Nautical Literacy

What should a sailor know to distinguish him or her from a landlubber? Never mind how I was led to consider this question, just think about it.


This resembles (sorry) disputes about the literary canon that were a big deal for a while in academia and politics, but seem to have died down today. Why? Because being nautically literate seems to mean a lot more than just being a competent boat operator. A person can be a whiz at handling a small powerboat, know the Rules of the Road by heart, never confuse port with starboard, and still be functionally illiterate in the sense I mean.


I think nautical literacy includes some surface knowledge of the history. One should at least recognize a few important names (Horatio Nelson, Isambard K. Brunel, William Webb, and Charlie Barr for the English-speaking). One should at least recognize most of the sailing rigs and the terms for sails and the major control lines, although picking out a mizzen topgallant sail on a sail plan is more than I expect. You should know that the bathroom is called a "head" -- and why. You should be able to tell a tug from an offshore supply boat, and know some of the general terms like port and starboard. While being able to handle a vessel counts for something, I don't think that skill necessarily confers nautical literacy.


Can a person be nautically literate without any seamanship skills? Maybe someone so badly afflicted with seasickness that within a boat length of the pier he starts to feel so queasy he can't give the boat his full attention? I think maybe so, although of course many of the already nautically literate will disagree.