# Advise me wise ones.....



## RHP (Nov 1, 2007)

I am wracked with indecision, I can't decide which was the greater nautical incompetence, the 'Rena' running aground in the middle of the sea or the 'Costa Concordia' where the captain pulled over to wave to some friends on the beach.

I shan't sleep.


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## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

perhaps one was asleep and the other clipped the curb as he swerved his Ferrari to show off to the girls bu i guess that truth will eventually rule.

Bob.


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## Alex Salmond (Mar 7, 2011)

Both eejits who should be hung by the [email protected]^* ,but if I had to choose it would have to be the Italian dork showing off and then jumping ship and leaving the Bloods to fend for themselves incompetence compounded by cowardice,the Filipino guy was just a fool ,Quick aside in all these disasters at sea its always the Officers at fault never the crew funny that eh! dont you guys have to have some kind of ticket or qualification or something ??(?HUH)


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## John Cassels (Sep 29, 2005)

Alex Salmond said:


> Both eejits who should be hung by the [email protected]^* ,but if I had to choose it would have to be the Italian dork showing off and then jumping ship and leaving the Bloods to fend for themselves incompetence compounded by cowardice,the Filipino guy was just a fool ,Quick aside in all these disasters at sea its always the Officers at fault never the crew funny that eh! dont you guys have to have some kind of ticket or qualification or something ??(?HUH)


Don't let SM hear you say that !.


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## Michael Taylor (Aug 31, 2008)

I am not sure if or how many times this subject has been brought up, but here goes. In the US the Concordia incident has been covered well by all the media ..... however it is about time that the general public is once and for all told when a ship is a ship and a boat a boat. I have heard the Coast Guards calling cargo vessels as boats and now we have passenger boats. This week a further complication arrived with the new Royal Yacht idea .... here a yacht has sails.


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## cueball44 (Feb 15, 2010)

Michael Taylor said:


> I am not sure if or how many times this subject has been brought up, but here goes. In the US the Concordia incident has been covered well by all the media ..... however it is about time that the general public is once and for all told when a ship is a ship and a boat a boat. I have heard the Coast Guards calling cargo vessels as boats and now we have passenger boats. This week a further complication arrived with the new Royal Yacht idea .... here a yacht has sails.


While at school i was asked many times what kind of boats my dad was on, i answered "Big Boat's".


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

But Cueball, you are from Hull - in Hull and Grimsby, every ship that isn't a fishing boat is (or was) a "Big Boat" and sailing on them was "Big Boating".

John T


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## looneylectrics (Nov 17, 2006)

A lot of people out of Hull called the Merchant Navy "Big Boating", I guess because Trawlers were smaller ships/boats. Whatever, I think when a seaman call a ship a boat it is only out of affection not ignorance. And he's allowed to because he knows the difference, I think.

I see you beat me to it John T.


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## Boatman25 (May 17, 2010)

Michael Taylor said:


> . This week a further complication arrived with the new Royal Yacht idea .... here a yacht has sails.


So will the new Royal Yacht


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## Michael Taylor (Aug 31, 2008)

Ah ... but the last one did not.


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## Davie M (Apr 17, 2009)

Michael Taylor said:


> I am not sure if or how many times this subject has been brought up, but here goes. In the US the Concordia incident has been covered well by all the media ..... however it is about time that the general public is once and for all told when a ship is a ship and a boat a boat. I have heard the Coast Guards calling cargo vessels as boats and now we have passenger boats. This week a further complication arrived with the new Royal Yacht idea .... here a yacht has sails.


You are not alone, the BBC managed in one report today
to refer to her as a boat, a ship and finally a liner. Mind you they are unable to to pronounce "lido" so am not surprised.


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

Not forgetting a Sub is a boat and not a ship.


John.


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## howardang (Aug 3, 2008)

You often hear on TV descriptions of Titanic, Queen Mary etc as Cruise ships! Similarly, cruise ships described as liners.

If someone asks me the difference between ships and boats my stock answer is - "a ship can carry a boat but a boat can't carry a ship" but I think it often falls on deaf ears!!!

Howard


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## barrinoz (Oct 9, 2006)

Am I missing something here? How has RHP's opening post elicited responses on vessel definition?
barrinoz.


