THE YACHTING SEASON
(Examination for a Master's Certificate)
1. Can you dance a hornpipe? If so, which? (Vivâ voce.) If dancing unaccompanied by fiddle, whistle the first eight bars of College Hornpipe. Also, dance the three first figures of the hornpipe, announcing the distinctive name of each beforehand.
2. Explain the terms "Ahoy!" "Avast!" "Belay!" Whence derived? Also of "Splice my main-brace." Is "main-brace" a part of rigging, or of sailor's costume? Which? If neither, what? Is "Lubber" a term of opprobrium or of endearment? State varieties of "Lubber." Give derivations of the terms "Bum-boat woman," "Marlin' spike," "Son of a sea-cook," "Dash my lee-scuppers!" "Pipe your eye," "Tip us your grapplin' iron."
3. How many mates may a sea captain legally possess at any one time?
4. Is "sextant" the feminine of "sexton"?
5. How often do "the red magnetic pole" and "the blue pole" require repainting? At whose expense is the operation performed?
6. Are only Royal Academicians eligible as "painters" on board?
7. Is it the duty of the surgeon on board ship to attend the "heeling"?