- Skipper (boating)
A skipper is a person who has
command of aboat orship , more or less equivalent to "captain." At sea, the skipper has absolute command over the crew. The skipper may or may not be the owner of the boat.The word is derived from the Dutch word "schipper"; "schip" is Dutch for "ship". In Dutch "sch-" is pronounced IPA| [sx] (not IPA| [ʃ] as in German), and English-speakers rendered this as [sk] .
The word "skipper" is used more than "captain" for some types of craft, for example
fishing boat s.It is also more frequently used than captain with privately-owned noncommercial vessels, such as small yachts and other recreational boats. Mostly in cases where the person in command of the boat is likely not a licensed or professional captain, suggesting the term is less formal.
In Navy/Marine Corps and merchant naval slang, it is a term used in reference to the
commanding officer of any Ship, base or command regardless of rank. It is generally only applied to someone who has earned the speaker's respect.Skipper RNR was an actual rank used in the British
Royal Naval Reserve for skippers of fishing boats who were members of the service. It was equivalent toWarrant Officer . Skippers could also be promoted to Chief Skipper RNR (equivalent toCommissioned Warrant Officer ) and SkipperLieutenant RNR.ee also
*
Captain (nautical)
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