Lore of Yore: Weather & Ships

While researching what to call a small ship in the 1820s in western Scotland, I came across a series of interesting terms.

So here’s a quiz. The terms dinghy, currach (or curragh), and coracle. Match them to the proper picture:

Well, what did you guess? I’ll put the answer after the first commenter! (hehehe)

I was also misremembering the famous weather gauge that sailors used. Was it red skies at night, sailors’ delight? Or some other rhyme that means the opposite? (Kind of like that -beer-before-liquor one…also easy to confuse)

Isn’t it sad to think that all sorts of things used to be ‘common knowledge’ that we have since lost? I grew up on the coast of California, but didn’t know a dinghy from a dory from a pram! (I <3 Wikipedia!)

And I love the sound of coracle, don’t you?

Images via Wikipedia and ArchDavis Designs

2 Comments

Peg Pinard on March 29, 2015 at 10:59 am

First one’s a dinghy, second one a coracle? and the third a currach? We have dinghies in California!

Margaret on March 30, 2015 at 1:29 pm

Ding Ding Ding! You’ve answered correctly! I think the coracles look like a fun fair ride, don’t you? And the word makes me think of barnacles… 🙂

Peg Pinard on March 29, 2015 at 10:59 am

First one’s a dinghy, second one a coracle? and the third a currach? We have dinghies in California!
- Margaret on March 30, 2015 at 1:29 pm
  
  Ding Ding Ding! You’ve answered correctly! I think the coracles look like a fun fair ride, don’t you? And the word makes me think of barnacles… 🙂