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

Dunno but it was the quickest bit of thread drift I have ever seen... and I've seen a few drifting threads in my time.......


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## RHP (Nov 1, 2007)

I haven't slept for days.

No one's asked whether the captain hurt himself when he tripped and fell into the lifeboat.


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## jaguar06 (Dec 10, 2006)

Writing polite letters to news agents explaining differences between "boat" and "ship" and "liner" doesn't seem to do any good (I've done it, often). Nor does explaining to the same fools who spouted yesterday that "Titanic was after the Blue Ribbon [sic]" that it was rather "Ribband" and that the decision to not do that occurred when she was designed and engined. I suppose if we could tolerate them being so imprecise they can tolerate us being so imprecise as to call them "journalists".


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## Frank Holleran (Nov 11, 2005)

Two seamen having a conversation.
" Did yer go down the Pool to-day"
" Yer, I got a job"
" Good on yer, what ship did yer get"
" I got a banana boat"

Only a seaman knows the vocabulary of ships and boats, and things of the sea. (Pint)


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

If you ever read a newspaper article about anything which you have any knowledge, it will be full of glaring inaccuracies. It follows that if you read an article about anything of which you know nothing, it too will be full of glaring inaccuracies.

Maybe there are inaccuracies in the reporting of the Costa Concordia too. Some people won't be happy until the Captain falls on his sword - why would he do that? I know I wouldn't.

John T


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## jaguar06 (Dec 10, 2006)

trotterdotpom said:


> If you ever read a newspaper article about anything which you have any knowledge, it will be full of glaring inaccuracies. It follows that if you read an article about anything of which you know nothing, it too will be full of glaring inaccuracies....


That's such an accurate and perfectly written statement that I think it should be the preface to journalism texts, which I toted plenty of throughout college. That succinct statement is brilliant.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Thankyou Jaguar.

John T


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## cueball44 (Feb 15, 2010)

trotterdotpom said:


> But Cueball, you are from Hull - in Hull and Grimsby, every ship that isn't a fishing boat is (or was) a "Big Boat" and sailing on them was "Big Boating".
> 
> John T


Yeh, and Big Boater's dressed differently from Trawler men, apart from the slip ons.


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

RHP said:


> I am wracked with indecision, I can't decide which was the greater nautical incompetence, the 'Rena' running aground in the middle of the sea or the 'Costa Concordia' where the captain pulled over to wave to some friends on the beach.
> 
> I shan't sleep.


I would suggest the more recent incident would get the prize.... however historically there are a lot more than two horses in this race......


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## jaguar06 (Dec 10, 2006)

Do you mind, John, if I use that as a signature line in my piano forum (with attribution, of course)? For 10 years, I've used Albert Einstein's, “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” I think your statement is equally insightful.


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## david m leadbetter (Dec 12, 2010)

Frank Holleran said:


> Two seamen having a conversation.
> " Did yer go down the Pool to-day"
> " Yer, I got a job"
> " Good on yer, what ship did yer get"
> ...


(Applause)
Frank 
It's a family thing.


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## tedc (Dec 31, 2006)

trotterdotpom said:


> If you ever read a newspaper article about anything which you have any knowledge, it will be full of glaring inaccuracies. It follows that if you read an article about anything of which you know nothing, it too will be full of glaring inaccuracies.
> 
> Maybe there are inaccuracies in the reporting of the Costa Concordia too. Some people won't be happy until the Captain falls on his sword - why would he do that? I know I wouldn't.
> 
> John T


Hi JT!

Would you mind if I used your quote in the SagaZone forum?

They are having a "raving" discussion of this Concordia event - based almost entirely on the media interpretations.

(A)


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

tedc said:


> Hi JT!
> 
> Would you mind if I used your quote in the SagaZone forum?
> 
> ...


Feel free - i'm flattered.

John T


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## Scurdie (Aug 6, 2009)

> the 'Rena' running aground in the middle of the sea


Are you sure you mean RENA? - she's on a reef off Tauranga, hardly mid-ocean.
Perhaps you mean OLIVA, which in March 2011 hit Nightingale Island in the Tristan da Cunha group. Now, that IS mid-ocean, and takes some incompetence to hit! Sounds to me like "set the auto-pilot on leaving South America, wake me up near Cape Town".


