This event is based on activities that crews used to have to perform on ships very frequently. A run under a minute is generally considered good, though times much lower than this have been seen in competition. Disqualification can occur when water is spilled – lash them! or if crew other than the coxswain (and sometimes the barrel hitchers) talk (count me out then). There are three runs per crew, and the crew with the fastest time wins. Time stops when all crew members are back in line and called to attention by the coxswain. It must then be lowered and the equipment “broken down” back to its original condition. A barrel hitch is tied around the drum, which is then lifted off the ground. The tripod is constructed from three spars, which are tied together by “head-lashing.” The block and tackle is suspended from the top of the tripod, which is then erected by the crew. In the event a 50-gallon drum of water is lifted 3 feet off the ground using a block and tackle and a tripod. Hoisting the scuttlebutt is an event that Sea Scouts participate in during regattas such as the Old Salts Regatta. Since sailors exchanged gossip when they gathered at the scuttlebutt for a drink of water, scuttlebutt became Navy slang for gossip or rumours. Water for immediate consumption on a sailing ship was conventionally stored in a scuttled butt: a butt (cask) which had been scuttled by making a hole in it so the water could be withdrawn. The term corresponds to the colloquial concept of a water cooler in an office setting, which at times becomes the focus of congregation and casual discussion.

Scuttlebutt in slang usage means rumour or gossip, deriving from the nautical term for the cask used to serve water (or, later, a water fountain). So, I leapt onto my trusty mouse and galloped across to scuttlebutt-land. When a television program, like a soap-opera or series, is talked about among many people (mostly related to guessing what will happen in the next episode) it can be said that the program has a water cooler effect. It is a synonym for gathering and connecting people in a certain environment (e.g. A run under a minute is generally considered good, though times much lower than this have been seen in competition.Trying to untangle the meaning of the water cooler effect, I came across this little gem on Wiki: ‘A water cooler effect is a phenomenon, occurring when employees at a workplace gather around the office water cooler and chat. Disqualification can occur when water is spilled or if crew other than the coxswain (and sometimes the barrel hitchers) talk. It must then be lowered and the equipment 'broken down' back to its original condition. The tripod is constructed from three spars, which are tied together by 'head-lashing.' The block and tackle is suspended from the top of the tripod, which is then erected by the crew.

Scuttlebutt synonyms