It's Friday--- POP QUIZ TIME! How well can sailors spell? Let's find out. Here are seven questions based on real-life spelling errors by SpinSheet contributors, plus one bonus for you grammarians out there.
Pick the CORRECT spelling of the word from the choices below. Write down your responses to each and see the key at the bottom. Don't cheat!
1. Changing tacks with the wind at your back...
a) Prepare to jive!
b) Duck! We're jibbing, you guys!
c) Gybe ho!
2. A small sailing vessel with a centerboard.
a) He's a top-notch college dingy sailor from ODU.
b) Forget keelboats--I'd rather sail dinghies any day of the week.
c) There's something dingy in this dingie.
3. The upper edge of the side of the boat.
a) Freezing cold waves splashed over the gunnels and into the boat.
b) My sunglasses clipped the gunnell and splashed into the drink!
c) Aye, it was a salty day, as we we filled her up to the gunwales with loot.
4. Sailing on a slant.
a) We're heeling too far over. Hike, people!!
b) Don't heal too much -- I'll spill my drink.
c) She hates to hele, so we have a trawler now.
5. That guy who sings sailing songs.
a) I saw Jimmy Buffet in Key West, dude.
b) Buffett played Fins first.
c) Bufett's Parrothead following is impressive.
6. The opposite of windward.
a) When we get to leuward of that boat, she'll steal our air.
b) If you have to barf, please do so on the leeward side.
c) The louard vessel has rights.
7. Sailing as close to the wind as you can get without luffing.
a) We were close hahled and got a big header.
b) You can head up--she sails nicely close hawled.
c) We were close hauled when the storm hit.
BONUS POINT: To hyphenate or not.... which hyphen placement is correct in the following sentences?
a) The vessel should stand-on or hold its course.
b) For both the stand-on and give-way vessels, the ultimate goal is to avoid collisions.
c) Who the heck came up with this confusing standon and giveway system?
Key: 1-c, 2-b, 3-c, 4-a, 5-b, 6-b, 7-c, bonus-b
How did you do?
If you got seven right (including your bonus point), congratulations. You're probably an effective crewmember or skipper.
If you got four right (including your bonus pointi), you maybe should take a sailing class.
If you got two or fewer right (including your bonus point), maybe just watch videos and forget about this spelling thing.
