Is there a Universal Greeting ?

[psneeld]

Thank you Gdavid for a good representation of what should be going on.


For those that have never seen the "holier than thou" behavior of sailors...you probably aren't residents of the "big sailing" areas that I am used to.


I have had kids less than ten years old give me crap in a towing assistance boat in narrow channels because they were taught powerboats were the enemy.


For 13 years I filed complaints with the USCG about a local yacht club teaching absolutely the wrong thing to kids and endangering not only them but to the point of damaging other boaters vessels because of the sheer disregard to conditions on the NJICW. Money talks because even with my credentials ....I and other outraged boaters were ignored.


Powerboaters are the problem? Well by sheer numbers they are greater but most of them are just inexperienced...not brought up through life as ignorant a**holes being taught incorrect understanding of the rules by other ignorant sailors.

 

[ghost]

I learned to sail when I was 5 years old in Puget Sound. I was raised by, and grew up around sailors. It was three years ago that I moved from sail to power. So in over 50 years of being around the sailing community, I never once saw anyone advocating the aggressive anti social behavior you claim as being a social norm.


Sure sailors screw up at times. I've done it plenty in 50+ years of sailing. I've failed to look behind me before a tack, I've inadvertently sailed into a traffic separation area, I've failed to give way to a stand on vessel, all while sailing. Other than maybe PSN, how many can claim that in a half century of boating they have never made errors?


Over that time I've also had a lot of unpleasant encounters with powerboats of all kinds. Most of the time, I attribute it to ignorance rather than malice. The worst was when I was caught in some heavy wind while running downwind on a broad reach through the Narrows with a spinnaker up. The boat was over powered, and I was short handed. I was going about 8-9 knots and a cruiser was overtaking me on my windward side. He was too close and was passing rather slowly. I couldn't jibe, I couldn't even reduce sail. I was trying hard not to broach. What I needed to do was come up into the wind so I could reduce sail and gain control. The presence of the cruiser prevented me from doing so. Even though I had a remote mic there in the cockpit, it took two hands on the wheel to control the boat. The boater gave me a friendly wave as he passed by.


He wasn't trying to make it difficult for me let alone put me at risk. He was passing too close to me (it would be too close to a power boat as well) but many power boaters do that when passing. (the Narrows over a mile wide so it really isn't narrow and is plenty deep). The guy just didn't know any better and likely thought it gave his crew a great view of a 40' sailboat flying downwind. I certainly would ascribe any anti-social intent to the guy.

Sorry, but that’s just cognitive dissonance plain and simple. You need to examine your own personal bias. If you have never seen it, then you are disregarding it when it happens. Every single sailboat, I grant you that it’s not quite that bad.

Never seen it? Bah. Ridiculous.

 

[sbu22]

We still have station wagons, Wifey B, we just call them SUVs now.

 

[Moby Nick]

OK, Party Goers; let's get serious. According to Taylor's Keeping A Civil Tongue At Sea, one does not "greet" another vessel, one "SPEAKS" another vessel, and the Skipper is always referred to as "him" regardless of the sex of the person in command. Just thought I'd throw that in for the heck of it, eh?

 

[OldDan1943]

We still have station wagons, Wifey B, we just call them SUVs now.

and the seat still fold back.... WINK WINK

 

[BandB]

We still have station wagons, Wifey B, we just call them SUVs now.

Wifey B: Yes, we do, and all of us who wouldn't be caught dead in a station wagon are riding around in an SUV. In fact, I'm typing this from our Mercedes SUV.

 

[psneeld]

OK, Party Goers; let's get serious. According to Taylor's Keeping A Civil Tongue At Sea, one does not "greet" another vessel, one "SPEAKS" another vessel, and the Skipper is always referred to as "him" regardless of the sex of the person in command. Just thought I'd throw that in for the heck of it, eh?

I will bite....who is Robert C Taylor and why should any of us care just because he wrote a book?

 

[hmason]

If anyone called my wife "him" they would spend the rest of their days looking for a lost body part.

 

[OldDan1943]

With regards to a universal greeting.... owning a trawler does not make us a member of a secret organization nor a member of a select group. All one needs is money enough to either buy or get a mortgage enough to 'claim' ownership in a trawler. So no secret handshake nor password nor universal greeting. We are just a bunch of folks with one thing in common.... owning a boat so let's get on with life.

 

[Moby Nick]

Well, for one thing, Roger Taylor is a recognized authority concerning things nautical, outstanding sailboat designs especially. Second, Peter Duff, builder of two of my boats (a Dovekie and a Shearwater), always maintained that the language of the sea is a very precise, concise language developed over a period of something like 2000 years, and as such, is worth fostering.

 

[RT Firefly]

Saloon!

 

[dhays]

With regards to a universal greeting.... owning a trawler does not make us a member of a secret organization nor a member of a select group.

Dan, has no one shown you the secret handshake yet...?

 

[psneeld]

Well, for one thing, Roger Taylor is a recognized authority concerning things nautical, outstanding sailboat designs especially. Second, Peter Duff, builder of two of my boats (a Dovekie and a Shearwater), always maintained that the language of the sea is a very precise, concise language developed over a period of something like 2000 years, and as such, is worth fostering.

I honestly have never heard of him. What else is he known for besides that book and some other writings periodicals?


A quick Google didn't turn up much.

 

[Dougcole]

Well, since we are all being grumpy in this thread, which is something I'm pretty good at lately, I'll throw in my two cents. OP, I wouldn't call a woman you don't know "Admiral." I know it's a long running joke on this board (no longer funny BTW), but many women find that term to be condescending. My wife, who has spent many years on boats and around the water considers it to be positively insulting, as does every other female boater I've ever asked.


