motorboating son of a gun

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Wedding Crashers 2005

Jeremy Grey: You motor-boating son of a b*tch, you old sailor you!

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You Motorboating Son of a Bitch

About Wedding Crashers

Released in 2005
Directed by David Dobkin
Produced by New Line Cinema

Wedding Crashers Scenes

You Shut Your Mouth
Just the Tip
Wedding Montage
Hell of a Season
I'm a Cocksman
Death You Are My Bitch Lover
Jeremy Seduces Gloria
Claire's Toast
Stage 5 Virgin Clinger
That Was My First Asian
No More Bodily Fluids
Crab Cakes and Football
I'd Find You
I Don't Even Wear a Belt
Sea Otter Story
Holy Shirts and Pants
Those are Lovely Tits
Mom Make You Feel Her Tits?
Grandma's Kind of Mean
You Do the Math
Todd and Jeremy in Bed
Midnight Rape or the Gay Art Show
Starboard's This Way
Let's Go Kill Some Birds
Jeremy Gets Shot
I Hope You Flip Your Bike
Randolph and Sack
The Beach Scene
Engagement Announcement
I Wasn't A Virgin
Jeremy and the Priest
John Loves Claire
Good News Travels Fast
That Painting Was a Gift
John's Plan
Sack Fights John
Rule Number 5 - You're an Idiot
Jeremy and Gloria Get Engaged
Claire Bear
Light Reading
Ma, Meatloaf
Funeral Scene
Preview of Marriage to Ike Turner
Final Scene

Characters in This Scene

Jeremy Grey

John Beckwith

Grandma Mary Cleary

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The spectacular naval origin of the phrase, ‘son of a gun’

By Blake Stilwell

Updated on Jun 15, 2023 8:17 AM PDT

3 minute read

These days, Americans are less likely to exclaim “ son of a gun ” than the more-explicit “ son of a b*tch, ” but there was a time when “son of a gun” itself was not used in mixed company — and that time was more than 200 years after the age of sail.

It seems the Royal Navy , while not keen on having women aboard its ships, sometimes overlooked the practice. Different times throughout its history saw sailors of the Royal Navy either bring either their wives or lovers aboard ships that might be out at sea for a while. While it wasn’t officially tolerated, there are instances of a ship’s company turning a blind eye to it.

Everyone aboard a ship was counted in the ship’s log back in those days. The log was a detailed account of who was working, who came aboard, who left, who died, etc. It also kept track of who was born aboard one of the King or Queen’s ships. It was uncommon, but it did happen. Women had to get around the world just like anyone else. The Royal Navy kept this count, just like any other ship.

But say there was one of the aforementioned female guests aboard a ship. If that woman just happened to give birth aboard ship, that child would have to be kept in the log. If a child was born with uncertain paternity — that is to say, there were too many possibilities as to who the father could be — the newborn still had to be counted in the log.

If this was the case, the child’s name was recorded as the “son of a gun” — the son of a seaman below decks. Eventually, the common use of the phrase began to refer to any child born aboard a ship, even those of officers accompanied by their wives. Then, it began to refer to any child of a military man , not just the bastard children of sailors.

Some 200-plus years later, it’s used to lovingly refer to a mischievous person or as an expression of awe or esteem. To use an expletive or insult in the same vein, we’ve moved on as a society. Who knows where language will go next?

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Etymology of Son of a Gun

The disputed etymology of 'son of a gun.', barbara mikkelson, published sept. 6, 2002.

