A Newbie at Sea

As newbie shudders all at sea

Setting sail at break of dawn

Ship ahoy this anchor buoy

All ‘Bitter Ends’ are now withdrawn

Boat hooks poised to set adrift

Bollard knots now slack untied

No more Sunday morning lassitude

Where lapping ebbs subside

All compass points are giving lie

To clean slates above the coaming

Weathered eyes on pole star skies

That swell with oceanic roaming

Holding taught strains on ones cringle

Keeping cockpit well intact

Slug your tot give it all you’ve got

The world’s your oyster that’s a fact.

Bitter End:

The last part or loose end of a rope or cable. The anchor cable is tied to the bitts; when the cable is fully paid out, the bitter end has been reached.

Clean Slate

At the helm, the watch keeper would record details of speed, distances, headings, etc. on a slate. At the beginning of a new watch the slate would be wiped clean.

Coaming

The raised edge of a hatch, cockpit or skylight to help keep out water.

Cringle

A rope loop, usually at the corners of a sail, for fixing the sail to a spar. They are often reinforced with a metal eye.

Bollard

From "bol" or "bole", the round trunk of a tree. A substantial vertical pillar to which lines may be made fast. Generally on the quayside rather than the ship.

Slug Your Tot

The rum ration, or "tot", consisted of one-eighth of a pint of rum at 95.5 proof, given out to every sailor at midday. Senior Ratings (Petty Officers and above) received their rum neat, whilst for Junior Ratings it was diluted with two parts of water to make three-eighths of a pint of grog. [1] The rum ration was served from one particular barrel, also known as the "Rum Tub" which was ornately decorated and was made of oak, reinforced with brass bands, with brass letters saying, "The Queen, God Bless Her".[2]