking.

Away Boats: Would be used to order ship's boats to leave the ship's side.

Call the Boatswain's Mates: The boatswains gang to report.

All Hands on Deck: Crews were split into two watches that stood four hours on and four hours off duty. This is the call that would be used to signal the entire crew to assemble on deck.

Word to be Passed: Command for silence, an order to follow.

Pipe Down: Dismissal of all the crew not on watch.

Sweep Down Fore and Aft: Clean up ship before liberity.

Dinner or Supper: Called the crew to this meal.

CHIP LOG

A chip log consists of a wooden board attached to a line (the log-line). The log-line has a number of knots tied in it at uniform spacings. The log-line is wound on a reel to allow it to be paid out easily in use.
The shape is a quarter circle, or quadrant and the log-line is attached to the board with a bridle of three lines connected to the vertex and to the two ends of the quadrant's arc. In order that the log submerges and is oriented correctly, the bottom of the log is weighted with lead. This provides for more resistance in the water and a more accurate and repeatable reading of speed. The bridle is attached in such a way that a strong tug on the log-line results in one or two of the bridle's lines releasing, allowing the log to be retrieved with relative ease.

Usage
When the navigator wanted to know the speed of his vessel, a sailor dropped the log over the stern of the ship. The log would act as a drogue and remain roughly in place while the vessel moved away. The log-line was allowed to run out for a fixed period of time. The speed of the ship was indicated by the length of log-line passing over the stern during that time.

Origins
The first known device to measure speed is claimed to be the Dutchman's Log. An object that would float was thrown overboard and the time required to pass between two points on deck was measured with a sandglass.
The log has been used by mariners for a long time. Initially, the log-line was not knotted and the length was measured directly on the line. With the introduction of the nautical mile as a standard unit of measure at sea, the line began to be marked at equal intervals proportional to the nautical mile and to the time interval used for measurement. The markings were in the form of knots in the line. Later, knotted cords were worked into the log-line.
Originally, the distance between marks was 7 fathoms or 42 feet used with a sandglass with a 30 second running time. Later refinements in the length of the nautical mile caused the distance between knots to be changed. Eventually, the distance was set to 47 feet, 3 inches (14.4 meters) for a standard glass of 28 seconds.
The name of the unit knot, for nautical mile per hour, was derived from this method of measurement.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Have a Happy New Year from

"GARY'S NAUTICAL INFORMATION"

Nautical Info and Trivia

1. The date is the same all over the world at ?

Answer - 1200 GMT.

2. The reference point for determination of GMT is the passage of the mean sun over what line?

Answer - 180 degree's Longitude.

3. A mean sun is ?

Answer - A fictitious sun conceived to move eastward along the celestial equator.

4. 1 fathom is equal to ?

Answer - 6 feet.

5. 1 cable is equal to ?

Answer - 720 feet, also 0.1 nautical mile (British).

6. What is a Fidley Deck ?

Answer - A partially raised deck over the engine.

7. Charley Noble - A British merchant service captain, Charles Noble, is said to be responsible for the origin, for the galley smokestack. It seems that Captain Noble, discovering that the stack of his ship's galley was made of copper, ordered that it be kept bright. The ship's crew then started referring to the stack as the "Charley Noble."

8. Holystone - often used to scrub the decks of ships. Sailors had to kneel as if in prayer when scrubbing the decks. Holystone was often called so because it is full of holes.

9. Jack Tar a slang term for a Sailor, The term "Jack tar" was used by the 1780s early sailors wore overalls and broad-brimmed hats made of tar-impregnated fabric called tarpaulin cloth. The hats, and the sailors who wore them, were called tarpaulins, which may have been shortened to tars.

10. Whistling for Wind: Based on a very old tradition that whistling at sea will cause a wind to rise.

SHIPS BELL

Bells have a centuries long tradition of varied use in the navies and merchant fleets of the world. They have been used for signaling, keeping time, and providing alarm. Their functional and ceremonial uses have made them a symbol of considerable significance to the United States Navy and merchant ships.

Bells for warning and alarms
The sounding of a ship's bell found a natural application as a warning signal to other vessels in poor visibility and fog. In 1676 one Henry Teonage serving as a chaplain in the British Mediterranean Fleet recorded , "so great a fog that we were fain to ring our bells, beat drums, and fire muskets often to keep us from falling foul one upon another". Ringing a ship's bell in fog became customary. In 1858, British Naval Regulations made it mandatory in that function. Today, maritime law requires all ships to carry an efficient bell.