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The faintly derogative epithet "son of a gun" has been documented as part of the lexicon of the English language since 1708, but no one can really lay claim to knowing how it began or what the phrase originally signified. Numerous interesting backstories have emerged in the centuries since, and it's possible one might even be the right one, but we no longer have any way of knowing. We can, however, dismiss some of the more fanciful "explanations" that have come along:

The phrase "son of a gun" originated on ships in the early 18th century, when women were allowed to accompany their husbands or new boyfriends on long sea voyages. During such voyages, mothers gave birth to their children behind a canvas curtain near the midship gun. If the paternity of the newborn was in doubt — and often it was, as many of the women were prostitutes — the child was facetiously registered in the log as the "son of a gun."
When in port, and with the crew restricted to the ship, women were allowed to live aboard. Sometimes children would be born on the ship, and a convenient place for giving birth was between the guns on the gun deck.
Life on board a British man-of-war was hard for the wife of a sailor: she shared her husband's hammock and his daily ration of salted beef, dried peas, hardtack, and cheese while staying out of the way of daily activities. One of the most difficult inevitable consequences of wives following their husbands to sea was childbirth. The term "son of a gun" resulted from the firing of a ship's guns to hasten a difficult birth.
In the instance of a difficult birth (on land this time), the assistance of nearby military bases would be solicited. They'd be persuaded to fire one or more of their cannons, the noise of which would startle the distressed woman sufficiently to induce labor.

Yes, some officers on some voyages were permitted to bring along wives, but this happened infrequently at best, making the presence of non-passenger females (pregnant or otherwise) aboard sailing ships unusual. The vast majority of such voyages had nary a female aboard, thus the notion that a popular phrase sprang from the common occurrence of women's so overrunning vessels that they were routinely whelping on the high seas is seriously flawed. (Larger naval vessels often included a berthing deck which was distinct from the gun deck. This is where the crew on such ships would sleep, not amidst the guns on the gun deck.)

Second, we should look askance at the claim that when in port, and with the crew restricted to the ship, women typically gave birth aboard ship. Crews were usually restricted to ship only in hostile ports, which we can fairly assume their home berths were not. And even when shore leave was denied because the captain was intent upon being underway quickly and feared losing some of his crew (either to desertion or drunkenness) if they were let off the ship, the wives were under no such restrictions. Not being necessary to the running of the ship, nothing would have prevented expectant lasses from returning to their homes to give birth. Their husbands not only wouldn't accompany this hypothetical exodus, they wouldn't have wanted to even if they could. In the era of sailing ships, the role of the father during the birth process was not what it is now — dads of modern times may make it their business to be in the delivery room cheering matters on, but papas of more distant ages made certain to be elsewhere, and the farther away the better. Bringing babies into the world was considered wholly the province of women (doctors were summoned only if matters had taken a decidedly bad turn, and even then only rarely), and men were present at such events only when it could not otherwise be avoided. Men certainly did not voluntarily insert themselves into the proceedings, nor would their presence have been welcomed by the women straining to bring children into the world, the midwives attending them, and the array of female relatives that inevitably gathered by the bedside.

Third, although a certain convoluted train of logic might tie the firing of large guns to hastening a difficult birth (e.g., inspiration by example, a cornerstone of sympathetic magic), there's no reason to believe anyone living in those times even tried this, let alone that the practice was so widespread that the firing of guns to ease childbirth begat a distinct phrase. Histories of life in the 1700s and 1800s are thunderous in their silence about this practice, and it can safely be assumed that quiet reflects a stunning truth about the matter — that whatever tales we're now telling ourselves, cannonfire wasn't being used to hasten babies into the world.

Granted, gunfire had been employed in distant times to fend off disease (it never worked), so there is some historical basis for a tie between the discharge of firearms and medical emergencies. During the 1793 yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia, many took to firing muskets both in the street and indoors under the mistaken assumption that introducing the acrid fumes of burnt gunpowder into the air would kill off the mysterious illness daily making away with hundreds of citizens. Such practice was even recommended by the city's government, so this wasn't even a case of a few badly-educated members of the populace seizing upon a fanciful notion; at the time it appeared to have the backing of the scientific community. However, it was the fumes of the spent gunpowder, not the report of the guns, that was supposed to effect the cure.

