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Old 20th May 2021, 08:56 PM   #30
Jim McDougall
Arms Historian
 
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
Posts: 9,758
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick View Post
The Cathead is a beam that projects from the bow area where the stock of the anchor is secured when underway. The anchor is brought to the cathead and secured then the fluke end is 'fished' to secure that part of the anchor against the bows.
Without the cathead dropping and raising the anchor becomes problematic.
What better thing to carve on the end of the cathead than a cat's head!

Thank you Rick!
There is really a fascinating jargon here, and sets the mind to wonder how the etymology came about.
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