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Abaft
the Beam
Behind a horizontal line
drawn through the middle of the ship, at right angles to the keel.
Abeam
Off the beam or on the side of the boat
Aft
Towards the stern of the boat; to move aft is to move back
Afterguard
The seamen who are stationed on the poop and
quarter deck of the vessel, to attend and work the after sails etc.
Afternoon Watch
The watch from noon until 4 p.m. The
nautical day begins at noon.
Aladdin
Cleat
A cleat that attaches to the backstay over the cockpit, usually used for
hanging a lantern.
Anchorage
A place for anchoring.
Astern
In the direction of, or behind, the stern.
Aweather
Toward the weather or windward side of the
vessel. The opposite of Alee.
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Back (to)
To brace the weather yardarm in so that the
wind acts on the forward part of the sail, pressing it back.
Backstays
Ropes forming part of the standing rigging.
They stretch from mastheads and tend aft from the masts. They serve to
support the masts against forward pull and are named according to the mast
they support.
Backwinded
When the wind hits the leeward side of the sails.
Bar
A shoal.
Barge
A long, narrow, light boat, employed to carry
the principal sea officers, such as admirals and captains of ships of war,
to shore. They were very unfit for open sea.
Bark (also Barque)
In Aubrey's time barque meant
barque-rigged, i.e. fore and aft on the mizzen.
Batten
A short piece of wood or plastic inserted in a sail to keep it taut.
Beam
The lumbers that run horizontally across the
deck from side to side.
Beam-Ends
A vessel is on her beam-ends when listed to an
angle where her beams are almost vertical, and her righting power
insufficient to return her to the upright.
Bear away
To put the helm up and run off to leeward. To
put before the wind.
Bearing
Direction according to compass.
Before the mast
An expression used to describe the station
of seamen who had their accommodations in the forward part of the ship, as
distinguished from officers who were berthed aft. Thus a man before the
mast meant a common sailor and not an officer.
Berth
Sleeping bunk aboard the boat.
Bight
A bend in the shoreline.
Binnacle
A wooden case or box, which contained
compasses, log-glasses, watch-glasses and lights to show the compass at
night. There were always two binnacles on the deck of a ship of war, one
being designed for the man who steered, the other for the person who
superintended the steerage, whose office was called conning.
Binnacle List
A ship's sick-list. A binnacle was the stand on which the ship's compass
was mounted. In the eighteenth century and probably before, a list was
given to the officer or mate of the watch, containing the names of men
unable to report for duty. The list was kept at the binnacle.
Bitter End
The final inboard end of chain or line.
Blue Peter
A blue signal flag with white square in the
center, hoisted on the foremast to indicate a vessel is ready to sail. It
was a recall to the crew "that they repair on board" and for shoresiders
to conclude any business they had with the vessel.
Bluewater
Sailing
Open ocean sailing, as opposed to being in a lake or sound.
Bone in
Her Teeth
Sailing well underway such that spray is thrown out at the stem of the
boat.
Boot camp
During the Spanish-American War,
Sailors wore leggings called boots, which came to mean a Navy (or Marine)
recruit. These recruits trained in "boot" camps.
Boot
Stripe
A different color strip of paint at the waterline.
Bow
Forward end of a boat.
Bowline
A rope fastened near the middle of the leech,
or perpendicular edge of the square sails, by three or four subordinate
parts called bridles. It was only used when the wind was so unfavorable
that the sails had to be braced sideways, or close hauled to the wind: In
this situation the bowlines were employed to keep the weather, or
windward, edges of the principal sails tight forward and steady, without
which they would always be shivering, and rendered incapable of service.
Bowsprit
A large spar which projects forward from the
stem of a vessel. Its purpose is to extend the head sails, thereby
counteracting the effect of the after sails and keeping the sail plan
balanced. It is also one of the main supporters of the foremast, which is
fastened to it by stays.
Box Hauling
A method of bringing a close-hauled ship
around upon the other tack by throwing the head sails aback, if it refuses
to tack and there is no room to wear.
Brace
A rope attached to the end of a yard to haul it
aft, rotating the sail.
Brig
A two-masted vessel, mostly square-rigged, but
with a fore-and-aft mainsail.
Brightwork
Brightwork originally referred to
polished metal objects, and bright woodwork to wood which was kept scraped
and scrubbed, especially topside. Bright it should be and work it is.
Bring by the lee
To incline so rapidly to leeward of
the course, when the ship sails large, as to bring the lee-side
unexpectedly to windward; and by laying all the sails aback expose her to
the danger of upsetting.
Broach
A turning or swinging of the boat that puts the beam of the boat against
the waves, creating a danger of swamping or capsizing.
Bulkhead
A partition below decks that separates one part of the vessel from
another.
Bulwarks
Rail around the deck.
Buoy
Floating marker used for navigation.
