Chris-Craft 2015 21 Carina Owner's Manual page 186

Glossary Of Boating Terminology
Dogwatch (Continued)
The dogwatches are only two hours each so the same Sailors aren't always on duty at the same time
each afternoon. Some experts say dogwatch is a corruption of dodge watch and others associate dog-
watch with the fitful sleep of Sailors called dog sleep, because it is a stressful watch. But no one really
knows the origin of this term, which was in use at least back to 1700.
Down the hatch
Here's a drinking expression that seems to have its origins in sea freight, where cargoes are lowered
into the hatch. First used by seamen, it has only been traced back to the turn of the 20th century.
Duffle
A name given to a Sailor's personal effects. Also spelled duffel, it referred to his principal clothing as well
as to the seabed in which he carried and stowed it. The term comes from the Flemish town of Duffel
near Antwerp, and denotes a rough woolen cloth made there.
Dungarees
The modern Sailor's work clothes. The term is not modern, however, but dates to the 18th century and
comes from the Hindi word dungri, for a type of Indian cotton cloth.
Fathom
Although a fathom is now a nautical unit of length equal to six feet, it was once defined by an act of
Parliament as "the length of a man's arms around the object of his affections." The word derives from
the Old English Faethm, which means "embracing arms."
Flying Dutchman
One superstition has it that any mariner who sees the ghost ship called the Flying Dutchman will die
within the day. The tale of the Flying Dutchman trying to round the Cape of Good Hope against strong
winds and never succeeding, then trying to make Cape Horn and failing there too, has been the most
famous of maritime ghost stories for more 300 years. The cursed spectral ship sailing back and forth on
its endless voyage, its ancient white-hair crew crying for help while hauling at her sail, inspired Samuel
Taylor Coleridge to write his classic "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," to name but one famous literary
work. The real Flying Dutchman is supposed to have set sail in 1660.
Fouled anchor
The fouled (rope- or chain-entwined) anchor so prevalent in our Navy's designs and insignia is a symbol
at least 500 years old that has it origins in the British traditions adopted by our naval service.
The fouled anchor was adopted as the official seal of Lord High Admiral Charles Lord Howard of
Effingham during the late 1500s. A variation of the seal had been in use by the Lord High Admiral of
Scotland about a century earlier.
The anchor (both with and without the entwined rope) is a traditional heraldic device used in ancient
British coats of arms. As a heraldic device, it is a stylized representation used merely for its decorative
effect.
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