In the realm of superstition, sudden noise is espoused as a way to drive away evil (we toll wedding bells for this purpose, and the New Year's Eve hullabaloo springs from that same wellspring of belief), but there is only one reported tie in that area of study between abrupt racket and the induction of labor, and it involves the ringing of church bells. Rather, the canon of superstition advises the loosening and opening of items to assist during a difficult childbirth: windows are to be flung open, doors unlocked, and shoelaces undone to help the impending mother in her travails. Nothing in superstition, however, advises frightening women into giving birth, much less introducing roaring cannons into the procedure.

Another explanation for "son of a gun" ties the phrase to the reason for shotgun weddings — the child of such unions was deemed a "son of the gun." That might seem a more reasonable origin, but that meaning did not appear in connection to the term until 1922.

A more believable postulation for the origin of the term shifts the focus onto the occupation of the father and away from the location of the whelping (which fanciful lore would have us believe was on a deck between two guns, rather than in a cot in an officer's cabin or in a screened-off corner of the sick bay). In that explanation, "gun" refers to "soldier" (equating arms with the man, as it were), making any soldier's or sailor's male child — conceived in wedlock or not — a "son of a gun." Alliteration (repetition of sounds) and well-cadenced rhymes were just as well-loved centuries ago as they are now, thus our forefathers would have delighted in "son of a gun's" inherent ear appeal in the same way we were slyly pleased by "the Thrilla in Manila" and "in like Flynn."

Hole, Christina. The Encyclopedia of Superstitions. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1996. ISBN 0-76070-228-4. (pp. 51-52).

Opie, Iona and Moira Tatum. A Dictionary of Superstitions. Oxford University Press; Oxford, 1992. ISBN 0-19-282916-5 (p. 27-28).

Powell, J.H. Bring Out Your Dead. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1949 (p. 75).

The Compact Oxford English Dictionary . Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993. ISBN 0-19-861258-3.

By Barbara Mikkelson

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Son of a gun

What's the meaning of the phrase 'Son of a gun'?

A ‘son of a gun’ is a rogue or scamp – “you are naughty, you old son of a gun”. The phrase is also used, although this is uncommon outside the USA, as a euphemism for ‘ son of a bitch ‘.

Some say that the origin is ‘son of a military man’ but, whether this is the correct origin or not, the phrase is no longer used to convey that meaning.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Son of a gun'?

There is dispute amongst etymologists about the origin of this phrase. As always, disputes only occur where there is no definitive evidence so I’ll put the sources here and let you decide for yourself. The two points of view are primarily these:

1. The phrase originated as ‘son of a military man’ (that is, a gun) .

The most commonly repeated version in this strand is that the British Navy used to allow women to live on naval ships. Any child born on board who had uncertain paternity would be listed in the ship’s log as ‘son of a gun’. This is attestable fact as, although the Royal navy had rules against it, they did turn a blind eye to women (wives or prostitutes) joining sailors on voyages, so this version has plausibility on its side.

The sources for the point of view that ‘son of a gun’ is ‘son of a military man’ are:

– Jon Badcock’s, Slang: A Dictionary of the Turf , 1823:

[ son of a gun means ] ‘a soldier’s bastard’.

– The Sailor’s Word-Book: an alphabetical digest of nautical terms , William Henry Smyth, 1867:

[ a son of a gun is ] “An epithet conveying contempt in a slight degree, and originally applied to boys born afloat, when women were permitted to accompany their husbands at sea; one admiral declared he literally was thus cradled, under the breast of a gun-carriage”.

The first known printed example of ‘son of a gun’ in print is The British Apollo No. 43 , 1708:

“You’r a Son of a Gun”.

That source doesn’t mention the military and all the explanations that link ‘son of a gun’ to the military come 150 years or more later. However, Smyth was himself a Royal Navy admiral and in a better position than most to know what went on aboard naval ships. Whether or not the military/naval version is the origin it is clear that, in 1823 at least, the term was used with that meaning.

Counter to that you might think it unusual that military men didn’t appear to have daughters, or you may just put that down to the prevailing sexism of the time. There are several phrases including the word son:

Every mother’s son Go on my son Like father, like son My son the doctor Number one son On me ‘ead, son

whereas it’s difficult to think of anything other than ‘don’t put your daughter on the stage’ for daughters.