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## RHP (Nov 1, 2007)

Scurdie said:


> Are you sure you mean RENA? - she's on a reef off Tauranga, hardly mid-ocean.
> Perhaps you mean OLIVA, which in March 2011 hit Nightingale Island in the Tristan da Cunha group. Now, that IS mid-ocean, and takes some incompetence to hit! Sounds to me like "set the auto-pilot on leaving South America, wake me up near Cape Town".


Thats why I said 'sea' and not 'ocean'. (Gleam)


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## dom (Feb 10, 2006)

*dom*

Maybe there are inaccuracies in the reporting of the Costa Concordia too. Some people won't be happy until the Captain falls on his sword - why would he do that? I know I wouldn't.

no need to fall on his sword,plenty of knives in his back


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## Dickyboy (May 18, 2009)

Frank Holleran said:


> Two seamen having a conversation.
> " Did yer go down the Pool to-day"
> " Yer, I got a job"
> " Good on yer, what ship did yer get"
> ...


Don't you mean a Skin Boat? That's what they were called locally, in Southampton at least. (Eat)


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## barrinoz (Oct 9, 2006)

Which begs the question: What is the origin of the phrase, "Skinning out"?
barrinoz.


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## Dickyboy (May 18, 2009)

barrinoz said:


> Which begs the question: What is the origin of the phrase, "Skinning out"?
> barrinoz.


Squeezing out through a porthole to jump ship perhaps?


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## dom (Feb 10, 2006)

*dom*

an old maritime saying from the 1880s, the whole crew departed with out notice in adelaide i belive,the local police was sent after them by the master,they failed to return any crew members, reporting to the master he was heard to say that they escaped by the skin of their teeth,so it became they skinned out(Gleam)


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## Dickyboy (May 18, 2009)

barrinoz said:


> Am I missing something here? How has RHP's opening post elicited responses on vessel definition?
> barrinoz.


Come back Pompey Fan for this one (Jester)


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## barrinoz (Oct 9, 2006)

dom said:


> an old maritime saying from the 1880s, the whole crew departed with out notice in adelaide i belive,the local police was sent after them by the master,they failed to return any crew members, reporting to the master he was heard to say that they escaped by the skin of their teeth,so it became they skinned out(Gleam)


It's the best....actually, the only...... definition I've heard (apart from dickboy's, which is pretty suss (?HUH)). Thanks, Dom.
barrinoz.


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## Andrew Craig-Bennett (Mar 13, 2007)

My father referred to his activities between 1939 and '45 (Lt Cdr RNVR) as "being provided by King George with a glamorous uniform and a steam yacht; all at his expense, not mine." 

The combined pulling power was, I gathered, terrific.


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## Jacktar1 (Jul 17, 2005)

dom said:


> Maybe there are inaccuracies in the reporting of the Costa Concordia too. Some people won't be happy until the Captain falls on his sword - why would he do that? I know I wouldn't.
> 
> no need to fall on his sword,plenty of knives in his back




Your dead right..........(Applause)


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

Andrew Craig-Bennett said:


> My father referred to his activities between 1939 and '45 (Lt Cdr RNVR) as "being provided by King George with a glamorous uniform and a steam yacht; all at his expense, not mine."
> 
> The combined pulling power was, I gathered, terrific.


No doubt about that Andrew, in the day's when Naval uniform was encouraged to be worn "on the streets" it certainly was a "puller" and an opening to a number of freebies in other matters. If I remember correctly the IRA action's on the mainland put a stop to the wearing of uniform outside of Naval duties as it was felt that uniform wearer's could become target's, as indeed they have in recent times with teflon Duffy getting away with it. Despite the so called peace in NI (but not when Servicemen or the Police are the target's).


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## MikeK (Jul 3, 2007)

dom said:


> an old maritime saying from the 1880s, the whole crew departed with out notice in adelaide i belive,the local police was sent after them by the master,they failed to return any crew members, reporting to the master he was heard to say that they escaped by the skin of their teeth,so it became they skinned out(Gleam)



That sounds the best explanation of an expression that, until reading this, I had never really thought about, thanks Dom
Fascinating language we have innit ? (Applause)

Mike


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