Flotsam, jetsam & clay pots?

Those of us who regularly walk Bay of Fundy beaches never quite know what kind of flotsam & jetsam we’re going to discover. On Fundy beaches due to the constant erosion of our tides treasures can also appear out of the sand!

The words flotsam and jetsam describe specific kinds of debris in the ocean. Historically the words had specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences, but in modern usage they came to mean any kind of marine debris.

There is a difference between the two: jetsam has been voluntarily cast into the sea (jettisoned) by the crew of a ship, usually in order to lighten it in an emergency; while flotsam describes goods that are floating on the water without having been thrown in deliberately, often after a shipwreck.

I’m not sure who, then, is the rightful owner of these two chunks of historic clay pot that appeared on my daily beach yesterday…I think I’ll just donate them to the local museum!!