Burgoo
Various definitions. It was not considered a
fancy dish.
-
Oatmeal
porridge
-
hard tack
and molasses
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Cabin Sole
The bottom surface of the enclosed space under the deck of a boat.
Canvas
Slang for sail. Originally sails were made of canvas.
Cat (to)
To heave the ring of a stocked anchor to the
cat head.
Catheads
Two strong short beams of timber, projecting
almost horizontally over the ships bows, on each side of the bowsprit.
Celestial
Navigation
To calculate your position using time, the position of celestial bodies,
and mathematical tables.
Chafe
Gear
Gear used to prevent damage by rubbing.
Charlie Noble
Charlie Noble is an "it," not a "he." A British merchant service captain,
Charles Noble, is said to be responsible for the origin, about 1850, of
this nickname for the galley smokestack. It seems that Captain Noble,
discovering that the stack of his ship's galley was made of copper,
ordered that it be kept bright. The ship's crew then started referring to
the stack as the "Charley Noble."
Chocks
A heavy metal fitting fixed to the deck of a ship through which a line for
mooring, towing, or anchor rode is passed.
Ciguatera
A severe type of food poisoning caused by eating contaminated fish.
Clean Bill of Health
This widely used term has its origins in the document issued to a ship
showing that the port it sailed from suffered from no epidemic or
infection at the time of departure.
Clear the
Decks
Remove unnecessary items from the decks.
Cleat
A two-horned fitting for securing a line.
Clew
The lower aft corner of the fore and aft sails.
Clew (to)
To haul a square sail up to a yard previous to
furling by means of clew lines.
Clew lines
Lines running from the corner of the sail,
known as the clew, to the yardarm and down to the deck.
Close
Hauled
Sails and boom pulled in tight, enabling the boat to point as high as
possible to the direction the wind is coming from.
Clove
Hitch
Two half hitches.
Club haul
A method of tacking, by letting go the lee
anchor as soon as the wind is out of the sails, which brings the ship's
head to wind, and as soon as she pays off the cable is cut and the sails
trimmed. Only resorted to in perilous situations, and when it is expected
the ship will miss stays.
Coaming
The raised border around the cockpit, or a hatch to keep out water.
Cockpit
Compartment on a warship where the wounded and
ill were tended. Usage now extends to any well or sunken space in the
afterdeck of a small craft, with a coaming of about 6 inches.
Companionway
Staircase that leads to the cabin.
Condemnation
Confiscation of a vessel or her cargo, or
both, as decreed by a prize court of the belligerent.
Course
Compass heading or the angle of the boat in sailing against the wind.
Coxswain
A coxswain or cockswain was at first the swain (boy servant) in charge of
the small cock or cockboat that was kept aboard for the ship's captain and
which was used to row him to and from the ship. The term has been in use
in England dating back to at least 1463. With the passing of time the
coxswain became the helmsman of any boat, regardless of size.
Crabbing
Going sideways due to set (also catching crabs!).
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D Signal
Safety signal, "Keep clear of me. I am maneuvering with difficulty."
Deadhead
A vertically floating log.
Dead reckoning
The term "Dead Reckoning" actually originated
from the word "Deduced Reckoning." After making a deduction from a know
point at a know speed, one would "Reckon" to be at a certain point.
R.D. Miller BM1 USCG (RET)
Deck
Plate
A metal plate fitting on the deck that can be opened to take on fuel or
water.
Dinghy
A small open boat, usually carried aboard a yacht for going ashore.
Dogwatch
A dogwatch at sea is the period between 4 and 6 p.m, the first dogwatch,
or the period between 6 and 8 p.m., the second dog watch. The watches
aboard ships are:
Noon to 4:00 p.m. Afternoon watch
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. First dogwatch
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Second dogwatch
8:00 p.m. to midnight 1st night watch
Midnight to 4:00 a.m. Middle watch or mid watch
4:00 to 8:00 a.m. Morning watch
8:00 a.m. to noon Forenoon watch
The dogwatches are only two hours each so the same Sailors aren't always
on duty at the same time each afternoon. Some experts say dogwatch is a
corruption of dodge watch and others associate dogwatch with the fitful
sleep of Sailors called dog sleep, because it is a stressful watch. But no
one really knows the origin of this term, which was in use at least back
to 1700.
Double
Ender
Boat with a pointed bow and stern.
Down the hatch
Here's a drinking expression that seems to have its origins in sea
freight, where cargoes are lowered into the hatch. First used by seamen,
it has only been traced back to the turn of the century.
Draft
Water depth required to float the boat.
Driver
Sometimes used for the spanker, sometimes for a
studdingsail-like addition to the spanker, but in either case, the
aftermost sail in a ship.
