All material on this site is © Copyright 2005
Malcolm Robinson: - joint (Hobart-based) Berri webmaster with Steve Jackson; countless mentions but see 274 for the lowdown
Malta: - where Alex was born. Pete and Alex flew out there. See 22, 24, 25, 28 June
Manacles, The: - from the Cornish Maen Eglos or Church Rocks, named because St Keverne’s church above provided a vital sailors’ landmark to avoid these infamous rocks at the entrance to Carrick Roads and Falmouth Harbour 278
Marvin: - the manically depressed robot with a “brain the size of a planet” from HHGTTG; see also HHGTTG
Mc Vities: - the best biscuits for dunking 99, 106, 108
Melville, Tommy 50, 115 and others: - Isabella asked Alex who Tommy was after seeing his name in the log. She received this (edited) answer:“Tommy was the owner of Jacqui, the boat I first set out in for Cape Horn in 1982. Great guy, rough as they come, magnificent seaman, not into bullshit of any sort and someone I really liked and trusted. He left the boat with me when we got back, so I had this lovely boat to play with for a few months as well. He died a few years ago and I didn't know, sadly, until recently. He owned a shipyard and tugboat in Brisbane. ... He'd have loved this.”
Mercator Projection: - method of portraying a map which allows a straight course to be plotted simply, but does not take into account the curvature of the Earth; 148; see also Great Circle
Mercator Spherical Projection Method: - see Ritual Biscuit Dunking, 108
Meridian: - an imaginary great circle on the surface of the Earth, passing through North and South geographic poles. All points on the same meridian have the same longitude. Meridian can also be used to describe either half of such a circle from pole to pole; 443, 444, 454
Merlin Calculator: - see Mourning, deep; 324, 483, 497, 481
Meteorites 201, 346
Michaelangelo 336
Milky Way: - explanation from Malcolm 216; 380
Milky Way (hole in the) 191, 206 (note two entries)
Minipooptillionth: - a very, very, little bit, and definitely smaller than a pooptillionth
MMSI Maritime Mobile Service Identity; used for radios with digital selective calling (DSC), as well as AIS (Automatic Identification System) transponders. It allows two vessels with radios that have this capability to exchange information about who they are and where they're going without need for voice contact . There is a unique numeric identifier for each user of AIS system; see 4th August; see also AIS
Moitessier, Bernard: - single-handed circumnavigator famous for abandoning 1969 Golden Globe Challenge, for very interesting idealistic reasons, when victory was in sight;137
MOB / Man Overboard: - and Pete’s swim, 366, 368 (two entries); 379
MOB: - advice 314
Moonbow 176
Mourning (deep) for phone 322
Mourning (very deep) for Merlin calculator 481
MSL: - Mean Sea Level; the height of the sea after averaging out changes of wind, waves and tide
Mungies / Mung beans: - beans sprouted on board if it’s warm enough; 48, 96, 206, 339, 424; see also Hydroponic Garden Allotment 96
N
Nelson (as in Admiral Lord Horatio etc) 316, 464; see also Trafalgar
Noice / noicer: - Alexisms for quite a lot of things which taste good or are going especially well. First used, I think, 218
O
Old Geezer’s Trolley: - he, and what, brings the e mail printouts in fantasy Berriland; 181
Omar Khayyam: - “Awake! For morning in the Bowl of Night” was part-quoted by Alex in response to the night sky; more of the poem can be seen on the website;189, 191
Panasonic Toughbook CF18: - Berri’s laptop computer used for sailmail, to obtain grib files etc. Has suffered quite a bashing in knockdowns. See the Preparations section (linked from Homepage) for more detailed specs of electronics and software
Panel, Solar 492, 493, 494
Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster: - invented by Zaphod Beeblebrox in HHGTTG. Unfortunately its ingredients are unavailable on this planet but its effects are described as like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick; 128; see also Dr Cooper; HHGTTG