2. The term is euphemistic and derived as a conveniently rhyming alternative to ‘son of a bitch/whore’.

‘ Son of a bitch ‘ has been part of the language for centuries, certainly long enough for people to some up with a euphemistic variant for it. Shakespeare used something like it in King Lear , 1605:

“One that art nothing but the composition of a Knave, Begger, Coward, Pandar, and the Sonne and Heire of a Mungrill Bitch.”

The military version has some circumstantial evidence to support it, the rhyming euphemism origin appears to be no more than conjecture.

The history of “Son of a gun” in printed materials

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Stumpt Plays - Stranded Deep - Finale - Motor Boatin' Son of a Gun

Posted: May 11, 2024 | Last updated: May 11, 2024

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Home > Son of a Gun Ending Explained

Son of a Gun Ending Explained
UPDATED: September 19, 2023

Son of a Gun is a thrilling crime drama film that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Directed by Julius Avery, the movie stars Ewan McGregor as Brendan Lynch, a notorious criminal who takes a young inmate named JR (Brenton Thwaites) under his wing. As the story unfolds, audiences are left with many questions about the film’s ending. In this article, we will delve into the Son of a Gun ending and attempt to provide some clarity.

The film centers around a complex heist plot involving gold mining and prison escapes. Throughout the movie, we witness the growth of the relationship between Brendan and JR, as they navigate through dangerous situations together. However, as the climax approaches, tensions rise, and loyalties are tested.

In the final act of Son of a Gun, Brendan and JR successfully execute their plan to steal gold from a mine. They manage to escape with their lives and make it to an awaiting helicopter. At this point, it seems like they have triumphed against all odds.

However, just when it appears that everything is going according to plan, a twist occurs. It is revealed that Brendan has been playing JR all along. He betrays him by leaving him stranded in the middle of nowhere with no means of escape.

This shocking turn of events leaves viewers stunned and questioning Brendan’s motives. Why would he turn against someone he had taken under his wing? Was their friendship merely a ploy for his own benefit?

One possible explanation for Brendan’s actions could be his desire for self-preservation. Throughout the film, it is clear that he is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure his own survival. By leaving JR behind, he eliminates any potential threats or loose ends that could jeopardize his freedom.

Another interpretation could be that Brendan saw something in JR that reminded him too much of himself – someone who was willing to do anything for personal gain. By betraying JR, Brendan may have been trying to teach him a lesson about the harsh realities of the criminal world.

The ending of Son of a Gun is intentionally ambiguous, leaving room for individual interpretation. It raises questions about loyalty, trust, and the lengths people are willing to go to protect themselves. It also serves as a reminder that in the criminal underworld, no one can be trusted completely.

In conclusion, the ending of Son of a Gun leaves audiences with mixed emotions. While it may be disappointing to see Brendan betray JR after their seemingly strong bond, it also serves as a powerful reminder of the harsh realities of the criminal world. The film’s ambiguous ending allows viewers to draw their own conclusions about the characters’ motivations and serves as a thought-provoking conclusion to an intense crime drama.

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You would have to scour the seven seas to find a more versatile drink, so go ahead - ignite the spark for libations.

It is said that as shrapnel tore through the ocean, the guns that fired it induced timely labour. Sailors born this way would forever be known as a 'SON OF A GUN'. Deep and complex, this spirit is hand crafted in small batch stills at Chatham Dockyard and remains today an irreverent spirit.

Express oils from orange peel and coat rim of glass. Leave peel in the glass. Add sugar cube and soak in bitters. Add 3 cubes of ice and Son of a Gun, Stir again briefly.

20cl £14.50

50cl £32.00, tasting notes.

A soft, medium bodied clean spirit, with floral notes and tropical fruits with vanilla honey oats finish.

