A’baft :

at or near or toward the stern of a ship “; “ships with square sails sail fairly efficiently with the wind abaft”; “the captain looked astern to see if the pirates were chasing the ship”

A’beam :

On the side of a vessel , amidships. “boat on th

A’board, or on board :

On or in, a vessel.

About :

A turning round.

Acker :

An eddy or rising tide.

Ackmen :

An old name for fresh water thieves.

A’cock-bill :

Spoken of a ship’s anchor, when hanging out with the flukes extended in a position ready for dropping.

A’drift:

Anything which floats unfastened, as a boat or a spar, which may have broken away, or a ship which has parted from her anchor.

Aft :

Behind: towards the after or stern part of a vessel or it may be behind the vessel itself.

A’ground :

Resting on the ground, often spoken of a vessel which has accidently run aground.

Ahead :

In front of. Before.

All in the wind :

An expression used to describe the position of a vessel when head to wind, with all her sails flapping.

All told :

Every person counted.

Aloft :

Up in the tops: overhead.

Alongside :

By the side of.

A’low :

Low down. Below, or below deck.

Amidships :

The middle portion of a vessel. The point of intersection of two lines, one drawn from stem to stern, the other across the beam, will be the actual midship.

Anchor :

A heavy object attached to a rope or chain and used to moor a vessel to the sea bottom, typically having a metal shank with a ring at one end for the rope and a pair of flukes at the other.

Anchorage :

An area off the coast that is suitable for a ship to anchor.

Arching :

Another name for hogging.

Astern :

Behind. In the after part of a vessel; behind the vessel; in her wake.

Awash :

Being under or washed over by water, as the lee gunwale of a yacht or decked sailing boat may be when she lies much over.

A’weigh :

Spoken of an anchor when it has been lifted from the ground.

A’wheft :

said of a flag when stopped so as to represent a wheft.

Awning :

A canvas covering acting as a roof or tent.

Back :

with sailing ships.- To haul the sails over to windward. In squared rigged vessels this is only done on special occasions, when it is called laying the sails aback.

Back-stays :

Ropes stretched from a mast or top mast head to the sides of a vessel-some way aft of the mast- to give extra support to the mast against going forward.

Backwater :

A part of a river not reached by the current, where the water is stagnant.

Baffle :

To baffle with the wind is to contend against it, as when beating to windward in a very foul weather.

Bale, baler :

To bale or bale out is to remove water from an open boat by means of a baler, which may be any small vessel capable of holding water, such as hand bowl.

Ballast :

Any solid or liquid that is brought on board a vessel to increase the draft, change the trim, regulate the stability or to maintain stress loads within acceptable limits.

Barge :

A long flat-bottomed boat for carrying freight, typically on canals and rivers, either under its own power or towed by another

Barnacles :

A marine crustacean (class Cirripedia) with an external shell, which attaches itself permanently to a variety of surfaces

Basin :

A dock in which vessels float at any state of the tide.

Baulks :

Heavy pieces of timber, such as piles before erection, etc. Brackets, in almost any position, holding two or more timbers together, or preventing them from slipping.

Beach :

The margin of the land exposed to tidal action.

Beacon :

A landmark put up to steer by. A pole marking one a shoal or a channel.

Beam :

The width of a vessel, at her widest part.

Bearding :

The fore-part of a rudder.

Bearings :

The word “bearing” properly belongs to the art of navigation, in which it signifies “the direction, or angular distance from the meridian, in which an object is seen.”

Becalmed :

To be becalmed is to be left without a wind, and therefore, in a sailing ship, to be without power of moving.

Becueing :

A method of attaching a line to a small anchor.

Belay :

To make fast a rope, by twisting it round a cleat, kevel or belaying pin, without tying it into a knot.

Beneap :

If a vessel should run aground towards high water, during the last of the spring, or big tides, she may possibly have to lie there until the following springtides float her off: in this condition she is said to be beneaped, because the neap tides are not high enough to float her.

Between decks, or tween decks :

In a vessel of more than one deck, to be between the upper and the lower.

Bilge :

The bilge is the lower part of a vessel, upon which she rests when aground.

Bill of an anchor :

The extremity of the fluke.

