Greenwich

We have family here again and so we all went down to Greenwich to see the naval museum. It was an impressive set up with lots for kids. I bought a fascinating book on figureheads and another on maritime phrases. We also went on the cable cars. Great day.

10 Nautical Terms from Riddle of the Sands

1. Davit - device for hoisting and lowering a boat

2. Taffrail - rail round the stern of a ship

3. Mizzen-mast - mast aft or next aft of the mainmast in a ship

4. Lee-boards - a lifting foil used by a sailboat, much like a centreboard, but located on the leeside

5. Bowsprit - spar that extends at bows of a ship

6. Jib - small triangular sail extending from the head of the foremast

7. Bumpkin - spar projecting from stern of ship

8. Schooner - a yacht with two masts of which the foremost is shorter than the mizzen (opposite of a ketch rig)

9. Yawl - ship’s small boat; sailboat carrying mainsail and one or more jibs

10. Ketch-rigged - this refers to how the sails are configured. A ketch is a two-masted sailing craft whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast. The name "ketch" is derived from "catch" or fishing boat

Captain Phillips

One of the things we did on holiday together this week was to watch a DVD. We had talked about going to the cinema but then decided on a DVD. This is not easy as there are six of us with quite varied tastes (plus the fact two or three of the boys have seen quite a few things already). Anyway we were in a department store where we found Captain Phillips going at a reasonable price. The fact Tom Hanks was in it gave us confidence (rightly). The film appeared in 2013 and tells the true story of an American captain whose cargo ship is boarded by Somali pirates (in 2009) and who is then kidnapped and taken away in a small lifeboat. It is not the greatest film ever but with high production values, an interesting enough script and some good moments it kept us happy for an evening.

Flickr Foto Series 25

Oh buoy!