These stories share an historic tradition hundreds of years old. In the past, sailing ships (especially whalers) in light airs or becalmed often hove-to and lowered their longboats so that their crews could socialize, gossip, tell sea stories, or update news from the last port of call. This was called ?gamming?.
This practice is not dead yet. The big commercial carriers no longer have time for a gam at sea, but the bridge watch may sometimes chat at length on the radio telephone. Off watch in the messrooms the crews still ?shoot the bull? and tell sea stories when they weary of the...