Berthed too close in Marina pen

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Alan Mighty

Check your Merriam-Webster's Dictionary. You'll find:

--
pen

5 a: a berthing area for small ships or boats, formed by enclosing piers or jetties

b: a dock or slip for reconditioning submarines that is protected against aerial bombs by a superstructure of thick concrete.

--
Usage of 5b in US English dates to at least 1932 (perhaps earlier). Usage of the sense of 5b in UK English may date even earlier.

Usage of 5a in US English is not well documented by Merriam-Webster, but M-W moved to include it (and M-W has a record of doing so only because of usage in the US).

The OED ignores the usage of 5a (that's not unusual; OED has a record of paying little attention to sailing terms).

Google Books shows published use of 5a in UK English dating back to 1924 and recent use of 'yacht pens' and the like in UK English since the 1970s.

In conclusion:

Merriam-Webster's inclusion of usage 5a suggests that using 'pen' for a 'wet berth' is not unknown in US English. Usage 5b, 'submarine pen', is recorded in both US and UK English.

Google Books suggests that 'pen' for a small boat is more common in UK English than US English.

You are free to choose your words! No regulations or laws.

Apart from 'berth' you can:

* use a pastoral term (penning your boat in the same way you'd pen sheep or goats; 'pen' can be traced to Old English in 957, but identifying its ancestry beyond that is likely difficult); or

* use a docking term ('slip' dates from late Middle English of 1467, meaning a stone ramp built to provide a landing place for passengers and goods; the etymology of 'slip' is clear, with ancestors in proto-Germanic and ultimately proto-Indo-European).

Al

I no longer have a Merriam-Webster's Dictionary. It seemed easier just to ask but I didn't expect to stir up so much trouble. In my part of the world, the word used is "slip" as in "I'm calling to reserve a slip for the night."

Around here, "pen" is something we write with or a place to keep hogs (pigs).

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Mirage Gecko

Did I say something to offend you?
Pen or slip describes a u shape with one or two boats between two fingers
Why would anyone think or suggest that a government should step in and pass laws on how much space should be required in a slip? Maybe you need to think a bit more if you actually mean what you stated.
I also am not a fan of over regulation (but guidelines are good) but some other examples that are effective , useful, benificial that come to mind are lane widths on roads and highways,length width and heights of commercial vehicles,footpaths,gaps between housing and guidelines for the size of shopping centre parking areas.
Why are these in place well simply to help users .

No you didn't say anything to offend me and I don't understand why you thought I was offended.

You are comparing slip (pen) widths to lanes on roads for vehicles but it's not at all the same. The government sets standards for road lane widths but it also regulates the maximum width of vehicles. You wouldn't want the government regulating the width of boats, would you?

So let's say the government passes a law stating that a slip must be at least three feet wider than the boat docked in it. You would like that, right? What this actually means to you is that if a marina did not have a slip three feet wider than your boat, it could not rent you a slip and you would be forced to go elsewhere. Still pleased?

There are things governments are supposed to do; defend the country, protect against crime, regulate food safety, provide education, etc. There are other things best left to free enterprise. Slip width is one of these.