WHAT'S INSIDE

With a specially selected blend of our holy trinity of grains mixed with our Kentish water before being distilled carefully through our traditional pot still.

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Son of a Gun

Country	Australia
Directed by	Julius Avery
Release Date	2014
Studio	Altitude Film Entertainment Bridle Path Films
Distributor	Entertainment One Films A24 (USA)


Character	Actor
JR
Brendon Lynch
Tasha
Sam Lennox	Jacek Koman
Sterlo
Josh
Chris	Nash Edgerton
Wilson

Son of a Gun is a 2014 crime thriller written and directed by Julius Avery ( Overlord ). Brenton Thwaites stars as JR, a young criminal who falls under the sway of notorious armed robber Brendon Lynch ( Ewan McGregor ) while serving a short stint in prison. JR later breaks Lynch out of prison, and joins him for a gold heist orchestrated by crime lord Sam (Jacek Koman). As JR becomes more involved with Lynch's gang, he becomes torn between his loyalty to Lynch and his attraction to Sam's girlfriend Tasha ( Alicia Vikander ).

The following weapons were used in the film Son of a Gun :

1.1 Tanfoglio Stock III
1.2 Beretta 92FS Inox
1.3.1 Glock 17 (Full Auto Conversion)
2.1 Heckler & Koch MP5K
3.1 Remington 870
3.2 Remington 870 Folding Stock
3.3 Remington 870 (Sawn-Off)
3.4 Ithaca Model 37 "Stakeout"
4.1 M4A1 Carbine
4.2 F-88A1C Austeyr
4.4 AIMR 5.45
4.5 Accuracy International Arctic Warfare Magnum
4.6 Remington 700
5.1 M60 Machine Gun

Tanfoglio Stock III

JR ( Brenton Thwaites ) finds a Tanfoglio Stock III pistol in Lynch's suitcase. The pistol is later extensively used by Lynch and JR throughout the film.

Beretta 92FS Inox

The Beretta 92FS Inox is used by Sam Lennox (Jacek Koman). A henchman also uses a Beretta when confronting Lynch.

Glock 17 pistols are used by Western Australia Police officers and security guards.

Glock 17 (Full Auto Conversion)

A Russian mobster uses a Glock 17 converted to full automatic with an extended magazine during a shootout.

Submachine Guns

Heckler & koch mp5k.

JR acquires a Heckler & Koch MP5K from Wilson ( Damon Herriman ) which he uses to hijack a helicopter to free Lynch from prison.

Remington 870

Prison guards use Remington 870 shotguns while atttempting to prevent Lynch's prison break. WA police officers also use Remington 870s with target sights during the gold heist.

Remington 870 Folding Stock

Police officers confronting Lynch and JR at the gold mine wield Remington 870s with rifle sights and SureFire forends.

Remington 870 (Sawn-Off)

Sterlo ( Matt Nable ) uses a Remington 870 with a sawn-off barrel and stock during the gold mine heist.

Ithaca Model 37 "Stakeout"

Josh ( Tom Budge ) uses a Ithaca 37 "Stakeout" shotgun during the gold mine heist.

M4A1 Carbine

JR acquires a M4A1 Carbine with a number of accessories including an ACOG sight, foregrip and Ace SOCOM stock from Wilson. JR and Lynch use the M4A1 throughout the film, most notably during the gold heist. Tactical Response Group (TRG) officers from the Western Australia Police also use M4A1s.

F-88A1C Austeyr

Wilson uses a F-88A1C Austeyr carbine while testing weaponry with JR.

AKM rifles are seen in Wilson's armory.

Romanian AIMR carbines can be seen among the AKM rifles.

Accuracy International Arctic Warfare Magnum

An Accuracy International Arctic Warfare Magnum rifle can be seen in Wilson's arsenal.

Remington 700

TRG snipers use what appear to be Remington 700 rifles while conducting a raid.

Machine Guns

M60 machine gun.

Wilson provides JR with a M60 machine gun with a MK 43 -style handguard and an ELCAN sight.

