[jhe-TEH] (v.) When one is on a sinking ship (a literal one), it behooves one to throw things overboard in an effort to buy some added buoyancy and a little time. Once sunk, a ship will often also spill its load. As all this washes ashore or ends up on the ocean floor it can be divided into flotsam and jetsam. The difference is of great interest to Marine Insurance writers who consider things that floated off (flotsam) to be a free-for-all. However, things that were thrown off purposefully—or jettisoned—are considered the boat owner's property and can be reclaimed. These are called jetsam, a word derived from the French jetter, which means to throw away.