Bill of lading :

“A document, subscribed by the master of the ship, acknowledging the receipt of goods entrusted to him for transportation, and binding himself(under certain exception) to deliver them to the person to whom they are addressed, in good condition, for a certain remuneration or freightage. Of bills of lading there are usually triplicate copies: one for the party transmitting the goods, another for the person to whom the goods are addressed, and the third for the master.”

Binnacle :

The “binnacle” is the stand provided for mounting the magnetic compass.

Bite :

Spoken of an anchor when it holds the ground-it then bites.

Bitts :

Small posts or timber heads fixed through the deck of a vessel, either round masts or at the foot of the bowspirit. Any of the posts fixed in pairs on the deck of a ship, for fastening cables, belaying ropes, etc.

Block :

The instrument generally described on shore as a “pulley:” but this later term has little or no meaning among seafaring men, who invariably speak of a block. The block is the piece of wood which constitutes the main body of the machine.

Blockship :

A large vessel employed on coast duty for the protection of a specified port or area.

Boat- hook :

A useful implement in the form of a hook or spike at the end of a pole.

Bollards :

A short, thick post on the deck of a ship or on a wharf, to which a ship’s rope may be secured.

Booby hatch :

A raised covering over a small hatchway. Generally a small entry/ exit to a cargo hold.

Bow :

The sides at the fore part of a vessel.

Bower :

One of the large anchors of a ship which hold her by the bows.

Bowline :

A loop in a rope, tied in a peculiar manner and mostly used to through over a post.

Brackish :

Referred of water in a river when half salt and half fresh.

Breakwater :

An artificial bank or wall, of any material, set up either outside a harbor or along a coast to break the waves of the sea and create a smooth shelter.

Breaming :

The cleansing of the bottom of a vessel by fire and scarping.

Bulkhead :

A partition. They are used to divide the vessel into watertight compartments.

Bulwarks :

A parapet round the deck of a vessel to protect persons or goods from being washed overboard, and the decks from the sea.

Buoy :

An anchored float serving as a navigation mark, to show reefs or other hazards, or for mooring.

Buoyancy :

That capacity of floating lightly which a vessel should possess.

Burgee :

A small flag ending in a point or a swallow tail.

Butt :

It is the lower end of a yard or sprit.

Cabin :

A habitable apartment on a ship-board.

Cable

The rope or chain by which a ship’s anchor is held.

Caboose :

A cooking house on the deck of a ship(an old term)

Caique :

A small Levantine vessel or fishing boat of the eastern Mediterranean.

Camber :

A slightly convex or arched shape of a main deck of a vessel.

Can Buoy :

A bouy showing a flat top above water.

Cappanus :

“The worm which adheres to and gnaws the bottom of a ship.”

Capsize :

To turn it completely over in the water, as it might be if caught on the head of a breaker, or in smooth water, if those in it insist in sitting or on one side. Capsizing refers to when a boat or ship is tipped over until disabled.

Capstan :

A revolving cylinder with a vertical axis used for winding a rope or cable, powered by a motor or pushed around by levers.

Cardinal Points :

Due north, west, east, and south. So called because they are the points on which the intermediate ones, such as N.E., N.W., N.N.E., etc., hinge or hang.

Carvel :

A method of boat building in which the strakes are flush one with another and present a smooth surface.

Caulking :

The operation performed upon wooden vessels to prevent leakage, and assist in fixing the whole frame of the hull.

Chart :

Roughly speaking, a map of the sea bottom and coast projections, for the use of navigators.

Charter Party :

A contract in mercantile law between the owner of a ship and one who hires part or the whole of it under specified conditions.

Cleat, kevel, or cavil :

A species of hook, usually of two arms, fastened to the deck or any other suitable and convenient part of a boat, around which sheets, halyards, springs, etc , may be wound without being knotted.

Clubbing :

Drifting with the tide with an anchor down; a vessel clubbing will therefore be taken stern first

Coaming :

A raised edge or planking round a hatchway or the well of a hatch.

Compass :

An instrument containing a magnetized pointer that shows the direction of magnetic north and bearings from it.

Course :

It is the direction in which a ship travels.

Davit :

A light crane on a ship’s sides for lowering and lifting boats.

Deck :

A structure of planks or plates, approximately horizontal, extending across a ship or boat at any of various levels, esp. one of those at the highest level and open to the weather.

