Vital Stats of the F/V Cornelia Marie

FISHING SLANG

Working on a crab boat in Alaska takes strength, stamina and an adventurous spirit. You also need know what the heck everyone is talking about.

Anchor watch:
Time spent in the wheelhouse to make sure the boat does not drag anchor and start to move.
Bow:
The front of the boat.
Bunk:
A bed.
Cabin or house:
The living area on a working boat.
Chumming for fish:
Vomiting over the side of the rail into the sea.
Climbing mountains:
Climbing up waves that are the size of the boat or bigger.
Crab pots:
Traps made of wooden slates or more commonly wire mesh. They are set individually or in strings on the bottom of the ocean to catch crab. The traps can be up to ten feet square and are usually baited.
Drop the hook:
Dropping and setting the boat’s anchor.
Galley:
The kitchen and dining area.
Greenhorn:
A first time fisherman.
Head:
The bathroom.
In the trough:
The space in between waves. The boat will naturally fall into a “trough” while drifting. When drifting in the “trough” the boat is parallel with the swell and will rock from side to side.
Jogging:
When the boat engines are at lower rpm. Jogging is often used to hold the boat in a safe position during bad weather.
Lazy swell:
Waves that are far apart with not much wind.
Making ice:
When ocean spray from waves freezes on the boat.
Master Baiter:
A name given to a Green Horn once they have mastered the art of filling bait jars or baiting halibut hooks.
On the crab:
When fishing is great and the pots are full.
Portside:
The left side of the boat facing the bow.
Prop Wash:
An essential cleaning agent. If the ship is low on Prop Wash, it is the job of the Greenhorn to go into town to buy more.
Radar Navigator:
A fisherman who relies too heavily on the radar to navigate instead of his own knowledge of charts and other instruments.
Rollie Pollie:
Middle size waves with a slight wind at the side of the boat.
Screamer:
A captain who screams at his crew.
Skipper or skip:
The captain.
Skunked:
Pulling up an empty pot.
Sloppy-choppy:
Waves that have no real pattern and seem to be coming from different directions.
Starboard:
The right side of the boat.
Stateroom:
A bedroom.
Stern or aft:
The back of the boat.
Twin Screw:
A boat with two propellers instead of one. A boat with twin screws handles differently, especially when docking.
Variable to Terrible:
Often when the forecast predicts “Variable Winds”, it means the weather could get worse.
Wheelhouse:
Where the captain drives the boat.
Wheel watch:
When a crewmember takes a turn driving the boat.
Whitecaps:
When the wind is blowing strong enough to produce a crest of foam on waves.