Language of the Sea 2

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Language of the Sea

CABIN -

A compartment for passengers or crew.

CABLE -

A large strong rope made fast to the anchor, by which the vessel is secured.

CABLE-TIER -

See Tier.

CABOOSE -

A house on the deck where the cooking is done. Most often referred to as the galley.

CALVING -

When a large mass of ice breaks away from a glacier.

CAMBERED -

When the floor of the vessel is higher at the middle than the stern or stem. Standard camber for weather decks is 1/50th of vessel's breadth.

CAMEL -

A machine used for lifting vessels over a shoal or bar. Hollow, it is filled with water and sunk, stationed beneath a vessel's hull. When the water released, the buoyancy raises the vessel.

CANHOOKS -

Slings with flat hooks at each end, used for hoisting barrels or light casks, the hooks being placed round the chimes, and the purchase hooked to the center of the slings.

CANT-PIECES -

Pieces of wood fastened to the angles of fishes and side-trees to supply any part that may prove rotten.

CANT-TIMBERS -

Timbers at the two ends of a vessel, raised obliquely from the keel.

Lower Half Cants - Those parts of the frames situated forward and abaft the aquare frames, or the floor timbers which cross the keel.

CANVASS -

Sometimes, the cloth of which sails are made.

CAP –

A thick, strong block of wood with two holes through it, one square and the other round, used to confine together the head of one mast the and lower part of the mast above it

CAPSIZE -

To turn over.

CAPSTAN -

A machine placed in the deck and used as leverage for heaving or hoisting.

CAREEN -

To lie a vessel over on her side when sailing on the wind.

CARLINGS -

Timber running between the beams of a vessel.

CARRICK-BEND -

Knot type.

Carrick-bitts are windlass bitts.

CARRY-AWAY -

To break a spar or part a rope.

CAST OFF -

To let go.

CAT -

The tackle used to hoist the anchor up to the cathead.

CATAMARAN -

A twin-hulled boat, with hulls side-by-side.

CATBOAT -

A type of sailboat with one sail.

CAT-HARPIN -

An iron leg used to confine the upper part of the rigging to the mast.

CAT-HEAD -

Large timbers projecting from the vessel's side, to which the anchor is hoisted and secured.

CAT'S-PAW -

A hitch type in a rope.

CAT'S SKIN -

Said of light, warm wind on surface of the sea.

CAULK -

To fill the vessel's seams with oakum.

CEILING -

The inside planking of a vessel.

CELESTIAL NAVIGATION -

Method of using the stars, sun and moon to determine a vessel's position. Used with a sextant and time intervals.

CENTER LINE -

Middle of a vessel, running fore and aft.

CHAFE -

To rub a rope or rigging

CHAFING GEAR -

Tubing or cloth wrapping used to protect a line from chafing on a rough surface.

CHAINS -

Strong links or plates of iron, the lower ends of which are bolted through the ship's side to the timbers. Their upper ends are secured to the bottom of the dead-eyes in the channel.

CHAIN-PLATES -

Plates or iron bolted to the side of a ship, to which the chains and deadeyes of the lower rigging are secured.

CHANNEL -

1. That part of a body of water deep enough for navigation through an area otherwise not suitable. It is usually marked by a single or double line of buoys and sometimes by range markers.

2. The deepest part of a stream, bay, or strait, through which the main current flows.

3. A name given to a large strait, for example, the English Channel.

CHANNELS -

Broad planking bolted edgewise to the outside of the vessel. Used for spreading the lower rigging.

CHAPELLING -

Wearing a ship around, when taken aback, without bracing the headyards.

CHART -

A map for use by navigators.

CHECK -

To ease a rope, then belay it.

CHECKING -

Slack a rope smartly, a little at a time.

CHEEKS -

The projections on each side of a mast, upon which the tree-trestles rest. The sides of the shell of a block.

CHESS-TREES -

Pieces of oak, fitted to the sides of a vessel, abaft the fore chains, with a sheave in them to board the main tack to.

CHINE -

The intersection of the bottom and sides of a flat or v-bottomed boat.

CHINSE -

To push oakum into seams with an iron.

CHOCK -

A fitting through which anchor or mooring lines are led. Usually U-shaped to reduce chafe.

CHUCH -

Name sometimes given to a fairlead.

CLAMPS -

Thick planks on the insides of vessels to support the ends of beams. Any plate of iron made to turn, open or shut so as to confine a spar or boom, a studdingsail boom, or vessel's mast.

CLASSIFICATION -

Any larger vessel is classified following a survey to determine to what standard it has been built or in what condition it has been maintained.

CLEAT -

A fitting to which lines are made fast. The classic cleat to which lines are belayed is approximately anvil-shaped.

CLEW -

The lower corner of square sails, and the after corner of a fore-and-aft sail.

CLEW-GARNET -

A rope that hauls up the clew of a forsail or a mainsail in a square-rigged vessel.

CLEWLINE -

A rope that hauls up the clew of a mainsail. A clew-garnet is the clewline of a course.

CLINCH -

A half-hitch stopped to its' own part.

CLIPPER -

Swift sailing ships with sharp bows and fine lines that originated in the United States. Term later used generally for fast sailing ships, even four-masted barks.

CLOSE ABOARD -

Come alongside closely.

