Seamanship offshore style
This is the area on deck where heavy lifting and offshore operations usually take place.
What is the working deck?
An old slang term for an engine-room sailor or engineer, usually covered in oil and grease.
What is a grease monkey?
This corporate word means “you’re fired,” but sounds much nicer in an email.
What is redundancy?
This is what sailors rely on to survive a 12-hour watch at 2 AM, sometimes stronger than the ship’s engines.
What is coffee?
Why were women once considered bad luck on ships?
What is it was believed they distracted the crew or angered the sea?
This term describes the safe working load of a wire, shackle, or lifting gear.
What is SWL?
A sailor who argues rules, regulations, and technicalities instead of doing the job.
What is a sea lawyer?
This department creates contracts that satisfy no one, confuse everyone, and somehow take months to fix.
What is corporate HR?
The official explanation for why maintenance is never done on time, but paperwork is always up to date.
What is priorities?
What is said to happen if you whistle on board a ship?
What is you will summon strong winds or bad weather?
This phrase is used when a vessel is holding position while waiting for further instructions.
What is standing by?
An inexperienced sailor who is new to sea life.
What is a greenhorn?
Management claims there’s no money for crew benefits, but somehow always finds millions for this.
What is extended dock stays?
No matter how small the problem, sailors are experts at this onboard activity.
What is finding something to complain about?
What did sailors traditionally believe it meant when dolphins followed a ship?
What is good luck and safe passage?
This seamanship term describes the risk zone around a wire or rope under heavy tension.
What is the snap-back zone?
A traditional term for a very experienced sailor, hardened by years at sea.
What is an old salt?
This is what crew members call it when decisions are made by people who haven’t been offshore in years.
What is management from the ivory tower?
Sailors often complain about this, even though it’s technically “part of the job.”
What is working in rain, wind, or freezing spray?
Who is traditionally said to preside over the Line Crossing Ceremony?
Who is King Neptune?
When tension is applied incorrectly, the line can twist or kink, compromising safety; this is called…
What is a birdcage or kinked wire?
Old slang for someone pretending to work while actually doing nothing useful.
What is gundecking?
They say the company has no money, no stability, and no long-term plan — yet somehow everything is still “according to strategy.”
What is delusion?
No matter what goes wrong on deck, broken equipment or messed-up logs, this is always to blame.
What is the other watch?
What title is traditionally given to sailors after they have crossed the Equator?
What is a Shellback?