Dan asked Dan Lopez:

What's your favorite nautical term?

Dan Lopez So many to choose from! Did you know a smokestack is called a Charlie Noble on a ship? And that the word "tack" has at least three different meanings on a boat? My favorite, though, has got to be "baggywrinkle," which is basically a bunch of old rope that's been shredded and turned into a kind of garland that gets wrapped around cables to prevent chaffing on a sail. Next time you see an old-timey sailing ship look for the dirty brown things halfway up the sail. That's a "baggywrinkle." Make sure to point it out to your friends. They'll think you're cool because knowing esoteric sailing terms is cool, right?

flag