Duffle
A name given to a Sailor's personal effects. Also spelled duffel, it
referred to his principal clothing as well as to the seabag in which he
carried and stowed it. The term comes from the Flemish town of Duffel near
Antwerp, and denotes a rough woolen cloth made there.
Dungarees
The modern Sailor's work clothes. The term is not modern, however, but
dates to the 18th century and comes from the Hindi word dungri, for a type
of Indian cotton cloth.
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Ebb
Tide passing from high to low, with the current going out to sea.
El Niño
A warm inshore current annually flowing south along the coast of Ecuador.
About every seven to ten years it extends down the coast of Peru , where
it has a devastating effect.
Fall Off
To pay off to leeward or away from the wind.
Fathom
Although a fathom is now a nautical unit of length equal to six feet, it
was once defined by an act of Parliament as "the length of a man's arms
around the object of his affections." The word derives from the Old
English Faethm, which means "embracing arms."
Fiddle
Strip around a table to prevent items from falling off when the boat is at
a heel.
First Watch
The four-hour watch between 8 p.m. and
midnight.
Fishhook
Slang sailing expression for a piece of metal or shroud that cuts or stabs
you, the injury usually not discovered until later.
Flying Dutchman
One superstition has it that any mariner who sees the ghost ship called
the Flying Dutchman will die within the day. The tale of the Flying
Dutchman trying to round the Cape of Good Hope against strong winds and
never succeeding, then trying to make Cape Horn and failing there too, has
been the most famous of maritime ghost stories for more 300 years. The
cursed spectral ship sailing back and forth on its endless voyage, its
ancient white-hair crew crying for help while hauling at her sail,
inspired Samuel Taylor Coleridge to write his classic "The Rime of the
Ancient Mariner," to name but one famous literary work. The real Flying
Dutchman is supposed to have set sail in 1660.
Flotsam
Floating items of a ship or its cargo at sea, floating debris.
Fluke
The digging end of the anchor; also wind irregularity.
Forecastle (fo'c's'l)
The raised platform at the bow of a
ship, often armored, for musketeers. In some ships it was the location,
ergo the name, of the crew's quarters.
Foredeck
The forward part of a boat's main deck.
Forenoon Watch
A name given to the watch from 8 a.m. to
noon.
Fore-and-Aft Sail
A sail which attaches forward to a
vertical mast and at the bottom usually to a horizontal boom. It may also
be lifted up at the peak with a gaff. Instead of a square sail which
always is set perpendicular to the wind, fore-and-aft sails allow a boat
to sail much closer to the direction from where the wind is blowing.
Fouled anchor
The fouled (rope- or chain-entwined) anchor so prevalent in our Navy's
designs and insignia is a symbol at least 500 years old that has it
origins in the British traditions adopted by our naval service.
The fouled anchor was adopted as the official seal of Lord High Admiral
Charles Lord Howard of Effingham during the late 1500s. A variation of the
seal had been in use by the Lord High Admiral of Scotland about a century
earlier.
The anchor (both with and without the entwined rope) is a traditional
heraldic device used in ancient British coats of arms. As a heraldic
device, it is a stylized representation used merely for its decorative
effect.
Free a ship
Running free when it is not obliged to
brace its yards sharp up (move them closer to a fore-and-aft position).
The converse of close-hauled.
Full and By
Said of a sailing vessel when all sails are
drawing full and the course steered is as close to the wind as possible.
Sometimes known as sailing by and large.
Futtock
A name given to the curved pieces of timber
which compose the frame timbers. They are named according to their
location: first futtock, second futtock, etc.
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Gaff
A spar which holds the peak of a gaff-rigged
fore-and-aft sail. Instead of a triangle shaped sail with the peak being
at the top of the mast, a gaff-rigged sail is four sided.
Gammoning
The art of binding the rope (and hence its
name) which secures the bowsprit to the stem piece and is passed backward
and forward in the form of an X over the bowsprit, to enable it to support
the stays of the foremast and carry sail in the fore part of the vessel.
Genoa
Also known as genny, usually the biggest jib on the boat.
GMT
Greenwich Meridian Time, also known as Universal Time.
Going to
Weather
To sail against the prevailing wind and seas.
Gooseneck
Fitting that secures the boom to the mast.
GPS
Global Positioning System; uses satellites in fixed orbits.
Gudgeon (or Goodgeon)
One of the several iron lugs
(sockets) projecting from the after side of the stern or rudder post to
support the rudder. Each gudgeon is bored out to receive the corresponding
pintle fastened to the forepart of the rudder, which thus turns as upon
hinges.
Gunnels
Also gunwhale; the boat railing.
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Halyard
The rope used for hoisting or lowering spars,
yards, or sails on their respective masts or stays.
Hanks
Metal hooks used to secure a sail to a stay; to hank on a sail is to hook
it on a stay using the hanks.
Hard Over
Turning the wheel as far as possible.