CLOSE-HAULED -

Applied to a vessel which is sailing with her yards braced up so as to get as much possible to windward.

CLOSE REACH -

When the boat is sailing toward the wind, but not close hauled, it is sailing on a close reach.

CLOVE HITCH -

A knot for temporarily fastening a line to a spar or piling.

CLOVE-HOOK -

An iron clasp, in two parts, moving up the same pivot, and overlapping one another. Used for bending chain sheets to the clew of sails.

CLUB-HAUL -

To bring a vessel's head round on the other tack, by letting go the lee anchor and cutting or slipping the cable.

CLUBBING -

Drifting down a current with an anchor out.

COAKING -

Uniting pieces of spar by means of tabular projection, formed by cutting away the solid of one piece into a hollow, so as to make a projection in the other, in such a manner that they may correctly fit, the butts preventing the pieces from drawing asunder. Coaks are fitted into the knees and beams of vessels to prevent their drawing.

COAL TAR -

Tar made from bituminous coal

COAT -

Mast-coat is a piece of canvas, tarred or painted, placed around a mast or bowsprit where it enters the deck.

COAMING -

A vertical piece around the edge of a cockpit, hatch, etc. to prevent water on deck from running below.

COCKPIT -

An opening in the deck from which the boat is handled.

CODLINE -

An eighteen thread line.

COIL -

To lay a line down in circular turns.

COLIMATION -

Correct alignment of the optical parts of an instrument.

COLLAR -

An eye in the end or bight of a shroud or stay, to go over the masthead.

COME -

Come home, said of an anchor when it breaks ground and drags.

To come up a rope or tackle is to slack off.

COMPANION -

A wooden covering over a staircase to a cabin.

COMPASS -

Navigation instrument, either magnetic (showing magnetic north) or gyro (showing true north).

COMPASS CARD -

Part of a compass, the card is graduated in degrees, to conform with the magnetic meridian-referenced direction system inscribed with direction which remains constant; the vessel turns, not the card.

COMPASS ROSE -

The resulting figure when the complete 360° directional system is developed as a circle with each degree graduated upon it, and with the 000° indicated as True North. Also called true rose. This is printed on nautical charts for determining direction.

COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION -

Wooden planking on a metal frame and keel.

CONCLUDING-LINE -

A small line leading through the center of the steps of a Jacobs' Ladder.

CONNING -

Directing the helmsman in steering a vessel.

CORVETTE -

Type of warship smaller than a frigate. Usually rigged as ship, with guns mounted on the upper decks. Mainly used for scouting, convoying and privateering.

COUNTER -

The part of a vessel between the bottom of the stern and the wing-transom and buttock.

Counter-timbers are short timbers installed to brace the counter.

To counter brace-yards is to brace the head-yards one way and the after-yards another.

COURSES -

The sails that hang from a ships 'lower yards.

CRANES -

Pieces of iron or timber at the vessel's sides, used to stow boats or spars upon.

CRANK -

The condition of a vessel when she is inclined to lean over a great deal and cannot bear much sail.

CREEPER -

An iron instrument, like a grapnell, with four claws, used to drag the bottom of a harbor or river to locate something.

CREW -

Vessel's full compliment of people assigned duties in the operation of vessel.

CRIMP -

Person who lures seamen onto a different vessel for the purpose of crew, without the seaman’s consent. A method used too frequently in the 19th century; and still used today in some areas of the world.

CRINGLE -

A short piece of rope with each end spliced into the bolt-rope of a sail, confining an iron ring or thimble.

CROSS-BARS -

Round bars of iron, bent at each end, used as levers to turn the shank of an anchor.

CROSS-CHOCKS -

Pieces of timber fayed across the deadwood amidships, to make good the deficiency at the heels of the lower buttocks.

CROSS-JACK -

The lower yard on the mizzenmast.

CROSS-PAWLS -

Timber that keeps a vessel together while in her framing state.

CROSS-PIECE -

Timber that connects two bitts.

CROSS-SPALES -

Timber placed across a vessel and nailed to her frames to keep the sides together until the knees are bolted.

CROSS-TREES -

Pieces of oak supported by the cheeks and trestle-trees at the mastheads, to sustain the tops on the lower mast, and to spread the topgallant rigging at the topmast-head.

CROWN -

Of an anchor, where the arms are joined to the shank.

CROWS NEST -

Barrel-like look-out post, high up on a mast.

CRUISE -

To sail for relaxation to various destinations, without pressure or serious constraints.

CRUTCH -

A knee, or piece of knee-timber, placed inside of a vessel, to secure the heels of the cant-timber abaft.

Also, the chock upon which the spanker-boom rests when the sail is not set.

CUCKOLD'S NECK -

A knot by which a rope is secured to a spar, the two parts of the rope crossing each other and seized together.

CUDDY -

A cabin in the fore part of a boat.

CULAGE -

To lay a vessel up for repairs.

CUNTLINE -

The space between the bilges of two casks stowed side by side.

CUTWATER -

The foremost part of a vessel's prow, which projects forward of the bows.

CUTTER -

Single masted sailboat.

Also, a naval pulling boat.

CURRENT -

The horizontal movement of water.


Corrections, Additions & Clarifications - MMNETSEA

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