American ships of the Revolutionary War period and our early national years adopted many of the practices and traditions of the British Royal Navy, including the use of bells. In 1798, Paul Revere cast a bell weighing 242 pounds for the frigate Constitution, also known today by its nickname "Old Ironsides".

It is of interesting to note that the use of a ship's bell contributed to the richest single prize captured by the American Navy during the War of Independence. While a Continental Squadron under Commodore Whipple lay-to, wrapped in Newfoundland fog in a July morning in 1779, the sound of ships' bells and an occasional signal gun could be heard a short distance off. When the fog lifted the Americans discovered that they had fallen in with the richly laden enemy Jamaica Fleet. Ten ships were captured as prizes, which together with their cargo were valued at more than a million dollars.

Bells for timekeeping
Before the advent of the chronometer time at sea was measured by the trickle of sand through a half - hour glass. One of the ship's boys had the duty of watching the glass and turning it when the sand had run out. When he turned the glass, he struck the bell as a signal that he had performed this vital function. From this ringing of the bell as the glass was turned evolved the tradition of striking the bell once at the end of the first half hour of a four hour watch, twice after the first hour, etc., until eight bells marked the end of the four hour watch. The process was repeated for the succeeding watches. Bells for alarms
The bell is an essential link in a ship's fire alarm system. In the event of a fire, the bell is rung rapidly for at least five seconds, followed by one, two or three rings to indicate the location of a fire - forward, amidships, or aft respectively.

Maintenance and upkeep
Traditionally, the bell is maintained by the ship's cook, while the ship's whistle is maintained by the ship's bugler. In actual practice, the bell is maintained by a person of the ship's division charged with the upkeep of that part of the ship where the bell is located. In such a case a deck seaman or quartermaster striker or signalman striker may have the bell shining duty.
Today's role for bells
In addition to continuing its role as a timepiece and alarm, the bell serves a ceremonial and memorial function. Bells remain a powerful and tangible reminder of the history, heritage, and accomplishments of the naval service and merchant fleet.

NAUTICAL TERMS AND TRIVIA

1.The sea is foggiest on the? Grand Banks of Newfoundland where on average, 120 days of the year are foggy.

2. What is a nautical "camel"?
Answer: A float used as a fender

3. The "Seven Seas" is a term considered to include "all the waters and oceans of the world".The term has historically been applied to what seven waters?"
Answer: The seven seas are generally considered to be the N. Pacific, S. Pacific, N. Atlantic, S. Atlantic, Arctic, Antarctic, and Indian Oceans.

4. What is the brightest star in the sky? Sirius.

5. The term small stuff is used to describe? Line.

6. A mop is called a ? Swab in nautical terms.

7. Caribbean pirates were known as buccaneers. What were Mediterranean pirates called?
Answer: Corsairs.

8. In nautical terminology, what is the name given to a light, warm wind on the surface of the sea?
Answer: "Cat's Skin"

9. What is the term Scuttlebutt? The cask of drinking water on ships was called a scuttlebutt and since Sailors exchanged gossip when they gathered at the scuttlebutt for a drink of water, scuttlebutt became U.S. Navy slang for gossip or rumors.

10.Binnacle List A ship's sick-list. A binnacle was the stand on which the ship's compass was mounted. In the eighteenth century and probably before, a list was given to the officer or mate of the watch, containing the names of men unable to report for duty. The list was kept at the binnacle.

WEATHER SAYINGS

First Step in Weather Casting: Step outside and look at the sky!
Red sky at night, sailor's delight; Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.

The evening red and morning gray are sure signs of a fine day, But the evening gray and the morning red, makes the sailor shake his head.
These expressions have some basis in meteorological fact. In the mid latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, storms generally travel with the jetstream from west to east. A red sky in the morning may indicate that is rising in clear eastern skies and casting its rays on storm clouds approaching from the west. A red sky at sunset indicates clouds to the east, with clear skies moving in from the west, allowing the sunset to be seen.

A ring around the sun or moon, means rain or snow coming soon.
If a circle forms around the moon, Twill rain soon.
The circle that forms around the sun or moon is called a halo. Halos are formed by the light from the sun or moon refracting (bending) as they pass through the ice crystals that form high-level cirrus and cirrostratus clouds. These clouds do not produce rain or snow, but they often precede an advancing low pressure system which may bring bad weather. This form of weather prediction is accurate about 65% of the time.

Rainbow to windward, foul fall the day rainbow to leeward, rain runs away.
A windward rainbow indicates rain upwind, so it may begin raining soon. A rainbow behind the wind or to leeward implies the rain has probably past.

