Peter Guest Feb 7, 2019:

I found this https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/snug down
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/snug down
Also the diccionario naval de Paraninfo has snugged down: preparado para temporal.

Neil Ashby (asker) Feb 7, 2019:

Sorry, should have mentioned it earlier - it's a tugboat.

Yvonne Gallagher Feb 7, 2019:

@ Peter
I asked because I never heard "snug the boat down" before and when I looked it up, all I could see were sailboats. I worked in the Merchant Marine for 7 years and "batten down the hatches" was what was used by all. Just because there is no longer a need does not mean the idiom is not used.

Peter Guest Feb 7, 2019:

B down the H The size of the vessel is irrelevant. No vessels now have hatches that use battens. The expression derives from when hatchways were covered in gratings and, in heavy weather with white, or God help us, blue water on deck the gratings were covered and made waterproof-ish with canvas that was tautened and fixed by hammering battens into pre-prepared slots around the hatchway. All modern hatches have lever or screw fastenings. From this the expression now generally means to prepare for a bad time of any description. The common expression for preparing a vessel for heavy weather is, as in my entry, snug the boat down, which means stowing everything, lashing everything down shortening sail, where applicable, and having everything necessary to hand.
In my own case it often means cooking something and leaving it ready, closing the head seacocks and wishing I were somewhere else.

Yvonne Gallagher Feb 7, 2019:

what size boat is this? A sailing boat? A merchant ship?
"Batten down the hatches" is still used on ships. and doesn't refer just to the hatches but to securing everything that could fall/move/open or act as a missile in heavy seas. People might also add (half jokingly since it's an old expression) "Make sure it's all shipshape and Bristol fashion!"

neilmac Feb 7, 2019:

Batten down the hatches Is a favourite of mine - we landlubbers use it here when it gets really windy/stormy, to mean securing everything so that it doesn't get blown away.

Robert Carter Feb 6, 2019:

Hi Neil. From what I gather, "arranchar" means "to secure," so perhaps what it means is, if any maintenance work is being done, anything loose needs to be stowed and the vessel placed in what would be normal conditions for sailing.