Harden Up
To steer closer to the wind, usually by pulling in on the sheets.
Hatch
Opening on deck with a cover.
Haul
Around
Change from a run to a reach.
Haul off (to)
To alter the course of a ship so as to get
further away from an object.
Hawse
The general region around the ship's head where
the hawse-holes, through which the cables pass, are to be found: it also
applies to the air and sea somewhat ahead, where the cables would be if
the ship were anchored.
Head
The bathroom aboard a boat.
Headsails
Generic term for all sails which may be set on
the bowsprit, or foremast. As opposed to aftersails.
Heave
(to)
To stop forward movement by bringing the vessel's bow into the wind and
keeping it there.
Heel (to)
To stoop or incline to either side due to the
action of the wind, waves, a greater weight on one side, etc. Usually
temporary.
Helm
The steering wheel.
Hike Out
Climb to windward.
Hollow Sea
A condition usually occurring where there is
shoaling water or a current setting against the waves. The line from crest
to trough makes a sharp angle, and consequently the sea is very dangerous.
Holystone
Soft sandstone, often used to scrub the decks of ships. Sailors had to
kneel as if in prayer when scrubbing the decks. Holystone was often called
so because it is full of holes.
Hull
The part of the boat which sits in the water.
When you take off all of the rigging, masts, bowsprit, and anything being
carried by a boat, you are left with the hull.
Hull Down
Said of a vessel when it is so far away from
the observer that the hull is invisible owing to the convexity of the
earth's surface, while the masts are still seen. The opposite of hull up.
Hull
Speed
The fastest a sailboat will go, usually dependent on length of the hull at
the waterline.
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Iron Spinnaker
Auxiliary combustible engine.
Jack Line
A line run for safety purposes from the cockpit forward to the bow of the
boat, inside the rail. Clipping on to the jack line with the lanyard of
our safety harnesses we were able to minimize being lost overboard when
going forward to crew in severe conditions.
Jack-Tar
A sailor from the clipper ship days, so named because they would tar their
hair to prevent infection and make it easy to cut.
Jury mast
A temporary or makeshift mast set up by the
ship's crew to take the place of one which has been lost or carried away.
Jetsam
Debris, jettisoned items, floating at sea.
Jib
A foresail. On a cutter this is the forward most sail, as opposed to
staysail located between the jib and the main.
Jibe
Also gybe; to turn the boat downwind from one side of the wind to the
other.
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Keel
The part of the hull which sticks down lower in
the water below the bottom of the hull to stop a boat from moving
sideways. Sailboats want to go in the direction of the wind and it is the
keel which stops them from moving sideways so that the forces of the sails
can drive the boat forward. Sailboats that don't have keels have a
removable piece often called a centerboard.
Keel hauling
A naval punishment on board ships said to have originated with the Dutch
but adopted by other navies during the 15th and 16th centuries. A rope was
rigged from yardarm to yardarm, passing under the bottom of the ship, and
the unfortunate delinquent secured to it, sometimes with lead or iron
weights attached to his legs. He was hoisted up to one yardarm and then
dropped suddenly into the sea, hauled underneath the ship, and hoisted up
to the opposite yardarm, the punishment being repeated after he had had
time to recover his breath. While he was under water, a "great gun" was
fired, "which is done as well to astonish him so much the more with the
thunder of the shot, as to give warning until all others of the fleet to
look out and be wary by his harms" (from Nathaniel Boteler, A Dialogicall
Discourse, 1634). The U.S. Navy never practiced keel hauling.
Ketch
Two masted sailboat that has an after mast forward of the rudder.
Kites
In general, the highest and lightest sails set
above royals, such as skysails, moonsails and stargazers; also royal and
topgallant studding sails.
Knee
A timber with two arms at right angles or
nearly so, used to connect a ship's beams with her sides or timbers.
Knot
A vessel's rate of speed, a nautical mile per
hour. Measured by running out a stern line (or log line) knotted at
measured intervals which bear the same proportion to a mile as half a
second does to an hour. A nautical mile (equivalent to 1.15 miles or
1.852km). Also, any of various tangles of line formed by methodically
passing the free end through loops and drawing it tight.
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Lanyard
-
A line to
make an object fast or to aid in carrying it
-
The line
by which a sailing ship's shroud is secured to a chainplate.
Larboard
The left, or port, side of any craft when
facing the bow. Perhaps derived from the 13th century English word
laddebord, or loading side; some suggest it goes all the way back to the
Norse word hlada bord of the same meaning.
Large
To sail large is to run with the sheets eased
off when the wind is from abaft the beam and the bowlines are entirely
disused so that the sails receive the full effect of the wind. Also known
as to sail free.
Latitude
An angular measurement or distance measured in degrees, north or south
from the equator which is 0.
Lay aloft
Order given to the crew to go up into the
rigging.