Sun sets Friday clear as bell, rain on Monday sure as hell.
Cold is the night When the stars shine bright.
The more moisture there is in the sky, the more the light from the sun, moon, and stars is dimmed or reddened. A very clear sky permits more starlight to penetrate, thus the stars appear brighter. Moisture tends to hold in the day's heat, like a blanket. The less moisture there is in the air at night, the more the temperature tends to fall. The brighter the stars appear, the cooler is the

night.

If clouds are gathering thick and fast, Keep sharp look out for sail and mast, But if they slowly onward crawl, shoot your lines, nets and trawl.
In the morning mountains. In the evening fountains.
The mountains refer to high, billowing cumulus clouds, indicative of instability and possible development of cumulonimbus clouds and a late afternoon or evening thunderstorm.

Step Two for the Weather Man: Check to see from which quarter the wind blows!
"A wind in the south has rain in her mouth."
A southerly wind usually carries moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. It causes the air to become more humid, and, more likely to form rain clouds.
When the wind is blowing in the North, no fisherman should set forth, When the wind is blowing in the East, 'Tis not fit for man nor beast, When the wind is blowing in the South it brings the food over the fish's mouth, When the wind is blowing in the West, That is when the fishing's best!

When rain comes before the wind, halyards, sheets and braces mind, but when wind comes before rain, soon you may make sail again.
No weather's ill if the wind be still.

Weather Casting Rule Number Three: If you don't trust your own judgement, check with the local wildlife!
Sea gull, sea gull, sit on the sand, It's never good weather while you're on the land. or when sea-gulls fly to land, a storm is at hand.

Sharks go out to sea at the approach of a wave of cold weather.
When porpoises sport and play, there will be a storm.
When parrots whistle, expect rain.
Failing All That, Choose Step Number Four: The most important weather rule of all for sailors!
Whether the weather be fine Or whether the weather be not Whether the weather be cold Or whether the weather be hot We'll weather the weather Whatever the weather Whether we like it or not.

NAUTICAL TRIVIA

Questions:
1. How big is the Pacific Ocean in Square Miles?
2.What was the first lighthouse built in America?
3.What is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes?
4.What is the definition of "Footloose"?
5.What is the most dangerous sea creature?
6.What is the state that is named the source of the Mississippi River?
7.Which canal is the largest Suez, Panama or Cape Cod?
8.What is the fastest fish in the ocean?
9.What percent of boats sold are used for fishing?
10.What is the average cost to tow a boat if it breaks down on the water?

Answers:
1.63,800,000
2.Boston Light
3.Marblehead Light
4.When bottom portion of the sail is not attached, it wildly swings (dances) around.
5.The Sea Wasp
6.Minnesota
7.The Panama Canal
8.Sailfish: 68.18 mph!!!!!
9.70%
10.$260

NAUTICAL LANGUAGE

Today nautical language is about nil, knowbody knows what you are talking about if you say go swab the deck or soogie the bulkhead. Downstairs they don't go down below anymore, they go downstairs. Decks are floors, lines are ropes, and the other day one kid call a mooring wire a cable.

Unfortunately the vocabulary of the mariner is ignored and those who have been working around ships for any length of time are not happy about it. I think this is because so many landsmen rush to the water on weekends to play, and most of what is written and filmed in the United States about living and working on the water is directed toward, and produced by, these neophyte admirals who do not understand that the language of the sea is steeped in tradition. Nautical vocabulary allows those aboard ship to communicate orders and ideas clearly and concisely in a manner that is not open to misinterpretation. For this reason it is important that the shiphandler use proper shipboard terminology when giving orders.

While practitioners in the medical, legal, engineering, and scientific fields have and use a specialized vocabulary peculiar to their profession, the language of the sea is now being misused with regularity. This is sad since seafaring is not just a job, it is a way of life, and the seaman's vocabulary captures the very essence and spirit of life on the water.

The argument has been made by some that the seafarer should "modernize" nautical language so it could be immediately understood by all, even though this would actually mean that it would be clearly understood by no one. Without a unique nautical vocabulary it would be impossible to accurately express ideas or describe conditions in the marine environment. A whole series of long and ambiguous sentences would be needed to express the same thoughts that the seaman can now convey with but a few words. Consider the paragraph of instructions that would have to be given to a seaman tending the spring line to get the same reaction that the mariner gets from the three words: "Check the spring." Just as doctors or lawyers would not bastardize the language of their professions, nor tolerate others in their field who do not master that language, neither should the mariner accept the misuse of the language of the sea. It is another aspect of professionalism.