Derelict :

Forsaken. The term applies to ships from which the crews have been withdrawn and in which no domestic animal is left.

Derrick :

A crane consisting mainly of one large beam, the foot of which rests either upon the grounds or at the lower portion of a mast.

Dhow :

A flat Arab vessel or canoe.

Displacement :

The weight of water displaced by any vessel.

Dock :

An artificially constructed basin for the reception of vessels. It may be either a wet dock, in which ships are unloaded, or a dry dock, in which they are either built or repaired.

Dolphin :

The name sometimes given to those posts, more usually called bollards, on a quay or pier to which hawsers may be fastened.

Draught :

The draught of a vessel, or, in other words, the depth of water she draws, is the vertical depth of the immersed part of her; that is, the distance of the lowest point of her keel from the surface of the water

Dredge :

A dredge or dredger is a machine for clearing or deepening rivers, canals, etc.

Drift :

to drift is to be carried with a stream or current, and with a vessel it implies that she is not under control.

Dunnage. ( at sea) :

Pieces of wood, matting, or similar material used in stowing cargo in a ship’s hold.

Ebb :

the reflux of the tide.

Eddy :

A circular motion in the water, caused either by its meeting with some obstacle and circling round it, or by the meeting of opposite currents.

Ensign :

The flag carried by a ship as the insignia of the nationality.

Even keel :

A boat is said to be on an even keel when she lies evenly in a fore-and-aft direction.

Fag :

The end which is apt to become untwisted and is therefore whipped, or bound, with yarn to prevent this.

Fathom :

A measure of depth- 6 ft.

Fend, Fenders :

To fend off is to push off any heavy body from another so as to avoid contact.

Flemish :

To coil a rope in fanciful patterns, as in the figure of 8.

Fluke :

The palm or hook of an anchor.

Freeboard :

That portion of the vessel’s side which is free of the water; that is , which is not submerged.

Full and by the wind :

Sailing with the wind ahead of the beam.

Galley :

The cook-house of a ship.

Galvanizing :

Nearly all iron fittings to, sailing craft are now galvanized, due too its effect as a preservative against rust lasting a long time.

Gang :

A number of men employed on any particular service.

Gangway :

A narrow platform or bridge passing over from one deck of a vessel to another. Also that part of a ship’s bulwarks which are removable so that persons can walk on board by a gang board.

Gatt :

A channel in an open piece of water.

Gig :

An open boat, usually clincher -built, with a straight sheer and upright stem and gunwale. It is one of the boats belonging to a ship, as the captain’s gig.

Gudgeons :

The fittings of a rudder to its sternpost.

Grapnel :

A small anchor of several arms or claws arranged in a circular manner at the end of the shank.

Grommet :

A ring of rope; or a loop formed at the end of a rope by unlaying the strands, turning the end over and splicing it into the open strands.

Gun -tackle :

It is a tackle composed of two single blocks, one movable, the other fixed, the standing end of the fall(rope) being fast to the movable block. It increases the power three-fold.

Gyn :

A hoisting machine on three tall legs, and fitted with a sort of windlass, and one block, called the gyn block.

Halyard :

A rope, sometimes a chain, by which a sail, flag, or yard is hoisted- hence the name -“haul yard.”

Hammock :

A swinging bed much used at sea.

Harbour :

A piece of navigable water communicating with a sea or river, having a roadstead, and protected from storms.

Harpoon :

A barbed javelin used in spearing whales.

Hatch, hatchways :

A hatchway is an opening in the deck of a vessel through which cargo or persons may descend: it is covered by a movable frame or roof, called a hatch.

Hawse :

The hawse, with regard to a ship’s position at anchor, is, technically, that position of the water in front of her which extends from the ship herself to the point on the surface of the water directly above her anchor.

Headway :

Progress forward or a’head.

Heave :

To pull on a rope or cable with mechanical aid.

Helm :

The helm is the steering apparatus of the ship.

Helmsman :

The man at the helm, that is, who steers the vessel

Hog :

A stout broom, or brush, for scrapping boat’s bottom.

Hoist :

To elevate , to haul aloft, with or without the assistance of tackles.

Hold :

The inner space of a vessel in which the cargo is stowed.

House Flag :

A square flag displaying the device and colours adopted by any mercantile shipping company.