Lazaret
A storage space below the deck in the cockpit.
Lee
The side away from the direction of the wind, also used in context to
refer to a sheltered place out of the wind, as in the lee of the island.
Lee
Cloths
A cloth hung on the lee side of a berth (the down side when the boat has
heel to it) to keep one from rolling out of their bunk.
Lee Shore
A shore that wind blows onto; it is best to stay well off a lee shore in a
storm.
Leeward
Downwind.
Leeway
The
lateral movement of a ship to leeward of her course, estimated from the
angle formed between the line of the ship's keel and the line which the
ship actually describes through the water, as shown by her wake.
Lifeline
Stout line around the deck of the boat to keep crew from falling
overboard.
List
Inclination of a boat due to excess weight on one side or the other.
Loblolly boy
A surgeon's assistant aboard ship.
Loblolly, another form of burgoo, was the name for the gruel or porridge
usually served to the surgeon's patient in the sickbay.
Longitude
Distance in degrees east or west of Greenwich, England, meridian which is
0.
Lubber's hole
The vacant space between the head of the
lower mast and the edge of the top (the platform which rests upon the
crosstrees at the head of a lower mast), through which those not wanting
to use the futtock shrouds could go further aloft.
Luff (to)
To bring a vessel's head nearer to the wind, so
the sails start to spill wind, by putting the helm down or increasing the
sail area toward the stern. Also the order--as in "luff round!" or "luff
up!"--to throw the ship's head into the wind in order to tack.
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Mainsail
The main sail of the sail boat set off the mast and main boom.
Marks and deeps
The divisions used in marking a hand-held
lead line at the second, third, fifth, seventh, tenth, thirteenth,
fifteenth, seventeenth and twentieth fathoms, each designated by bits of
leather are called marks. The intermediate fathoms, estimated by the
leadsman, are called deeps.
Marline spike or
marling spike
A pointed iron pin
about 16 inches long, furnished with a round head, used by riggers and
seamen to separate the strands of rope when splicing and also as a lever
when putting on seizing, marling etc.
Mast
A vertical spar to which the fore-and-aft sails
and/or yards are attached. It is held up by shrouds on either side and
stays fore and aft. It may also carry a crow's nest or other lookouts.
Mayday
The distress call for voice radio, for vessels and people in serious
trouble at sea. The term was made official by an international
telecommunications conference in 1948, and is an anglicizing of the French
"m'aidez," (help me).
Midships
The middle of the boat.
Middle Watch
The watch from midnight until 4 a.m., which
follows the first watch.
Miss stays (to)
To fail in going about from one tack to the
other, as a result of which the ship gets its head to the wind, comes to a
stand, and begins to fall off on the same tack.
Mizzen
The aftermost mast which supports all the after
sails.
Mooring
A float providing a tie off for a boat, usually set to a permanent anchor.
Morning watch
The watch from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Motor-Sailing
Sailing with the motor on and in gear.
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Oakum
A caulking material used in waterproofing the
seams between strakes of planking. It is a mass of strong, pliable tarred
rope fibers obtained from scrap rope, which swell when wet. The fibers are
soaked in pine tar and loosely bundled together.
Offing
Implies out at sea, or at a good distance from
the shore, where there is deep water and no need for a pilot to conduct
the ship.
Old Salt
A very experienced and/or old sailor.
Onboard
On the boat.
Orlop
The lower but temporary deck in a ship of war,
whereon the cables are usually coiled, the sails deposited, and the
several officers' storerooms contained.
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P Flag
Signal flag known as the "Blue Peter" [blue square in a white the vessel
is about to proceed to sea."
Pay Out
To slacken on a line.
Peak
-
The upper
aft corner of a square fore-and-aft sail
-
A
compartment in either extreme end of the vessel, bow or stern, referred
to as forepeak or afterpeak.
Pedestal
Columnar support for the wheel in the cockpit.
Phosphorescence
Luminescence
Pinnace
Resembles a barge, but is never rowing more
than eight oars, whereas a barge never rows less than ten. The pinnace is
for the accommodation of lieutenants etc.
Pintle
One of several pins or bolts on the forward
edge of the rudder frame, by which the rudder is hinged to the gudgeons of
the sternpost or rudderpost, around which it pivots.
Piping
Boatswains have been in charge of the deck force since the days of sail.
Setting sails, heaving lines, and hosting anchors required coordinated
team effort and boatswains used whistle signals to order the coordinated
actions. When visitors were hoisted aboard or over the side, the pipe was
used to order "Hoist Away" or "Avast heaving." In time, piping became a
naval honor on shore as well as at sea.
Pitch (to)
To plunge with alternate fall and rise of bow
and stern, as when a ship passes over waves and into the hollow of the
sea.