Party Gear: - full wet weather gear; getting into, 17th January; shortcomings 44, 109, and countless others
Pastor Flagon: - well-known Australian Consultant with a religious bent, recommended by Fenwick; 208
Patagonian Cruise Net: - a radio link between boats operating in Antarctica, in the Pacific, South Atlantic and the Chilean Channels run by - it seems - any one of several boats that may be more or less central and can talk to others; 46, 100, 121, 122, 130, 407, 430
Patience, Persistence Perseverance and Titan Uranus: - further variation on Plodders Motto, see below; 208
Pelagia’s Goat: - a (non McVitie’s) digestive censor on overblown log nonsense called for occasionally by Alex; 376. From the book Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
Pelagics, The: - fleet of two expedition sailing vessels available for expedition charter to high latitude destinations in both Hemispheres; 62, 122,
Pelican Clip: - a metal clip which folds back on itself to tension ties. On its own has proved unreliable in securing the liferaft; see 137, 486
Penta Comstat: - a private HF radio communication service for yachts and pleasure craft
Pete’s Log Entries 16th January; 56, 103, 113, 122, 178, 187, 192, 202, 204, 209, 214, 337, 348, 356, 370, 379, 485,
Pete’s Equation: 111
Petrels, Black 310, 372, 423, 498
Petrels, Storm 423, 459
Phat: - semantic discussion thereof; 321, 324
Phosphorescence / Dolphins 45, 122, 201, 207, 208, 212, 238, 246, 257; 10 Aug, 319, 392, 433
Pirates - (for Belmore South) includes thoughtful observations on cloaking devices, 378, 380, 461
Plodders Motto: - “Planning, Practice, Prudence, Patience
and Perseverance. And a Pee bucket for our far too agile bladders, but that's
another story” 137; variation 489
Pneumatics: - nocturnal, and according to Pete 113
Poo: - albatross and penguins; for Lizzie, Joe and Harvey 468
Pooptillionth: - a very little bit; 337; see also Minipooptillionth, which is even smaller
Portuguese Man o’ War: - Physalia physali; also known as the Bluebottle. Not strictly speaking a jellyfish but a colony of mutually dependent individuals (polyps) supported by a float which is in itself a single individual; can give intensely painful and sometimes dangerous sting; 177, 189, 238, 242, 260, 489
Propagation: - in the logs, this refers to the radiation of signal energy and is customarily qualified by the words abysmal, ratshit or lousy
R
RANSA: - Royal Australian Navy Sailing Association; a sailing club located in Sydney, Australia.
RCYC: - Royal Cornwall Yacht Club, Falmouth; 278, 4th June
Reading / books 304
Reverse Osmosis: - a process that can remove salt from water by forcing the water through a semi-permeable membrane under high pressure; 365; see also desalinator
RFD: - Australian distributors of specialised safety equipment, including marine;136
Rhumb Line: - the line followed by a vessel sailing in a fixed direction
Rigil Kent: - major pointer in Southern Cross with Hadar 162, 381
Rig Repair, Lymington 25th and 26th July
Roaring Forties: - a region of westerly winds in south temperate latitudes. These are most developed south of 40°S; 477
Robinson, Malcolm: - joint webmaster with Steve Jackson and owner of new red boat; countless mentions but see 274 for the lowdown
Rolex: - renowned makers of timepieces and sponsors of many sporting events including Sydney-Hobart and Fastnet Races
RORC: - Royal Ocean Racing Club, located in London
RORC Seamanship Trophy 2005: - awarded to Berrimilla; 380
Rough Rough - as opposed to Rough; 146
R/V: - rendezvous
RYA: - Royal Yacht Association. A British organisation
which represents the interests of those who go boating for pleasure as well as
designing and monitoring training schemes; its membership is open to all boat
users
Rutter: - the word used by the early Dutch captains and explorers to describe their logs. In part the rutter helped them to get home, but it also seved for those who would follow and thus all such documents were highly-prized; 387, 389
All material on this site is © Copyright 2005