Hull or hulk :

The hull is the body of a vessel, exclusive of her masts, etc. The word hulk is more generally applied to old vessels, or at least to those that are not sent to sea.

Coming soon

Jack :

The term “Jack” is applied somewhat indiscriminately by sea-faring men to various spars, sails, ropes, etc. It would appear, speaking generally, to mean something small.

Jacob’s ladder :

A rope ladder having wooden rounds.

Jettison :

To jettison is to cast goods overboard, whether to lighten or get a vessel upon an even keel when aground, and thus aid in floating her again, or on the high seas-that she may ride more easily when in distress.

Jetty :

A small pier or landing place.

John Dory :

A well known fish. John Dore was a notorious French pirate.

Kedge :

A small anchor carried by large vessels for use in shallow water, or for keeping the main anchor clear.

Kelds :

The still parts of a river which have an oily smoothness while the rest of the water is ruffled.

Kelp :

The ash of the sea weed, used in the manufacture of iodine.

Kedge :

A small anchor carried by large vessels for use in shallow water, or for keeping the main anchor clear.

Kelds :

The still parts of a river which have an oily smoothness while the rest of the water is ruffled.

Kelp :

The ash of the sea weed, used in the manufacture of iodine.

Kempstock :

An old name for a capstan.

Kink in a rope :

A sharp bend ,drawn almost to a loop; always dangerous, but more especially so in wire roping.

Knit :

The technical name for a twist in a chain.

Knot :

A knot, a nautical mile per hour, is a measure of speed.

Koff :

A small two- masted vessel formerly employed in the Dutch fisheries.

Krennels :

The smaller cringles on a square sail for bowline bridles, etc.

Laden in bulk :

Carrying loose cargo, such as salt, ice etc.

Lagan, or Ligsam :

In law, a term applied to goods jettisoned, but secured by a buoy or mooring.

Laid up :

A vessel unrigged or dismantled during winter; or lacking employment.

Lanyards :

Short pieces of rope having various uses at sea.

Lash :

To bind or make fast by ropes.

Lastage :

The ballast or lading of a ship.

Lattitude :

Distance north or south of the Equator, expressed in degrees.

Lazy guy :

A rope or tackle by which a boom is held down so that it may not swing about in rough weather.

Lee and Leeward :

The leeside of a vessel is the side opposite to that upon which the wind blows; the other side being called the windward or weather side.

Leech :

The aftermost or lee margin of a sail.

Light :

A vessel is said to be “light” when she is without cargo, and consequently high out of water.

Line :

A small rope: as bunt lines, clew lines, tricing lines, the lead lines, etc.

Load line or load water line.- :

In the lines of a ship, the supposed line of deepest immersion, when loaded. It is, in fact , the ship’s proper displacement.

Longtitude :

Distance east or west of a first meridian, expressed in degrees.

Lumper :

One employed in the loading or unloading of a vessel.

Lurch :

A heavy roll or jerk to one side.

Marling :

To wind any small line, as mar-line, spun line, etc., round a rope in such a manner that every turn it takes is secured by a sort of knot.

Maroon :

To put one or more sailors on shore upon a desolate island, under pretence of their having committed some great crime.

Martingale :

The rope extending from a jib boom end downwards to a dolphin striker.

Mast :

A long piece, or system of pieces , of timber, placed nearly perpendicularly to the keelson of a vessel to support the yards, or gaffs, on which the sails are extended.

Master :

The captain of a merchant vessel, who holds a master’s or extra-master’s certificate.

Mate :

Literally, the master’s assistant.

Meridian :

It is a line round the ea

Neap :

The lowest tides, taking place about five or six days before the new and full moons.

Nun Buoy :

A buoy in the shape of a double cone, now called a conical buoy.

Oakum :

The substance to which old ropes are reduced when unpicked.

Oar :

A long, thin, usually wooden pole with a blade at one end, used to row or steer a boat.

Opposite tacks :

Two vessels, one on the port tack, the other on the starboard, are said to be on “opposite tacks”.

Ox :

Bends or reaches, in a river.

Not Found:

Apologies, but the page you requested could not be found. Perhaps searching will help.

Quadrant :

The substance to which old ropes are reduced when unpicked.

Quarter :

One quarter of the ship. The quarters are those portions of the sides of a vessel about half way between beam and stern.

Quilting :

The application of a coating or jacket to some bottle to prevent it from breaking.