I'm sure there are some out there who like it, but I'd be careful.

 

[Moby Nick]

I don't know him at all, apart from the book I mentioned above, a couple of other books discussing outstanding sailboat designs, and a magazine article evaluating Edey & Duff's Dovekie. However, he was a friend of Peter Duff's, a man I greatly respect. When Peter offered autographed copies of the book to members of The Shallow Water Sailors (E&D's Dovekie Owners Association) I bought one. It's a good read; now resides beside others in my library like The Compleate Cruiser. There is more to life than Google.

I honestly have never heard of him. What else is he known for besides that book and some other writings periodicals?


A quick Google didn't turn up much.

 

[psneeld]

I don't know him at all, apart from the book I mentioned above, a couple of other books discussing outstanding sailboat designs, and a magazine article evaluating Edey & Duff's Dovekie. However, he was a friend of Peter Duff's, a man I greatly respect. When Peter offered autographed copies of the book to members of The Shallow Water Sailors (E&D's Dovekie Owners Association) I bought one. It's a good read; now resides beside others in my library like The Compleate Cruiser. There is more to life than Google.

Well...doesn't matter whether he is an expert or really anyone....a lot of terminology will continue to survive.


I had one of the largest libraries of a boater out of all I ever met....belonged to some maritime book club, had great additions when the Navy libraries were tossing their books.....one of my favorites was
Sensible Cruising Designs Book by L. Francis Herreshoff......
after 40 moves and 3 times living aboard ....and now the internet... the library was sold.



I agree there are exacting terms used while on the water ..... more than a few ware way more traditional than functional.


Been on the water long enough to know what..... unfortunately with the current crop of boaters, using a lot of terminology versus layman's terms gets you no where fast.

 

[OldDan1943]

Dan, has no one shown you the secret handshake yet...?

Just the one young lady but, that's not for publication.
I think I love her, no BS.

 

[Moby Nick]

Had you Worchester's The Junks And Sampans Of The Yangtze or Chapelle's The Search For Speed Under Sail, psneeld?

As for the juvenile ongoing debate between power boaters and sailors, I became interested in power boats a decade before switching over. I introduced myself to quite a number of folks of the opposite persuasion to learn something about their particular boat. They in turn were almost always interested in our Shearwater Yawl, as it is rather unusual as well as rare.

 

[psneeld]

Had you Worchester's The Junks And Sampans Of The Yangtze or Chapelle's The Search For Speed Under Sail, psneeld?

As for the juvenile ongoing debate between power boaters and sailors, I became interested in power boats a decade before switching over. I introduced myself to quite a number of folks of the opposite persuasion to learn something about their particular boat. They in turn were almost always interested in our Shearwater Yawl, as it is rather unusual as well as rare.

Had Chapelle's, not the Junk book...but others with sailing rigs and designs.


The discussion is not juvenile, it's the actual greetings or snuffs and the outrageous behavior on both sides while on the water that is everything between educational and entertainment.


Had thoughts about owning a Shearwater or a Dovkie at one time.... even some of Bolgers powerboats would have been fun while younger.

 

[dhays]

Well, since we are all being grumpy in this thread, which is something I'm pretty good at lately, I'll throw in my two cents. OP, I wouldn't call a woman you don't know "Admiral." I know it's a long running joke on this board (no longer funny BTW), but many women find that term to be condescending. My wife, who has spent many years on boats and around the water considers it to be positively insulting, as does every other female boater I've ever asked.


I'm sure there are some out there who like it, but I'd be careful.

My wife feels the same. Even when she isn’t grumpy.

My usual dock greeting is a simple “howdy” followed by a smile.

 

[AusCan]

I only use nautical terms in two situations:

When there isn't another simple everyday word or short phrase that will clearly replace it;

and when playing Scrabble or Bananagrams. A word like athwartship always receives jeers and groans from the wife and kids.

 

[BandB]

My wife feels the same. Even when she isn’t grumpy.

My usual dock greeting is a simple “howdy” followed by a smile.

Wifey B: I feel the same. I'm a Captain, not an Admiral, but then if I'm just walking around the marina, I'm not in any official capacity. Just a person. I'm also a Doctor (Education not Medical), but sure don't expect anyone to call me such. I don't like those so pretentious that they insist.

One should never jump to conclusions about cute names or sayings to use with people you don't know. May mean something far different to them. May even be opposite in a different culture. It's like walking up to a woman and saying "Is this your first child" only to find out she's not pregnant. I think till you know someone stick to the safe and I prefer "Hello". Beats "F You". Or could try "Good morning" or similar but might not be good if someone had to be towed in. To me, "Hello" is enough to see if there's anything further to even be said. You wait to see the reaction or response. No reason to complicate things and you have no idea what is on the mind of someone else.

Now that's for those doing the first greeting, but what about the one being greeted. How do you respond? Well, if you don't like what they said, just assume they meant well and respond pleasantly.

Then there's the waitress who calls you "honey" or "sweetheart" or "darling". Omfg, hubby will go back at them double. Stuns most. Some play along. Some even take it further. They don't mean harm, nor does he and it's better than getting offended. He said his mother was rigid on things like that and would react harshly, just like she wouldn't allow a young person to call her by her first name. Neither he nor I will allow anyone to call us Mr. or Ms., all just first names.

 

[Capt Nemo]

It will not matter how, or how often the dice are rolled, there will never be an end to the argument about stink potters vs raggers or the reverse. There will always be Jerks throwing their opinions around one way or another.
Did your mommy's not teach you to play nice in the sand box.