In an ongoing series of columns I’ve written, I’ve considered the nautical origins of words and expressions that we use in everyday language ashore.
By CaptaIn Ray
Published: March, 2013
In an ongoing series of columns I’ve written, I’ve considered the nautical origins of words and expressions that we use in everyday language ashore. For example, a phase like "the devil to pay" (explained in a previous column) has lost all connection to its original nautical meaning and acquired a different connotation on dry land. This month I’d like to share with you sayings from several different cultures around the world that show us how the sea has influenced us. This is not so much semantics as it is philosophy.
Fryslân is the northernmost province of the Netherlands. Pressed right up against and often below the North Sea—40 percent of the province is actually below sea level—the Friesian people have a long history of sailing. Like mariners the world over, they recognized that sailing into the wind and waves is often much more difficult and uncomfortable than sailing with them. The following is an interesting Friesian observation on human behavior: "Foar de wyn is elts in hurdsiler." Translated: "Before the wind, everyone is a good sailor."
Across the North Sea, this same realization undoubtedly gave rise to the English saying "gentlemen never sail to weather." When we are confronted with difficulties in our lives, we all like to believe that there is a purpose or reason for them. At the very least, we hope to learn and grow from the experiences. And so, here’s one I received in a fortune cookie: "A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor!"
Growing up, we all received warnings like "don’t get in over your head" (Is that yet another nautical proverb?) and "don’t bite off more than you can chew." Because the wind can be unpredictable, the Danes provide us with this marine example: "Don’t sail out farther than you can row back."
Similarly, we have all been in situations where, during times of adversity, the best or worst of a person will be revealed. Corsica gives us this insight into human behavior: "Seamen learn to get to know each other during a storm."
It is not surprising that the people of Hawai’i developed sayings related to the sea; the closest land to the Hawai’ian Islands is about 900 miles to the southwest and the nearest continental land is just over 2,000 miles away. This one is remarkably appropriate for a people that lived on the most isolated group of islands in the world: "‘Ekahi ‘a’ole hiki ‘imi a loa’a hou aina nele nalo o ka kahaki." Translated: "One cannot discover new lands without losing sight of the shore."
And finally, maybe it’s because I’ve been sailing four and five days a week for the past 38 years that this last one is dear to me. I’ve been told that it is an old Phoenician proverb. Despite the fact that I have no proof of this one way or the other and I’ve heard it applied to fishing as well, it is still one of my favorites: "The gods do not subtract from one’s allotted time those hours spent sailing."
According to this, I’m only about 41 years old!
Ray Wichmann, is a US SAILING-certified Ocean Passagemaking Instructor, a US SAILING Instructor Trainer, and a member of US SAILING’s National Faculty. He holds a 100-Ton Master’s License, was a charter skipper in Hawai’i for 15 years, and has sailed on both coasts of the United States, in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Greece. He is presently employed as the Master Instructor at OCSC Sailing in the Berkeley Marina.
