Reading Simon Winchester's Atlantic, I came across an etymology for the term, aloof, deriving from a-luff, the order to maintain a course with sufficient distance for safety off a lee shore. Let's unpack that. A lee shore is a danger that is downwind, a-lee, of our position. If we lose way, we are in danger of drifting down the scend-of-the-sea and striking that shore. A luff refers to the edge of a sail. Luffing is the act of de-powering a sail by stalling it, this causes the luff to tremble and the boat loses way. To keep a-luff of a lee shore then is to keep in mind that a luff could lose us a certain ground to leeward that might be enough to put us in danger. Therefore, to maintain a-luff of a lee shore is to give that danger a wide enough berth.
Aloof
Aloof
Aloof
Reading Simon Winchester's Atlantic, I came across an etymology for the term, aloof, deriving from a-luff, the order to maintain a course with sufficient distance for safety off a lee shore. Let's unpack that. A lee shore is a danger that is downwind, a-lee, of our position. If we lose way, we are in danger of drifting down the scend-of-the-sea and striking that shore. A luff refers to the edge of a sail. Luffing is the act of de-powering a sail by stalling it, this causes the luff to tremble and the boat loses way. To keep a-luff of a lee shore then is to keep in mind that a luff could lose us a certain ground to leeward that might be enough to put us in danger. Therefore, to maintain a-luff of a lee shore is to give that danger a wide enough berth.