Pretention or culture?

[micah719]

Here in hierarchical Teutonia, titles are seen as important...for example our former defence minister Dr Googleberg plagiarising his thesis so he could have the all-important prefix (in addition to being already filthy rich and a baron); or our former patient whose wife insisted on us calling him Professor-Doctor X. It seemed a bit surreal calling him that as he strangled and spat on me while I changed his nappy at 3am, but that's German aged care for you, and dealing with dementia does have its moments.

The word yacht does have its connotations...I hate it almost as much as "marina" and "chandlery". I'll give honour where honour is due, but when faced with pretentiousness can push tongue-in-cheek to the point of inducing apoplexy in prestige-demanders. All in good fun of course....

spies like us - doctor - YouTube

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Auzzee

Hi Bash, regarding your signature in post #71 above, "Cruising is all about turning up--in boat shoes". I had a similar thought about people who wear a riggers knife permanently attached to their belt. We had one at out local who we duly dubbed Quick Draw McGraw.

I always wear a knife when cruising. I know that when the sh.. hits the fan I could end up in the water with a line around my ankle. Stuff happens. I don't think that's pretentious at all.

The captain's hat I wear selectively.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by markpierce

No, they are merely addressing the one in-charge and responsible for that boat/ship, whatever. "Skipper" is cartoonish.

Cartoonish? I'm not a captain, and as someone has pointed out, "driver" doesn't say anything.

I don't expect people to address me as "skipper," but on occasion have turned the management of my boat over to thers, saying things like "Bill here is the skipper today." We were racing and I don't know anything about racing. He WAS the skipper that day.

[tomfl]

To answer the OP's question using Captain (or its contractions) in front of one's name can be pretentious, cultural, or both.

What is most amusing to me about this thread is that for the great majority of folks if there is only one person on a boat (yacht, ship, what ever) they are the captain and are called such. If there are multiple people on a boat the one giving orders (or expected to give orders) is the captain and called such. All else being equal the owner of the boat is the captain.

When I say most folks I am talking about what lots of the posters in this thread would call landlubbers, or something similar. Right after I graduated from high school I got a job as a deck hand on one of Mike Burk's Windjammers. The crew took the boat across to Bimini and I took one of the launches to the dock to pick up the passengers. As I pulled up to the dock one of the kids taking the bow line called me captain, still remember that as the first time I was called captain. Same thing happened later on when I was single handing my Dad's boat for a month in the Bahamas after I graduated from college.

What ever a few of us posting here think about calling someone captain to the majority of folks even a guy in a row boat is the captain of the boat.

Just for the record you can call me anything you want, as long as you don't call me late for dinner.

[rtbates]

Capt 'Bob' sails a yacht not a sailboat as well...

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

Cartoonish? I'm not a captain, and as someone has pointed out, "driver" doesn't say anything.

I don't expect people to address me as "skipper," but on occasion have turned the management of my boat over to thers, saying things like "Bill here is the skipper today." We were racing and I don't know anything about racing. He WAS the skipper that day.

It is common on race boats to give crew members titles like helmsman, tactician, sail trimmer, grinder, and deck monkey. As a rule the tactician is the one calling the shots. I still have vivid memories of watching a video of Ted Turner being the skipper of his America's Cup boat blabbering on when Dennis Connor tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to a luffing jib that needed to be trimmed.

One of my favorite movies was "Ice Station Zebra". When the mysterious Mr. Jones (played by Patrick McGhoon) introduces himself to Rock Hudson, he then asks what Hudson's first name is; to which Hudson replies "my first name is Captain". Gotta love that.

[westsail374]

It used to be when one arrived in Dominica that young guys in homemade rowboats would surround your boat with cries of "hey skip!" or "what you need, skipper?". Those were the days....

[minaret]

Interesting this thread has resurfaced. I notice we have a lot of new members with "Captain" in their name. And, dammit, they all seem to be Americans.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by tomfl

To answer the OP's question using Captain (or its contractions) in front of one's name can be pretentious, cultural, or both.

What is most amusing to me about this thread is that for the great majority of folks if there is only one person on a boat (yacht, ship, what ever) they are the captain and are called such. If there are multiple people on a boat the one giving orders (or expected to give orders) is the captain and called such. All else being equal the owner of the boat is the captain.

When I say most folks I am talking about what lots of the posters in this thread would call landlubbers, or something similar. .

Landlubber - dirt-sucker?

My cousin & wife sailed his 58Camper-Nicholson twice around. In recognition of his long career as a part time boater and full time dirt sucker they hired a captain & his wife-cook. The owner is not always the captain. The captain is responsible for operation of the vessel, safety of the crew and vessel. In this case, all such decisions were the captain's call. The owner-admiral may be the VIP guest who submits the agenda and goals. In this case, Cousin would jet back to NY and have the captain deliver the boat to the next venue, expenses and maintenance paid for. "see you in 2 months". Good gig for a sailor.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by sck5

My wife absolutely refuses to call me "captain"...

Have a friend who went to school and got his ticket. At least jokingly, he wanted to be called "captain" after that. I told him "no way", and called him "Skippy" instead...it stuck...now everyone calls him that.

[SaltyMonkey]

I rarely use Capt. SaltyMonkey unless I am in a full military kit and at an award event.

[belizesailor]

I can't recall ever meeting someone who seriously insisted on being called "Captain" (or any other title) who was deserving of the title. The only ones I recall who have done this are recreational boaters with rather limited experience (despite the fact that they may technically have a piece of paper ... which they almost inevitably had to go to school to get).

I have worked under people who I called "Captain". They never had to demand to be referenced by this title. There was never any doubt that they were worthy of it -- or any hesitation on my part to use it.

Crew and guests sometimes refer to me as "Captain". I like to think it is because I have earned it.

[CCBullseye]

I knew one man whom everyone called Captain or Captain LAST_NAME. I remember one person calling him Mr. XXXX but he said to call him Captain XXX or Captain for short. No one ever dared to disagree with him, mostly out of respect, but partly out of fear. Captain taught me to sail starting when I was 10 and taught me six different classes in High School, all of my math and half my science classes. He obtained the rank of Captain in the USN after only 10 years of duty, and retired after 30 years. Something I just found out a couple of years ago of Captain was that he would drive 20 miles up the road each night of the week and park just down the road outside one student's home and the student would come out and sit in his car with the dome light on and do his homework. That student lived in a house hold which shall we say, did not value an education. I knew no other teacher who had such a bad ass reputation yet did such loving things.

[Blue Stocking]

When I first joined the fire department in 1963, it was a mix of paid and volunteer men.
Officers wore white helmets. Lieutenants solid white, captains 1 red stripe, divisional officers 2 red stripes, etc.
One volunteer captain was a highly respected commercial fishingman.
Chief gave us permission to put a red boot top with a thin stripe of anti fouling blue below it.
Called himself the Marine Division.
One of my closest friends to this day.

[Nicholson58]

My wife's nephew recently graduated form Annapolis as a doctor. The young mand looks quite sharp in his whites. About the same time My wife & I received our master's credentials and bought each other dress whites and captain's mariner's togs. Sam congratulated us but said he wouldn't salute us. Go figure.