Wilson brandishes a RPG-7 launcher while selling weapons to JR.

Australian Produced/Filmed

Like it or not, guns often onboard yachts

By Dorie Cox

The recent arrest of a yacht owner with an unpermitted gun in New York prompted questions about firearms in yachting. We presented the topic to captains at our From the Bridge lunch, a changing group of captains gathered by The Triton once a month, and we started the conversation with, “Who has guns onboard?”

The answers ranged from “everybody”, “we used to” and “never have” to “depends where we go”.

“People don’t talk about it because a lot of captains have guns that are ‘onboard’ but, they’re ‘not onboard’, if you know what I mean,” a captain said.

Individual comments from the lunch are not attributed to any particular person in order to encourage frank and open discussion. The attending captains are identified in an accompanying photograph.

Attendees of The Triton’s September From the Bridge luncheon were, from left, Capt. Larry Hastings of M/Y Buck Passer, Capt. Bob Moulton of M/Y Comanche, Capt. Parker Stockdale of M/Y Anodyne, Capt. Greg Clark of M/Y D’Natalin IV, Capt. Rusty Allen of M/Y Natita and Capt. Paul Stengel. PHOTO/DORIE COX

The topic of guns on yachts is not often discussed publicly, but every captain had a story, whether his or a colleague’s. And the captains said the topic is complex due to many variables: different owners, travel destinations, types of yachts and number of crew.

One captain said a big challenge of weapons onboard is that it is an inherent part of yachting and travel.

“Each state and each country has its own laws,” he said. “We have to deal with this on a daily basis. It is just a chore.”

There are different opinions as to how captains handle whether to have guns, who can use them, how to train crew and how to adhere to diverse laws.

“I’ve carried guns onboard boats, officially and unofficially,” a captain said. “There are times when you need to have a gun onboard.”

“I have guns and no one knows,” another captain said.

“I would never tell just everybody,” a third captain said. “But I would tell some crew, the engineer and mate, ‘Here it is if you need it’.”

“It’s been this dirty little secret,” a fourth captain said. “Everything we do is regulated and regimented and we’re thought to be procedure-driven people. But there has not been enough of a collective effort to address this issue.”

The captains also talked about the strict laws in several places such as Mexico, France and New York.

“It’s hard,” one captain said. “If you have a gun in Mexico, you end up in a Mexican jail.”

“We don’t want to do anything wrong but at the same time having a firearm onboard does make sense to me,” another captain said. “So, consequently, you are putting law-abiding captains, crew or owners in a situation that is very awkward. People are driven to do the wrong thing.”

“It’s just a zoo,” the first captain said. “It’s a shame we don’t have a structural policy for every country in the treaty to say we’re going to have guns and have training, like STCW.”

“There is serious lack of continuity — in white-list countries, at least — that there is a rule for everything else we do in class and flag,” another captain said. “Why is this a gray area in yachts?”

Caretaking guns onboard

There is a lot more to having guns than just buying one and having it onboard, a captain said.

‘When a gun is out, it gets fired,” he said. “And at the other end, somebody is dead. That’s the purpose of the weapon; it isn’t to scare anybody. If you have taken the gun out of the holster, you need to be mentally prepared not only to fire, but to kill.”

Most of the group has had firearms training. One captain explained how an instructor shared photographs of people who had been shot and killed. He wanted the class to see what they are capable of doing when using a gun.

“Some of the really gruesome photos had people retching,” the captain said. “But it shows that using firearms requires extensive training.”

Several captains have taken their crew to gun ranges for practice to safely and properly use the weapons. Some take all of the crew and some just take officers. But they agreed firearms are not for every crew member.

“Some people won’t be able to pull the trigger,” a captain said. “You don’t want to just give a gun to anybody.”

And that’s not what this industry is about, another captain said.

“People don’t get involved in yachting because they want to be armed and brandish a firearm,” he said. “Not only do you need to be prepared to shoot people, you have to be prepared to be shot at.