Points of sailing
Sailing points may be defined as the
different courses followed by any sailing craft when compared to the
direction of the wind. They are named according to the angle between the
direction of the wind and the fore-and-aft line of the vessel. When this
angle is near 180 degrees the ship is said to be sailing with the wind
aft, or before the wind. When it is about 135 degrees it is sailing with
the wind on the quarter, or quartering; when about 90 degrees it is
running free. When the angle is less than 90 degrees a square-rigged ship
is said to be close-hauled, on the wind or by the wind.
Polaris
The North Star, the star that is located over the north pole and is the
center of revolution for the Earth.
Poop
The highest and aftermost deck of a ship.
Pooped
Having a wave wash over the stern of the boat.
Port and starboard
Port and starboard are shipboard terms for left and right, respectively.
Confusing those two could cause a ship wreck. In Old England, the
starboard was the steering paddle or rudder, and ships were always steered
from the right side on the back of the vessel. Larboard referred to the
left side, the side on which the ship was loaded. So how did larboard
become port? Shouted over the noise of the wind and the waves, larboard
and starboard sounded too much alike. The word port means the opening in
the "left" side of the ship from which cargo was unloaded. Sailors
eventually started using the term to refer to that side of the ship. Use
of the term "port" was officially adopted by the U.S. Navy by General
Order, 18 February 1846.
Preventer
Line and tackle which limits the movement of the boom, usually for the
purpose of preventing accidents.
Preventer backstay
One of a pair of additional
backstays set up temporarily leading from the head of a mast to the ship's
side where it is set up with a tackle, and carried in strong winds or when
under a press of sail.
Pulpit
Platform over the sprit of the boat enclosed in a metal framework.
Put In
To enter a port or harbor.
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Q Flag
All yellow signal flag meaning "My vessel is healthy and I request free
pratique."
Quarterdeck
A term applied to the afterpart of the
upper deck. In naval vessels, that portion of the weather deck which is
reserved for the use of the officers.
Quay
Wharf used to discharge cargo.
Radar
An acronym standing for "radio detecting and ranging."
Rail
Top of the bulwarks on the edge of the deck.
Ratline
One of the small lines traversing the shrouds
and forming rope ladders used by seamen for going aloft.
Reaching
Sailing a course that is neither close hauled or downwind.
Reef
To shorten sail, usually by partially lowering it and tying it off with
reefing lines.
Rigging
Standing rigging refers to shrouds and stays, while running rigging refers
to halyards and sheets that control the sails.
Rip
Current
As in tide rip; water disturbance created by conflicting current and wind.
Rode
The line or chain attached to the anchor.
Rolling
Heap
Slang expression meaning ocean.
Royals
Small square sails, carried next above the main
topgallant sail, and used only in light winds because their masts are
poorly supported and their position is such that they set with a long
leverage and have a tendency to bury the ship and retard her progress in
heavier winds.
Rudder
Hinged plate hinged to the stern of the vessel used to steer t the boat by
turning the wheel.
Running
Going with the wind, downwind sailing (to run downwind).
Running
Backs
Running backstays; temporary backstays used to stabilize the mast and
prevent undue flexing in the pumping action of the sea over an extended
voyage. Usually attached by tangs to the mast opposite to where the
staysail stay is attached.
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Safety Harness
A harness, usually made of webbing, worn over the shoulders and around the
chest equipped with a lanyard for preventing being swept overboard in
severe conditions.
Sailing on a bowline
Sailing on a wind or close-hauled
when the bowlines would be hauled taut.
Salon
Also saloon; main social cabin of a boat.
SAT NAV
Satellite navigation unit; uses satellites in moving orbits.
Scope
The length
or extent of anchor rode.
Scuba
An acronym standing for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus."
Sculling
Oar
A large oar used for propelling a boat by moving from side to side; also
used for an emergency rudder.
Scuppers
Overboard drain holes on deck.
Scuttlebutt
The cask of drinking water on ships was called a scuttlebutt and since
Sailors exchanged gossip when they gathered at the scuttlebutt for a drink
of water, scuttlebutt became U.S. Navy slang for gossip or rumors. A butt
was a wooden cask which held water or other liquids; to scuttle is to
drill a hole, as for tapping a cask.
Sea pie
A seaman's dish composed of fish or meat and
vegetables in layers between crusts, the number of which determine whether
it is a "double-decker" or a "three-decker."
Self-Tending
Tacks itself.
Set
The direction of the tide or current, the leeway course of the boat.
Shackle
A metal link which can be open and closed for joining chain to anchor,
etc.
Sheet
The lines leading from the clew of a sail with which you pull in or let it
out.
Sheet anchor
The largest spare anchor used in a ship,
carried in the waist, as far forward as convenient, and kept ready for use
in an emergency--the mariner's last refuge.
Sheet home
To strain or haul on a sheet until the foot of
a sail is as straight and as taut as possible.
