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| POTC FAQ; All things pirate and nautical | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 24 2006, 04:52 AM (1,595 Views) | |
| dasNdanger | Apr 24 2006, 04:52 AM Post #1 |
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Wretch
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It's been suggested that we have a FAQ thread for the nautical and piratical terms used in POTC. THIS IS CURRENTLY A WORK IN PROGRESS!!! I will be adding to it, and rearranging things, quite frequently until I have it *just so*. Also, if anyone wants a certain term explained, either post it in Suluna's 'POTC question' thread, or PM me, and we'll add it to the list. Anyone can feel free to add a definition, correct or clarify a definition, etc, but I can't guarantee that I will use the exact wording. Most likely, definitions will be a combination of comments and definitions made by others, and of information that I have at hand. Keep a sharp eye out for changes in this post!! The thread will remain closed until it's formated the way I'd like it to be... 1. What does it mean when Gibbs says, "The Pearl is going to luff up on our port quarter, she'll rake us without ever presenting a target."? The Pearl was going to 'luff up' (steer into the wind), This would bring her up on the Interceptor's port (left) quarter...or the rear quarter of the ship (compare it to the rear quarter panel of a car). In this position, the Pearl could rake - fire her full broadside (the guns that run the down the length of her deck) - on the Interceptor's stern, a vulnerable part of a ship since there are few, if any, guns located there. 2. What is 'club-hauling'? Simply put, to club-haul means to suddenly change the course of the ship by dropping the anchor and using it to 'pivot' the ship onto a new course. THIS METHOD IS ONLY USED WHEN IN GREAT PERIL. In a more technical sense, it means to tack (change the course of) a ship by dropping the lee anchor (anchor on the side of the ship away from the wind) as soon as the wind is out of the sails, thus bringing the ship's head to the wind. Then when she pays off (falls off the wind), the anchor cable is cut and the sails trimmed (adjusted) to the new tack (course). In POTC, the Interceptor was a sitting target, with her stern exposed and guns out of range. So they 'club-hauled', or swung the ship around on her anchor so that her stern was no longer vulnerable, and now she could rake the Pearl's bow with her broadside. In this postiton, the Pearl's guns, now facing out to sea on both sides, could not return fire. Also, this sudden change in tack, or direction, may have enabled the Interceptor to escape from the Pearl altogether. 3. Why did Barbossa then order, "Hard aport! Rack the starboard oars!" When the Interceptor club-hauled, she was now in a better fighting position, but she could have also have sailed past the Pearl and fled to safety while the Pearl took the time to tack properly, or she could have been T-boned by the Pearl, destroying both ships. So Barbossa ordered the oars brought in, and the helm 'hard a-port', or to have the helm (wheel) put over to port (left) as far as possible, bringing the rudder and ship's head to starboard (right). *NOTE A POSSIBLE ERROR IN THE FILM. 'Hard a-aport' should turn the ship to the right, or starboard, as far as I can tell. However, in the film she turns to the port, or left, bringing both ships broadside to broadside on their starboard sides, stern of one ship even with the bow of the other...sailing past one another. Technically, the order 'hard a-port' should have had both ships sailing in the same direction (to starboard), with the Interceptor's starboard side facing the Pearl's port side, bow alongside bow. If I am correct, the command Barbossa should have given is 'hard a-starboard', which would have turned the ship to the left, as we see in the movie. Another inaccuracy is in the use of the word 'port'. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the term for the left side of the ship (when facing forward) was 'larboard', not port. During that time period the term 'port' WAS used for helm orders ('Hard a-port'), but the term 'larboard' would have been used in most other instances when referring to the left side of a ship. For instance, Gibbs should have said 'The Pearl is going to luff up on our larboard quarter', not the 'port' quarter. The term 'port' eventually replaced 'larboard' in all contexts by the mid-nineteenth century. 4. What is the Spanish Main? The Spanish Main refers to the Caribbean Sea in general, where Spanish ships crossed to supply their American colonies, and to transfer gold and other goods back to Spain. More specifically, the Spanish Main refers to the region that extends from the Isthmus of Panama to the mouth of the Orinoco River. 5. What is a buccaneer? A buccaneer is a pirate who raided Spanish colonies and ships along the American coast (or the 'Spanish Main') in the latter half of the 17th century. More specifically, a 'buccaneer' refers to a group of hunters (mostly French) that inhabited Hispaniola in the early part of the 17th century, settling there after the Spanish had abandoned the island in search of Aztec treasures. The Spanish left behind cattle and hogs, which turned wild on the island, and the French quickly became hunters of this feral livestock. To prevent the meat from spoiling, they learned a native technique for smoking it on a wooden grill, or boucan, and from this word they became known as boucaniers (buccaneers), or - in the most literal sense - barbecuers! The buccaneers survived by trading this smoked meat to passing ships for guns, powder, liquor and other necessities. Their life was a hard one, compariable to the mountain men of the American west. Eventually, the Spanish came to dislike the idea of French inhabiting their island, so they returned and slaughtered all of the wild game. This drove the buccaneers out of Hispaniola and onto a small island off the coast - Tortuga. Here, stewing with a renewed hatred of the Spanish for destroying their means of a livelihood, and now with idle time on their hands, they began zealously attacking Spanish ships that ventured near the island. Trained as hunters, the buccaneers were excellent shots, and hardened from years on Hispaniola they were also used to a rough and desperate lifestyle - making them excellent pirates. By the 1640s, a basic pirate democracy had developed in Tortuga, with a set of guidelines ('Customs of the Coast') laid out by these displaced buccaneers, now refering to themselves the Brethern of the Coast. 6. What does 'heave-to' mean? Heave-to means to stop the ship by setting the sails in such a way that they counteract one another, thus preventing the ship from making any headway. This is done in heavy weather/seas as a safety measure, or when the ship needs to stay put without dropping the anchor. 7. Will when talking about a sword says, "the tang is nearly the full width of the blade." What does that mean? The tang is a part of the sword, that is connected to the blade, and located directly below the hilt. The rule of thumb for the tang is, the thicker it is, the sturdier and stronger the blade, however...the thicker it is, the (slightly) more weight you are adding to the blade, and you have to be careful so that it is kept balanced. See this diagram to see where the tang is located. das |
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"Mother's love, Jack! You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. It's bad luck."


6:55 PM Jul 11