Ship Terminology

Two posts in one night! Go me! I can't sleep because it's storming outside, so I might as well churn out another post. Here's a little vocab I picked up on the cruise. If you've ever taken sailing lessons or read a book that takes place on a ship, you'll probably know most of these, but what the hell, maybe there's be a new word or two you can add to your vocabulary:

RV: short for Research Vessel

Port: the left side of the ship when you are facing the front (fore), also the place where the boat docks and the majority of the crew abandon ship for the excitement and freedom of walking on land and consuming alcohol (only 1 beer a night at the most allowed on a ship, you have to keep your wits about you)

Starboard: the right side of the ship when you are facing the front (fore)

Fore: the front of the ship, also known as the bow; an excellent place for star gazing, whale and sunset watching, and thinking in general

Aft: the back of the ship, a lot of trawl equipment is kept back here which means that "safety comes first"

"Safety comes first": a phrase that generally means that everyone must have a lifejacket on, and that 6 people will be called out to do the work that 2 people could easily do

The bite: Loops of rope that lie on the deck and seem harmless, but which are actually attached to heavy equipment that goes overboard. You have to pay attention and NEVER get your foot in the bite, or you'll get dragged overboard as the rope tightens around you (Remember that scene in Jaws when the rope tightens behind Richard Dreyfuss's legs and he barely gets them out as the rope's tension grows? Like that, but with you going underwater and drowning.....)

"Man overboard!": A phrase not to be used lightly, this is yelled when someone falls overboard. Actually, Rui fell overboard while we were squid jigging one night. Luckily, we weren't moving, and the net he was using was tied to the boat, so he just held on to the net. In fact, he was back onboard in about 2 minutes. But if we had been moving, I don't like to think what might have happened....

Galley: the ship's kitchen, meal hours are early (breakfast 7:15-8:00, lunch 11:15-12:00, dinner 5:15-6:00) and snacks are always left out. I don't want to know how many Tootsie Pops and bite-size Hershey's bars I ate....

Head: the ship's bathroom. Reminiscent of dorm days, with numerous people sharing tiny bathrooms.

Navy showers: Showers that preserve fresh water. You turn on the water to wet your hair and body, then turn it off to shampoo and soap up, then turn it back on to rinse. It really wasn't annoying, and would probably help people save money on their water bill.

Cabin: the closet where you sleep, also known as bunk. Seriously, my room was a closet before they converted it to a bunk so they could squeeze two more people on board