Ship biscuit
Hard bread, much dried, consisting of
flour, water or milk, salt, which does not deteriorate when stored for
long periods and therefore is suitable for use on board ship for up to a
year after it was baked. Also called hard tack.
Shows his true colors
Early warships often carried flags from many nations on board in order to
elude or deceive the enemy. The rules of civilized warfare called for all
ships to hoist their true national ensigns before firing a shot. Someone
who finally "shows his true colors" is acting like a man-of-war which
hailed another ship flying one flag, but then hoisted their own when they
got in firing range.
Shroud
One of a set of strong ropes extending on each
side of a masthead to the sides of a ship to support a mast laterally.
Shrouds take their name from the spars they support.
Side Boys
Tending the side with side boys, as we know it in modern practice,
originated long time ago. It was customary in the days of sail to hold
conferences on the flagships both when at sea and in open roadstead; also,
officers were invited to dinner on other ships while at sea, weather
permitting. Sometimes the sea was such that visitors were hoisted aboard
in boatswain's chairs. Members of the crew did the hoisting, and it is
from the aid they rendered in tending the side that the custom originated
of having a certain number of men always in attendance. Some have reported
the higher the rank, the heavier the individual; therefore, more side
boys.
Single
Sideband
A radio frequency used by boats equipped with shortwave radio.
Slats
Battens.
Snubber
A spring line tied from the boat to chain rode, usually near the water's
surface. It helps disperse tension forces. It also prevents damage to the
boat by ground tackle and can help in the retrieval of the ground tackle
in heavy weather. (to reduce the snap of the rode when it stretched out).
Smoking lamp
The exact date and origin of the smoking lamp has been lost. However, it
probably came into use during the 16th Century when seamen began smoking
on board vessels. The smoking lamp was a safety measure. It was devised
mainly to keep the fire hazard away from highly combustible woodwork and
gunpowder. Most navies established regulations restricting smoking to
certain areas. Usually, the lamp was located in the forecastle or the area
directly surrounding the galley indicting that smoking was permitted in
this area. Even after the invention of matches in the 1830s, the lamp was
an item of convenience to the smoker. When particularly hazardous
operations or work required that smoking be curtailed, the unlighted lamp
relayed the message. "The smoking lamp is lighted" or "the smoking lamp is
out' were the expressions indicating that smoking was permitted or
forbidden.
The smoking lamp has survived only as a figure of speech. When the officer
of the deck says "the smoking lamp is out" before drills, refueling or
taking ammunition, that is the Navy's way of saying "cease smoking."
Soft tack
Seaman's term for leavened bread as
distinguished from hard tack or biscuit.
Soggering
Being lazy and unassuming of responsibility.
Sonar
Sound Navigation Ranging. An acronym for underwater echo-ranging
equipment, originally for detecting submarines by small warships.
Spar
A general term for a round piece of timber,
very long in proportion to its diameter, used for masts, yards, booms,
gaffs, bowsprits, and so on.
Spreaders
Small spars between the mast and shrouds.
Spring
Line
A line tied between two opposing forces that has a neutralizing effect on
the force vectors, such as those creating by surge. At the dock with a bow
line and stern line tied off, a spring line is often added to limit the
working movements of a floating vessel even more.
Sprit
A spar that extends the bow of the boat.
Spritsail
A sail attached to a yard which hangs under the
bowsprit, and has a large hole at each of its lower corners to evacuate
the water which fills its cavity by the surge of the sea when the ship
pitches.
Square rig
A general term for all rigs where sails are
extended by yards attached to the masts in the middle of the ship and
trimmed with braces. The theoretical center of effort of the sail plan is
situated forward of the center of lateral resistance, or the opposite of
that in a fore-and-aft rig, and is done to facilitate paying off in any
sudden change of wind and thus to prevent the sails from being taken
aback.
Stanchion
A pillar of wood or iron used for various
purposes in a ship: to support the deck, the quarter rails, the nettings,
the awnings etc.
Starboard
The right side of any craft when facing the
bow. Before the advent of the stern rudder, vessels had their steering
oars on the right, or steering board, or starboard side.
Stay
A large strong rope employed to support the
mast on the fore part, by extending from its upper end towards the fore
part of the ship as the shrouds are extended to the right and left and
behind it.
Staysail
On a cutter this is the sail located between the jib and the main sail.
Stem
A circular piece of timber, into which the two
sides of a ship are united at the fore end. The lower end of it is scarfed
to the keel, and the bowsprit rests on its upper end.
Stern
The rear of the boat.
Stow
To store onboard.
Strake
A range of planks abutting against each other
and extending the whole length of the ship.
Strike the Bell
Expression
used at sea to denote the divisions of the daily time from their being
marked by bells which are struck every half hour, the term "bell" being
employed aboard ship as "o'clock" is ashore.