Rabbet :

In shipbuilding, a groove or a channel incised by a peculiar form of plane along a piece of timber to receive the edge of a plank.

Raft :

A group of any timbers attached together to form a float.

Rails :

Narrow planks or bars placed in various parts of a vessel, as the fiferails, into which belaying pins may be fitted.

Rake :

The seaman’s name for an inclination or slope: thus the rake of the masts; the rake of the stem or stern, etc., will mean the inclination of any of these from the perpendicular.

Ration :

A certain allowance of food served out to those on board a ship or elsewhere.

Reach :

In a river , the distance between two bends; that is, in which the stream make no decided turn.

Reef :

A low ridge of rocks, usually beneath the surface of the sea.

Rhumb :

In navigation, the track of a ship which cuts all the meridians at the same angle.

Rigging :

The system of cordage in a vessel by which masts are supported and sails extended and worked.

Rudder :

That instrument by which a vessel is steered.

Saccade :

The sudden jerk of the sails in light winds, and a heavy swell.

Sail :

fabric catching wind on boat: a large piece of strong fabric, usually triangular or rectangular in shape.

Sailing :

The art of directing a ship on a given line laid down in a chart.

Salvage :

The thing or goods saved from a wreck, fire or enemies. It signifies an allowance made to those by whose means the ship or goods have been saved.

Scantling :

The dimensions of any timber when reduced to its standard size.

Scuppers :

Openings in the bulwarks of a ship to carry off deck water.

Sextant :

The instrument used at sea for measuring the altitudes of the celestials bodies, and thereby determining the position of a ship.

Shell :

A popular term for the remnant of a vessel after she has been completely stripped.

Sling :

In square rig, the sling of a yard is the middle point. In fore-and-aft rig, a rope passed under anything to give it support or lift it by.

Splice :

A method of joining rope by interweaving the strands.

Stanchion :

An upright post in the frame of a ship.

Starboard :

The right-hand side of a vessel.

Stays :

Supports. Strong ropes , mostly of wire , supporting spars, and more especially masts.

Stem :

The foremost timber of a vessel.

Stevedore :

A man whose business it is to undertake the stowage of cargo in ships.

Stevedore :

A man whose business it is to undertake the stowage of cargo in ships.

Stiff :

The capability of a boat under sail to keep the upright or to return to it when heeled over.

Stopper :

Stoppering is to check or hold fast any rope. Stopper knot .- A knot made at the end of a sheet or any other rope to prevent it from flying out of its lead.

Tabernacle :

A housing or case on the deck of such vessels as have lowering masts.

Tackle :

A purchase formed by the combination of a rope with two or more blocks.

Tally :

A word properly used in commerce, very generally at sea. To agree with the account of another person, on comparison with one’s own, is to tally.

Tholes :

Pegs fitted into holes in a boat’s gunwale, and between which oars are placed while rowing.

Toggle and becket :

A toggle is a short piece of wood intended to pass through an eye at the end of a rope: it is grooved about the middle so that the rope may not slip off it. A becket is a small eye at the end of a rope, sometimes intended to hold a toggle, sometimes large enough for the toggle to pass through.

Trawl :

A large net attached to a heavy beam called the trawl-beam, used in bottom fishing.

Trench :

To trench the ballast is so to place it that a passage or trench is left, in case it may be necessary to get at any part of the vessel.

Ullage :

That part which a cask /tank lacks of being full.

Vail :

(old term) To lower, as in dipping a flag.

Veer :

To turn away from the wind.

Wake :

The track a vessel leaves behind her on the surface of the water.

Wash :

The commotion resulting in a wave, created by a vessel moving rapidly through the water.

Wharf :

A lading place for vessels.

Winch :

A species of small windlass with a crank, which in some small yachts takes the place of the windlass.

Wake :

With the sun In the same direction as the sun’s path- from east through south to west. Often said when turning anything about.

Xebec :

A small three-masted vessel, lateen-rigged, and often with an overhanging bow, used in conveying merchandise in the Mediterranean and sometimes seen on the west coast of Spain.

Yarn :

Fibrous threads , which, being twisted together , compose the strands used in making a rope.

Zenith :

The point directly overhead of any person.

Zephyr :

The West wind: but in general conversation it often signifies only a light wind.