Nautical terminology-where to go?
 

Hi

I'm starting to read Master and Commander (I didn't see the movie) by
Patrick O'Brian. In the beginning it's quite dense with nautical
terms, description of the different parts of the ship, etc. Is there a
website that helps explain some of these terms? I was actually
thinking of the types of book I read when I was younger--big picture
books that would sortof dissect the ship and explain all the various
parts/areas. I was hoping there was an online version of this type of
thing that I could refer to while reading. It's fascinating stuff,
even if I don't understand half of it.

Thanks!

Jim

Jim M,

There is a great site over at BoatSafe.com

Here is the link:
http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/gloss.htm



"Jim M" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi

I'm starting to read Master and Commander (I didn't see the movie) by
Patrick O'Brian. In the beginning it's quite dense with nautical
terms, description of the different parts of the ship, etc. Is there a
website that helps explain some of these terms? I was actually
thinking of the types of book I read when I was younger--big picture
books that would sortof dissect the ship and explain all the various
parts/areas. I was hoping there was an online version of this type of
thing that I could refer to while reading. It's fascinating stuff,
even if I don't understand half of it.

Thanks!

Jim

If you're going to read the entire series, invest in a book called "A
Sea of Words". It is a companion volume to the Aubrey-Maturin series
and it provides detailed and very comprehensible definitions of not
only the arcane nautical terms but many of the medical instruments and
procedures mentioned in the plots as well as some interesting
geographic factoids.

If you are reading through the series and come across a word that is
unfamiliar, (absolutely everybody will, and frequently), stop and
consult "Sea of Words".
While some of the strange words could be skimmed past without much
consideration, understanding others will be important to fully
appreciate the plot and visualize the descriptions.

As far as the remaining inquiry in your header- it's still a couple of
days until the cease fire expires on Friday morning. If you haven't
figured out "where to go" by then, get back to me, OK? :-) just
joking

On 13 Apr 2005 09:13:49 -0700, wrote:

If you're going to read the entire series, invest in a book called "A
Sea of Words". It is a companion volume to the Aubrey-Maturin series
and it provides detailed and very comprehensible definitions of not
only the arcane nautical terms but many of the medical instruments and
procedures mentioned in the plots as well as some interesting
geographic factoids.

If you are reading through the series and come across a word that is
unfamiliar, (absolutely everybody will, and frequently), stop and
consult "Sea of Words".
While some of the strange words could be skimmed past without much
consideration, understanding others will be important to fully
appreciate the plot and visualize the descriptions.

As far as the remaining inquiry in your header- it's still a couple of
days until the cease fire expires on Friday morning. If you haven't
figured out "where to go" by then, get back to me, OK? :-) just
joking

And congratulations, Chuck. You've been doing very well!
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

Around 4/13/2005 8:18 AM, Jim M wrote:

Hi

I'm starting to read Master and Commander (I didn't see the movie) by
Patrick O'Brian.

I love that series! I highly recommend reading the whole series before
you see the movie, but _do_ see the movie too; it's one of my favorites,
one of those rare movies that is suitable for virtually endless repeated
viewings.

In the beginning it's quite dense with nautical
terms, description of the different parts of the ship, etc. Is there a
website that helps explain some of these terms? I was actually
thinking of the types of book I read when I was younger--big picture
books that would sortof dissect the ship and explain all the various
parts/areas. I was hoping there was an online version of this type of
thing that I could refer to while reading. It's fascinating stuff,
even if I don't understand half of it.

"The Patrick O'Brian Compendium" http://www.patrickobrian.com/ has a
bunch of links to various websites having to do with the series,
including "Royal Navy Diction and Slang of 1775"
http://www.hmsrichmond.org/348test.htm. No illustrations, but it does
give a fairly complete overview of the more obscure terms.


--
~/Garth - 1966 Glastron V-142 Skiflite: "Blue-Boat"
"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing about in boats."
-Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

I just put the word into Google and it usually puts me right on to some
discussion of it on a newsgroup like this one. RichG TX

--
RichG manager, Carolina Skiff Owners Group on MSN
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners
..

"Jim M" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi

I'm starting to read Master and Commander (I didn't see the movie) by
Patrick O'Brian. In the beginning it's quite dense with nautical
terms, description of the different parts of the ship, etc. Is there a
website that helps explain some of these terms? I was actually
thinking of the types of book I read when I was younger--big picture
books that would sortof dissect the ship and explain all the various
parts/areas. I was hoping there was an online version of this type of
thing that I could refer to while reading. It's fascinating stuff,
even if I don't understand half of it.

Thanks!

Jim

On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 11:28:06 -0700, Garth Almgren
wrote:

Around 4/13/2005 8:18 AM, Jim M wrote:

Hi

I'm starting to read Master and Commander (I didn't see the movie) by
Patrick O'Brian.

I love that series! I highly recommend reading the whole series before
you see the movie, but _do_ see the movie too; it's one of my favorites,
one of those rare movies that is suitable for virtually endless repeated
viewings.

I started off as a kid with Forrester and Hornblower, graduated to
Kent and the Bolitho series, read most of O'Brian. They are all very
good and have companion books which explain different aspects. If you
manage to get through all of them, you come away with a fairly good
idea of how a sailing vessel does what they do.

However, if you are really interested in this type of genre, you might
want to try "Master Mariner" by Nicholas Monsarrat.

http://tinyurl.com/63yxl

There is a great description of fire ships and other nautical type
stuff along with a great story line. Great book.

Later,

Tom

On 13 Apr 2005 08:18:37 -0700, "Jim M" wrote:

Hi

I'm starting to read Master and Commander (I didn't see the movie) by
Patrick O'Brian. In the beginning it's quite dense with nautical
terms, description of the different parts of the ship, etc.

You could just ask me. I know every part of a ship, and nobody here
knows more about boating than I.