The Golden 80s

Charles Darwin's Origin of Species celebrates 150 years.

Reading Clive Cussler's novel, Arctic Drift, introduced me to words and terms unique to the author's genre. The words I noted down include the following: Coho salmon : A small Pacific salmon. Starboard is a nautical term that refers to the right side of a vessel as perceived by a person on board a vessel and facing the bow (front). The equivalent for the left-hand side is port. The starboard side of a vessel is indicated with a green navigation light at night. Fathometer is an instrument to determe the depth of water or a submerged object by means of ultrasound waves. Throttle is a valve to regulate flow of a fluid, and thus the power or speed of an engine. Anchor. For a ship, it is an object, often made out of metal, used to attach a ship to the bottom of a body of water at a specific point. Plimsoll line is the marking that shows how much of a ship is under or above water. Gangplank is a temporary footway between a ship and a dockside. A bunkhouse is a building that historica...