Glossary

abeam	at right angles to the beam.
about, going	changing direction by crossing the wind bow-first.
above board	Above decks, therfore, meaning to be out in the open, visible to all; honest, straight forward, etc.
aft	in the rear, towards the stern
ahoy	a greeting
aloft	in the rigging, above the deck
amidship	in the middle of the ship
anchor	implement that chains the ship to the bottom.
apparent wind	the wind as a combined vector between the true wind and created by the motion of the boat.
athwartships	at right angles to the centerline.
avast	"Stop. Quit what you are doing."
backstay	any single wire supporting the mast from the stern.
beam	measurement of the width of the boat.
bearing	a direction.
beating	sailing against the wind by tacking.
belay	make a line fast.
bend	A knot used to join two ropes, lines, cables to one another or to an object, such as an anchor's shackle. A knot, more properly, usually involves untwisting the individual strands of a rope for the purpose of tucking them under and over one another to make a Stopper Knot or a Turk's Head or similar knot.
bend on	tie or fasten.
bight	a loop or bend in the rope
binnacle	container for ship's compass.
bitter end	the very end of a piece of rope
block	a pulley.
boom	spar that takes the foot of a sail.
bos'n	Short for Boatswain, pronounced "bosun", the person in charge of the deck crew, and the deck and rigging in general. In the modern Navy the Bos'n is a Warrant Officer, while a Bosn's Mate is a Petty Officer.
bow	the whole forward end of the ship
bowsprit	spar projecting from the bow.
brass monkey	A brass monkey is a brass triangle which is put on the ground and used to keep cannonballs in a neat pile or pyramid beside a gun.
brass monkey weather	Refers to very cold weather.
broach	turn sideways to wind and wave.
bulkhead	Partition or wall on a ship
burgee	small pennant or flag.
captain	First in command on the vessel
chain plate	metal fitting to hold the shrouds.
chantey songs	used on board a ship while working
charley noble	Many a rookie sailor has been sent to find Charley Noble. Usually after much searching and being unable to find the person named, he will eventually discover that Charley Noble is the galley stove pipe. This is akin to being put on lookout duty for the mail buoy.
chart	navigational map used only at sea.
cleat	fitting to which a rope may be belayed.
cleat	block in bottom of whale boat used to give the harpooner leverage when throwing the harpoon
clew	aft bottom corner of a sail.
close-hauled	sailing close to the wind with sails pulled in.
compass	navigational instrument for finding geographic directions.
cringle	loop or eye on the edge of a sail.
dead reckoning	the process of predicting and fixing position by course, speed, and distance run.
deep six	To discard something, specifically to throw it in the water. Water depth is measured in fathoms, six feet to a fathom. The term "deep six" comes from the throwing of the lead to determine water depth and indicates a depth "over six fathoms."
doctor	ship's cook.  Because he has the knives.
douse	drop sails quickly.
downhaul	rope used to set up downward tension or haul down a sail or spar.
draft	depth from the waterline to the lowermost projection of the hull.
ease	decrease the pressure on a sail.
eye of the wind	direction from which the wind is blowing.
fall off	turn away from the direction of the wind.
fathom	Six feet, a measurement of length (finger tip to finger to tip length, now standardized to six feet).
fid	Similar to a Marlin Spike, but usually larger, and made of wood. Used in the same way as a Marlin Spike but usually for larger rope and cable.
fix	boat's position established on a chart.
fore-and-aft	lengthwise.
forecastle	fo'c'sle, an abbreviation of forecastle. Refers to that portion of the cabin which is farthest forward. In square-riggers often used as quarters for the crew.
foremast	mast nearest to the bow.
freezing the balls off a brass monkey	A brass monkey is a brass triangle which is put on the ground and used to keep cannonballs in a neat pile or pyramid beside a gun. When the weather gets very cold the brass triangle contracts more than the iron and causes the cannonballs to roll off, hence the saying.
furl	tightly roll up a sail.
galley	a boat's kitchen.
genoa	large headsail overlapping the mainsail.
gooseneck	sliding and pivoting fitting that connects the boom to the mast.
greenhand	inexperienced hand on a ship
grommet	rope or brass ring in a sail or piece of canvas.
gudgeon	a rudder support.
gunwales	upper edges of a boat's sides.
guy	adjustable steadying rope on a boat's rig.
halyard	rope or wire used for hoisting sails.
hatch	an opening on deck
hull	the whole body of the ship
line	rope
hatch	an opening on deck
haul	pull, as on a line
hawser	a large line used to tie the vessel to the dock
head	Toilet, square rigged ships sailed down wind (that means the wind blew from the stern to the bow), that was the nature of the beast. With no indoor plumbing sailors would do their thing over the side. No experienced sailor would piss in the wind, so he would go the head (front) of the ship to take care of his needs.
headway	forward movement of a boat.
helm	tiller or wheel.
hull	the body of a boat.
jib	triangular sail set farthest forward.
kedge	small anchor used for maneuvering.
keel	centerline backbone at the bottom of a boat.
lateen	rig with a triangular sail secured to a yard hoisted to a low mast.
leech	outside edge of a sail.
leeward	down wind.
leeway	sideways drift of a boat.
lifeline	line attached to a harness or a boat for safety.
line	rope
logbook	book in which daily records of a voyage are kept.
loggerhead	To be at loggerheads; whalers, when a whale was harpooned, would fasten the line to a timber in the boat called a loggerhead, which would take the strain of the whale's pull. Also, to have a disagreement.
luff	to get so close to the wind that the sail flaps. Also the forward edge of a sail.
lug	fore-and-aft sail with a yard that partly projects forward of the mast.