“If you visibly show a firearm, you could be shot at, and we’re not trained for that,” this captain said. “We’re not mercenaries. We’re not trained to be soldiers. We’re yacht crew.”

One of the captains who does have guns onboard said his safety meetings and security drills take two days.

“Even a flare gun is a firearm,” he said. “It has characteristics like a gun and fires a projectile. It’s a firearm. And we don’t get enough practice with those.”

A captain said flare guns are on every vessel and can be dangerous if crew don’t know how to use them, but even that training is not easy to accommodate.

“You can’t just go shooting flares; you have to coordinate with the coast guard,” he said. “You can take them to a firing range. You can’t shoot up, but you can shoot straight out and crew can get an idea what it’s like.”

Clearing customs

Traveling with a gun onboard a yacht requires captains to decide how they will handle compliance with laws and regulations that vary by state and country. One captain illustrated with his story of clearing customs in Canada years ago.

“I declared a shotgun and it was a big deal; it was very serious,” he said. “Officials tagged it and allowed us through, but then they searched the entire boat. It was a four- or five-hour deal. They tell you that when you clear out, if that tag is removed, you go to jail.”

Some countries remove weapons and hold them in custody until the yacht leaves the country. One captain has learned how to navigate that system with the many guns that belong to the boat.

“So many, in fact, that I keep copies of all the serial numbers, how many rounds of ammunition and use it as a handout when we travel, like in the Bahamas,” he said. “Several times they made me seal the gun locker and they check it when we leave.”

One of the captains said he had declared his weapons in the Bahamas and was glad they had counted his ammunition.

“There was a shooting in town that matched the bullets I declared,” he said. “They came to count my bullets to make sure it wasn’t from my boat.”

When authorities require a yacht to turn in weapons, that affects the yacht’s travel plans.

“If you have to turn them in, then you have to leave by the same port, which we usually don’t do,” a captain said.

Sometimes it is easier to get rid of a gun when entering a new port, according to several captains. They told of instances where they have tossed their guns overboard instead of declaring them to authorities. One yacht owner kept a cheap Sears shotgun onboard, a captain said.

“He said, ‘If we’re pulling in, then we’ll throw it over’,” the captain said. “Then next trip, he comes down the dock with another one. He figured that’s a cheaper way to do it than dealing with fines or going to jail.”

“People either lie that they don’t have them or they declare them, either way it’s such a hassle,” another captain said.

When guns are onboard, they need a safe place to be stored. Several captains said they use a gun safe or locker and most are hidden or at least not visible to guests.

“It also has to have a method to seal it,” a captain said. “A lot of countries require you be able to seal it according to their requirements.”

Such diverse laws add a layer of complexity to a trip and several captains said they usually secure help.

“A good agent is important, they are good with how to keep up, how to know current laws,” a captain said.

“Our DPA [designated person ashore] has a complete setup to brief us, and our security company keeps us informed,” another captain said. “Plus you can go online with the State Department for details.”

Even when guns are onboard for reasons other than security, there are issues. A captain illustrated with a story of an owner who wanted to fish.

“The owner comes out of the salon with shotgun and I said, ‘What are you doing?’ ” the captain said. The owner explained he would shoot large fish when they were reeled in.

“So we’re drifting, the wife is falling asleep, he starts to fall asleep and I’m watching,” the captain said. “All of a sudden there’s an explosion.”

The owner had fallen asleep and accidentally pulled the trigger on the shotgun.

“He blew a hole right through the transom,” the captain said.

Another captain worked on a yacht with a skeet shooter, a recreational shotgun to shoot clay targets. The guests and crew would practice off the stern when out at sea.

“One day, a nearby sailor thought we were shooting at him,” he said. “The coast guard came to check us and followed me all the way back to port.”

One captain who chooses not to have guns onboard said increased communication, tracking, security companies and other technologies preclude the need to carry guns onboard.

“Today there is no more advantage to have them,” he said. “If you have an armed aggressor onboard, why escalate the situation?”

