merry chase? bounding main?

[Punchinello]

"The charismatic character leading the merry chase over the bounding main is, of course, Captain Jack Sparrow, played for a fourth time by Johnny Depp. "

What do "merry chase" and "bounding main" here mean? Thank you very much!

[konungursvia]

They are from a sailor's song. Merry chase means happy travel or happy hunting, while bounding main means jumping or gyrating main-mast.

[Rover_KE]

The bounding main is the ocean.

Main Entry: ocean
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: very large body of water
Synonyms: Davy Jones's locker, Seven Seas, blue*, bounding main, brine, briny deep, briny, deep, drink*, high seas, main, pond, puddle, salt water, sea, seaway, sink, tide
* = informal/non-formal usage

(Thesaurus.com)

Konungursvia, please state that you are not a teacher.

Rover

[konungursvia]

The bounding main is the ocean.

Konungursvia, please state that you are not a teacher.

Rover

I am a teacher, why would I state that I am not? And why would this be of interest to you?

[bhaisahab]

The bounding main is the ocean.

(Thesaurus.com)

Konungursvia, please state that you are not a teacher.

Rover

Konungursvia is a teacher, of long standing.

[konungursvia]

I do admit however that I answered the question above quickly, and had been thinking of the poem "Stella" by Victor Hugo. It does of course refer to the ocean (bounding main) but at that moment I was thinking of masts and the like. Sorry if I made an error.

[Rover_KE]

Konungursvia is a teacher, of long standing.

His public profile does not say so.

[Punchinello]

Thank you guys...