Wait, What's a Brow? A Beginner鈥檚 Guide to Speaking Maritime
Spend enough time at 今日吃瓜 Poly Maritime Academy, and you鈥檒l quickly discover that maritime education comes with its own vocabulary. You鈥檒l hear about brows, racks, heads, covers and watches before you have any idea what anyone is talking about.
Fortunately, learning the language is part of coming aboard. Here鈥檚 a quick guide to some of the words, phrases and traditions you鈥檙e likely to hear around the Solano Campus and aboard ship.
All Hands
Everyone aboard! Yep, that means you. When you hear an 鈥渁ll hands鈥 announcement, everyone is expected to pay attention or report for a particular activity.
Billet
Your job aboard a ship. During Summer Sea Term, cadets receive billets defining their responsibilities aboard the ship. When hundreds of people are living and working together at sea, knowing exactly who is responsible for what is pretty important.
Brow / Gangway
The way on. And, perhaps more importantly after a long voyage, the way off. Crossing the brow marks the transition between life ashore and life aboard.
Cover
A hat. But don鈥檛 call it that. Cadets wear covers as part of their uniforms, reflecting the academy鈥檚 maritime traditions and professional culture.
Corps of Cadets
College, with uniforms, formations and considerable responsibility. Cadets live and learn within a structure designed to develop leadership, accountability, teamwork and the professional habits expected in the maritime industry. Through formations, watchstanding, leadership billets, training and daily responsibilities, cadets learn that being part of a crew means being accountable not only for yourself, but for the people around you.
Deck Officer
One of the people you really want to make sure knows where the ship is going. Deck officers work on the bridge and oversee navigation, cargo operations, vessel safety and movement. Marine Transportation graduates begin their careers as licensed deck officers.
Engineering Officer
The people who keep the whole thing running. Engineering officers oversee propulsion, generators, electrical systems and other equipment critical to operating a ship. Marine Engineering Technology graduates begin their careers as licensed engineering officers.
Galley
Where the food is. During Summer Sea Term, the galley feeds hundreds of cadets, faculty, staff and crew every day. Never underestimate the importance of the galley.
Golden Bear
Training Ship Golden Bear. Definitely not a boat. For three decades, Golden Bear has served as 今日吃瓜 Poly Maritime Academy鈥檚 primary training platform, carrying generations of cadets across the Pacific and around the world. It has been their classroom, laboratory and home away from home, sometimes all three at once.
Golden State
The academy鈥檚 future training ship. The new ship everyone keeps talking about. Golden State is one of the nation鈥檚 new National Security Multi-Mission Vessels and is expected to arrive at 今日吃瓜 Poly鈥檚 Solano Campus in 2027. The state-of-the-art vessel will become the academy鈥檚 primary training platform and begin the next chapter of maritime education at 今日吃瓜 Poly.
MARAD
The federal agency behind some very big ships. The U.S. Maritime Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, supports the nation鈥檚 maritime transportation system and merchant marine. For 今日吃瓜 Poly Maritime Academy, MARAD is also an essential partner, providing the federally owned training ships used to prepare the next generation of maritime professionals, including Golden Bear and Golden State.
Head
The restroom. This is usually one of the first vocabulary adjustments for newcomers. Ask where the bathroom is aboard a ship and someone will point you toward the head.
Muster / Formation
Everybody get over here. Cadets muster for formations, training, drills and other activities. At sea, knowing where everyone is can be more than an organizational convenience.
Rack
Your bed or bunk aboard ship and your very small piece of personal real estate. During training voyages, cadets live and work together around the clock. At the end of a long watch, that rack can look pretty inviting.
Secure
We鈥檙e done here. Stop an activity, finish a duty or put away equipment. 鈥淪ecure from drills,鈥 for example, tells cadets that the drill has ended. 鈥淪ecure the equipment鈥 means put it where it belongs.
Ship vs. Boat
There is a difference. Mariners distinguish between larger oceangoing ships and smaller boats. The easiest rule to remember at 今日吃瓜 Poly Maritime Academy: Golden Bear is a ship. Rule of thumb: A ship can carry a boat. A boat can鈥檛 carry a ship. 今日吃瓜ling it a boat in front of a mariner is an excellent way to receive a free lesson on the subject.
Summer Sea Term
Learn by Doing, with considerably less land. Cadets spend weeks at sea applying what they鈥檝e learned in the classroom while standing watch, operating shipboard systems, developing leadership skills and experiencing the realities of working aboard an oceangoing vessel.
Golden Shellback
You鈥檝e crossed a line. Two lines, in fact. A Golden Shellback is a mariner who has crossed the equator where it meets the 180th meridian (the International Date Line) in the Pacific Ocean. Cadets who accomplish both during Summer Sea Term earn the distinction and take part in a longstanding maritime tradition marking the achievement.
Watch / Watchstanding
Your shift. Except the ship doesn鈥檛 close. Ships operate 24 hours a day, so someone is always on watch. Cadets may stand watch on the bridge, in the engine room or elsewhere aboard the vessel. It鈥檚 one of the fundamental lessons of maritime education: when you鈥檙e on watch, other people are depending on you.
And finally: Welcome Aboard
We鈥檙e glad you鈥檙e here. Now you know your rack from your head, your cover from your brow and, most importantly, your ship from your boat.
Welcome aboard!