LWL	length at the waterline.
mainmast	principal mast on a boat.
mainsail	boomed sail projecting aft from main-mast.
mainsheet	line that controls the main boom.
make fast	secure a line.
marlin Spike	A steel rod, tapered to a point at one end, the other usually has a wider head. Used to open up the strands of a rope in order to tuck another strand under. Used in splicing rope. See also Fid.
marlin spike seamanship	A general term referring to the working of rope, cable, etc. Encompasses tying of knots, bends, lashing and other activities. Sailors, even modern day ones, often take great pride in their marlinspike seamanship. Even on modern missile cruisers, it is not unusual to see a Knot Board, made by a member of the crew, displaying many different kinds of knots, both usefull and decorative.
mast	vertical spar to which the sails and rigging are attached.
masthead	top of the mast.
outhaul	line used to pull out the foot of a sail.
pitch or roll	The ships motion swaying when from side to side. Pitch means to rock fore and aft. Thus, the old salt's crusty remark
point	direction on the compass card.
poop deck	the high deck at the stern
port	the left side when you are facing forward
port tack	when a boat sails with the main boom to the starboard and the wind hits the port side first.
reaching	sailing on a tack with the wind roughly abeam.
reef	reduce the area of sail.
rig	arrangements of masts and sails.
rigging	There are, generally, two types of rigging, even on a modern steam ship, standing and running rigging. Standing rigging is that rigging which is fixed in place, such as halyard and stays which support a mast, and are not intended to be easily adjusted or changed. Running rigging is that which is easily adjustable, such a the main sheet, used to adjust the main sail, or the rigging on a ships crane which raises and lowers cargo.
Rope	There is some confusion over the term rope. Rope is considered to be the bulk source of line. While the rope is stored waiting for use it is properly termed "rope." Once it has been taken from storage and put to use it should then be called line.
rowlocks	crutches on the gunwale that hold the oars when in use.
rudder	vertical metal or wooden plate attached at the stern, whose movements steer the boat.
run	sail with the wind aft.
salt	an experienced seaman on a ship
scull	propel a boat by means of one oar over the stern.
sea anchor	floating object dragged from the stern to hold a boat to the wind.
shake a Leg	There was a time when women went to sea with their sailors on certain ships. The crew and their women slept in hammocks, slung on hooks. When the Bos'n rousted out the crew for a sail change or other evolution he would yell "Shake a leg". He could then tell by the leg if it was a crewman that had to be rolled out.
sheet	line that controls a sail or the movement of a boom.
shrouds	transverse wires or ropes that support the mast laterally.
slush	Grease obtained from the meat boiled in the coppers and used as a lubricant and for slushing the spars after scraping.
son of a Gun	Many people use this, with no inkling of the original meaning. Going back to the days of sail, when a woman gave birth on (or under) the gun deck, the child was said to be a son of a gun. Usually the father's name was not known, hence calling some one a son of a gun is short of calling him a bastard.
sound	(verb) to determine the depth of water.
sound	A steep dive by a whale.
spar	pole, mast, or boom, etc. that supports a sail.
splice	to join the ends of line, or make a permanent loop (eye) on the end of a line, by weaving the strands together
spinnaker	large, light foresail set forward of the mainsail when running before the wind.
sprit	spar projecting diagonally from the mast to extend the fore-and-aft sail.
spritsall	sail extended or rigged from a sprit.
squall	sudden storm resulting from extreme thermal conditions.
square rig	square sail extended by yards set across the boat.
standing rigging	fixed shrouds or stays of a boat.
starboard	the right side when you are facing forward
starboard tack	when a boat sails with boom to port and wind strikes the starboard side first.
stays	fore-and-aft wires that hold the mast in place longitudinally.
staysail	sail set on a stay inboard of the forward most sail.
stern	the back end of the ship
sternway	backward movement of a boat.
storm jib	small sail at the bow used in heavy seas.
storm trysail	small heavy mainsail used in stormy weather.
swab	to wash or mop
tack	bottom forward end of a sail. Also the diagonal made with the wind by a sailboat.
tackle	the line rigged through and around pulleys (blocks) to increase the effect of the pull
tacking	working the windward closehauled.
tar, pine, kiln, and retort	A dark, oily liquid obtained by slowly burning resinous pine wood in a kiln or by its destructive distillation in a retort. It is used as a paint and a preservative for cordage, etc.
thwort	transverse seat in a boat, for rowers to sit on it.
topping lift	line that runs from the mast to the boom to hoist it.
transom	flat surface of a boat's stern.
trim	to adjust angle of the sails to accord with the wind. Or the way a boat sits in the water.
warp	heavy rope used for towing. Move a boat by means of a warp.
weigh	To weigh anchor means to lift on the anchor until it is clear of the bottom. The instant the anchor is free of the bottom the anchor is said to be aweigh, signifying that the ship is now free to maneuver, as in the U.S Navy song "Anchors Aweigh."
windward	toward the wind.
yard	horizontal yards that holds the sails.