GALLEY NEWS

The galley is the place where food is prepared. (There is no such word as "kitchen" on board ship). When there was no work to be done for a period of time, the crew inevitably gravitated to the galley, where there was water to drink, warmth from the fire, and possibly a scrap of food to eat. At the door of the galley, shipmates would also talk about what was happening in their little floating world, and swap stories, some of which were not always truthful. Ashore, we would call that gossip. Aboard ship, those stories are called "galley news".

CAREEN

Ashore the word means to drive extremely fast and recklessly, barely in control. At sea, the word means to moor a vessel in a place that dries at low tide leaving the boat grounded. This is often done at harbours that have a big tidal range, and is sometimes employed as a simple way to expose the bottom of the ship for repairs and maintenance. The ship is brought carefully into shallow water at high tide and braced there. When the tide falls, the bottom is left exposed for quick scraping and painting or repairs that can be completed before the tide fills again.

VEER

Ashore, this term always carries the idea of changing direction, but at sea veering is a little different. The term is used in four different ways on board ship: 1) Changing direction of the wind clockwise; as in: "The wind is veering into the East." 2) To lead a line around a bitt or block, thereby changing its direction for a purchase. 3) To indicate that the relative wind is changing direction toward the stern, as in "Ease the sheets; the wind is starting to veer." 4) To let out rope. "You can veer out about 20 feet of the dinghy painter so it will tow better."