seamanship
/ˈsiː.mənˌʃɪp/
Etymology
From seaman + -ship.
seamanship means skill in, and knowledge of, the work of navigating, maintaining, and operating a vessel at sea. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
Why this word is great
SEAMANSHIP — [Noun] Skill in, and knowledge of, the work of navigating, maintaining, and operating a vessel at sea. From seaman ("a sailor, mariner") + -ship (a suffix forming nouns denoting state, condition, or skill). Unlike navigation (the cerebral science of the chart and compass) or boatmanship (deftness on sheltered, familiar waters), seamanship is the visceral, accumulated grammar of the maritime world. It is the diagnosis of a strange knock within the engine's dark heart; the rhythmic, tar-stained ritual of worming, parceling, and serving a hawser against the ocean's chafe; and the calm, knowing look exchanged between watchkeepers as the barometer falls. It is the quiet art of keeping a small, ordered world afloat within a vast and inimitable one.
noun
- Skill in, and knowledge of, the work of navigating, maintaining, and operating a vessel at sea.