The captain said the idea is to get through a situation without anyone getting hurt.

“In my opinion, de-escalating is the way to do that, keeping the aggressor as calm as possible,” he said. “It sounds like a passifict’s attitude. I would feel like blowing their heads off, but that’s not a way to save crew.”

Most every captain nodded and said that guns or not, they have set up their crew with non-lethal options.

“Piracy drills are the norm these days,” a captain said. “We teach everyone how to use Mag lites, how to be aware, what to look for, and we carry pepper spray and stun guns onboard.”

“Our policy is to present overwhelming force, all crew with all the lights and stun guns,” another captain said. “Everyone always has their radio on and all the guys muster with lights.”

But training is still most important, they all said.

“Awareness is your first line of defense,” a captain said. “If you teach crew to recognize the threat long before it becomes a threat, you don’t need that weapon.”

All of the group agreed.

Put that in writing

To break down the details of regulations, several captains clarified that firearms are regulated in several ways, such as in yacht charter and crew contracts.

“It is in the MYBA contract; it states no contraband at all,” a captain said. “You have authority as captain to terminate a charter and put the people ashore if they bring guns. They forfeit the charter.”

Despite rules against guests bringing firearms on a charter, half of the captains at the table have had that scenario happen to them, but they have secured the weapons or had them removed.

“We had people bring guns, but the charter was not cancelled because of the way we handled it.”

Weapons are also addressed in crew contracts.

“It says no guns, weapons, knives, clubs and things like that,” a captain said. “I may let someone have something like that, but I want to know about it.”

One captain said he had a crew member that came onboard with a big sword he bought in Singapore.

“Did you ever think I might not allow that onboard,” the captain asked the crew member. The crew member had not considered the crew contract. The captain made the choice to wrap up, tape and lock away the weapon until it could be removed.

Some firearms are the captain’s personal guns, some stay on the yacht and some belong to the owner.

“I used to carry weapons because as a U.S. citizen, it’s common sense and prudent when traveling internationally and on the high seas,” a captain said. “But onboard in the past, they were not my own.”

“We don’t have guns now, but when we have, they are always the owner’s,” another captain said.

And then there is the issue of whether the guns are legal, as in the case of the yacht owner jailed in New York.

“I have to make sure they are all permitted,” a captain said.

But there are still gray areas in reference to each yacht’s specific operating procedures. Some captains clearly define the yacht’s rules and others do not.

“I have a policy that designates who’s able to use the firearm, that they’ve gone through some kind of training we have mandated, and it designates where they are,” a captain said. “Only certain people have access to that cabinet, and no guests are allowed to bring weapons.”

Yet, that isn’t so simple either.

“I don’t have a written policy because I don’t want to contradict myself,” another captain said. “Hey, you guys aren’t allowed to do this, but there’s an AR-15 in my room.”

Another captain said he does not have a written policy because most of his security problems don’t warrant a gun.

“We’ve had intruders come onboard in different places,” he said. “Usually they’re drunks with liquid courage. They want to be on the back deck and take pictures.

“I just ask, ‘Can I have your address? I want to come look in your window’,” he said. “People don’t think of a yacht as a person’s home.”

All of the captains agreed that having, managing and regulating firearms onboard comes with a lot of variables.

“I love my country, but we’re probably the worst for miscommunication in the industry,” an American captain said. “Customs does one thing in Miami and another in Maine. It’s always something different.”

One captain said he would like to see, “captains take time to write a letter and try to rectify this weapon situation”.

“Maybe it would just stay the way it is,” he said. “But someone ought to be smart enough to have a situational plan and say this is how we should do it. I don’t have an answer, but it needs to be controlled.”

“And if we do, we create policy and make it uniform.” Dorie Cox is editor of The Triton. Comments on this story are welcome at [email protected] . Captains who make their living running someone else’s yacht are welcome to join in the conversation. Email us for an invitation to our monthly From the Bridge lunch.

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About Dorie Cox

Dorie Cox is a writer with Triton News.

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