"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
Calif Bill wrote:
"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
Chuck Gould wrote:
On Feb 16, 2:13?pm, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:
A irregular ongoing series of phrases providing conversation resources
for the average boater.

To LAUNCH something - to LAUNCH into:

Derived from the French lancier (to pierce) - the boat pierces the
water.

Historical note: The Vikings, discoverers of America, China, Fiji and
Antarctica in addition to populating Mongolia and Minnesota, tied
slaves
to the boat's launch skids to "grease" the way.
Another Norse tradition was sacrificing a virgin on the ways when a
new boat was launched. Red wine was eventally substituted, as it was
deemed easier to find and less costly to waste than a perfectly good
virgin. That's one of a few competing reasons advanced for the use of
wine when a modern vessel is "christened."
Wine which was poured on the bow or into the boat as a "christening"
sometimes blessed as opposed the breakage of the bottle.

I'm pretty sure the Vikings used beer.

More likely Mead. My ancient relatives were not uncouth.

They colonized California?

Wow - and here I thought it was Mexicans.

Vikings colonizing California - who knew?

I was the first born Cali person. Parents and brother moved from the
Nebraska, Wyoming border. When mom talks about -40 degrees, glad I grew up
10 blocks from SF Bay. But some of the relatives were Norsemen and
grandfather came from Ireland, so probably a Viking relative via that way
also. the Norman's were actually Vikings. Frog talk for Northmen according
to some sources.