1. “My bottom needs to be cleaned.” The hulls! We mean the bottom of the hulls! 

2. “Hollywood showers,” “Princess showers,” “Spa showers” We’ve heard it called a few different names; it refers to a shower you take on land, typically in a marina, where the water is hot, and you can leave it running because it is not the limited resource that it is on your boat. 

3. “How wide is she?” Don’t fret! We’re asking about the boat’s beam. 

4. “What do I need to know before I use your toilet?” “Can I flush…everything?” “How do I flush your toilet?” Ahhhh, the lovely world of marine heads.

5. “Did you leave her on the hard?” “Her” is the boat, “the hard” is land. Get your mind out of the gutter!

6. “I need to put some chapstick on my zipper.” Rusty zippers are always a concern; chapstick helps.

7. “Want us to bring over some ice?” Ice is often a luxury on boats, and you don’t want to deplete your host’s supply when invited over for sundowners.

8. “Do you hear that?” “What was that noise?” Cruisers tend to be very in tune with the sounds around them. The faintest beeping noise might be an important alarm, a squeak could indicate that something is loose, and if the generator starts sounding different, you better investigate! 

9. “Boat yoga” This refers to all the crazy ways we contort our bodies to fit ourselves (and our tools!) in small spaces to service equipment. 

10. “Did we close all the hatches?” A cruiser’s version of “Did I forget to close the garage door?” 

11. “Is there enough water to wash my hair today?” “Do we have enough power to use the oven?” “Is it okay if I plug this in?” Being hyper-aware of your water and power consumption is a way of life on boats. It’s common to know how many gallons of water you use to shower and how many watts your kitchen appliances take. 

12. “I forgot my shoes.” After a few too many barefoot shore excursions, we’ve resorted to storing our shoes in the dinghy.

13. “There are those who have run aground and those who lie about never running aground.” It’s happened to everyone… or has it? 

14. “Slow is pro!” When docking your boat, a slow approach is a safe approach. 

15. “You have a nice dinghy!” We all have dinghy envy sometimes…

Did we get them all? Let us know!