Striking
the Flag
Striking the
ensign was and is the universally recognized indication of surrender.
Studding sail
(stun's'l)
A sail on a special spar,
extended outboard of a square sail or sails, for added sail area in
moderate winds.
Suit
Nautical term, dating from at least the early 1600s, meaning the outfit of
sails used by a ship. The term was revived after World War II, when a Navy
ship's complement of electronics could be referred to as its electronics
suit, and its total armament might be called its weapons suit. The word is
sometimes incorrectly spelled "suite."
Surge
Rising and falling of the sea, usually due to wave action.
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Tack
Change the sail course by bringing its bow across the wind, moving the
boom to the other side of the boat when beating.
Tack (of a sail)
Forward lower corner of a sail.
Taffrail
The upper part of the ship's stern, usually
ornamented with carved work or molding.
Taffrail
Log
Walker log; a propeller drawn through the water that operates an odometer
on the boat registering the distance sailed.
Taken Aback
Said of a vessel's sails when caught
suddenly or unexpectedly by the wind in such a way as to press them aft,
or so as to impart a tendency to force the ship astern.
Tang
A fitting on the mast for securing rigging.
Tar, Jack Tar
Tar, a slang term for a Sailor, has been in use since at least 1676. The
term "Jack tar" was used by the 1780s. Early Sailors wore overalls and
broad-brimmed hats made of tar-impregnated fabric called tarpaulin cloth.
The hats, and the Sailors who wore them, were called tarpaulins, which may
have been shortened to tars.
Toe the line
The space between each pair of deck planks in a wooden ship was filled
with a packing material called "oakum" and then sealed with a mixture of
pitch and tar. The result, from afar, was a series of parallel lines a
half-foot or so apart, running the length of the deck. Once a week, as a
rule, usually on Sunday, a warship's crew was ordered to fall in at
quarters -- that is, each group of men into which the crew was divided
would line up in formation in a given area of the deck. To insure a neat
alignment of each row, the Sailors were directed to stand with their toes
just touching a particular seam. Another use for these seams was punitive.
The youngsters in a ship, be they ship's boys or student officers, might
be required to stand with their toes just touching a designated seam for a
length of time as punishment for some minor infraction of discipline, such
as talking or fidgeting at the wrong time. A tough captain might require
the miscreant to stand there, not talking to anyone, in fair weather or
foul, for hours at a time. Hopefully, he would learn it was easier and
more pleasant to conduct himself in the required manner rather than suffer
the punishment. From these two uses of deck seams comes our cautionary
word to obstreperous youngsters to "toe the line."
Top
The semicircular platform which rests upon the
crosstrees at the head of a lower mast. It serves to spread the topmast
shrouds, so as to form a greater angle to the mast and support it better.
Tops are named after the mast to which they belong, e.g. foretop, maintop,
mizzentop.
Topgallant
A square sail extended above the topsails in
the same manner as topsails are extended above the lower yards.
Topmast
The spar next above a lower mast and below the
topgallant mast.
Topping
Lift
A line or wire for lifting the boom that runs from the top of the mast.
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Underway
Moving under power of sail or motor.
V-Berth
Usually the forward berth of the boat, located in the bow.
VHF
Very high frequency radio.
Voyol
A large rope used to unmoor, or heave up the
anchors of a ship, by transmitting the effort of the capstan to the
cables.
Waist
The central part of a ship. The portion of the
upper deck between poop and forecastle.
Warp (to)
To move a vessel from one place to another in a
port, river, or harbor by means of warps (ropes) fastened to buoys,
anchors, or some fixed object ashore.
Wear (to)
To bring a vessel sailing close-hauled to
another tack by putting the helm up and turning her head away from the
wind. The opposite of tack.
Weather deck
An uncovered deck exposed to the weather.
The uppermost continuous deck, exclusive of forecastle, bridge and poop.
Whisker
Pole
A spar used to hold out the clew of the jib when running.
Winch
Mechanical device for hauling in a line.
Windlass
Winch for hauling in the anchor chain or line.
Wind Rose
A diagram usually shown on pilot charts that indicates the frequency and
intensity of wind from different directions for a particular place.
Windsail
A sort of tube or funnel made of canvas spread
by wooden hoops, serving to convey a current of fresh air below deck. It
is suspended from a stay by halyards.
Windward
Upwind
Wing on
Wing
Running before the wind with sails on opposite sides such as the main on
one side of the boat and the genny on the other.
Yaw, Yawing
To turn from side to side in an uneven course.
Yard
A long,
nearly cylindrical piece of timber, tapering toward the ends, used for
supporting and extending a sail to the wind.
Zincs
Zinc plates attached to the hull to minimize electrolysis (and ultimate
failure) of the metal in the rudder and other areas.
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