| Just for fun! TheYachtMarket brings you sailing terms | | | | the "messenger" (a moving line propelled by the |
| that you may not be familiar with. Why not test | | | | capstan) so that the cable is dragged along too |
| yourself? | | | | (Used because the cable is too large to be wrapped |
| A is for... Aft - Towards the stern | | | | round the capstan itself). During the raising of an |
| B is for... Baggywrinkle - A soft covering for cables | | | | anchor the nippers were attached and detached |
| that prevents sail chafing from occurring. | | | | from the (endless) messenger by the ship's boys. |
| C is for... Chock-a-block - Rigging blocks that are so | | | | Hence the term for small boys: 'nippers'. |
| tight against one another that they cannot be further | | | | O is for... Orlop deck - The lowest deck of a ship of |
| tightened. | | | | the line. The deck covering in the hold. |
| D is for... Deadeye - A round wooden plank which | | | | P is for... Pipe down - A signal on the bosun's pipe to |
| serves a similar purpose to a block in the standing | | | | signal the end of the day, requiring lights (and |
| rigging of large sailing vessels. | | | | smoking pipes) to be extinguished and silence from |
| E is for... Embayed - The condition where a sailing | | | | the crew. A red light at night. |
| vessel is confined between two capes or headlands, | | | | Q is for... Quarterdeck - The aftermost deck of a |
| typically where the wind is blowing directly onshore. | | | | warship. In the age of sail, the quarterdeck was the |
| F is for... Fathom - A unit of length equal to 6 feet | | | | preserve of the ship's officers. |
| (1.8 m), roughly measured as the distance between a | | | | R is for... Ratlines - Rope ladders permanently rigged |
| man's outstretched hands. | | | | from bulwarks and tops to the mast to enable |
| G is for... Gunwale - Upper edge of the hull. | | | | access to top masts and yards. Also serve to |
| H is for... Hand over fist - To climb steadily upwards, | | | | provide lateral stability to the masts. |
| from the motion of a sailor climbing shrouds on a | | | | S is for... Sampson post - A strong vertical post used |
| sailing ship (originally "hand over hand"). | | | | to support a ship's windlass and the heel of a ship's |
| I is for... In Irons - When the bow of a sailboat is | | | | bowsprit. |
| headed into the wind and the boat has stalled and is | | | | T is for... Three sheets to the wind - On a |
| unable to manoeuvre . | | | | three-masted ship, having the sheets of the three |
| J is for... Jibboom - A spar used to extend the | | | | lower courses loose will result in the ship meandering |
| bowsprit. | | | | aimlessly downwind. Also, a sailor who has drunk |
| K is for... Killick - A small anchor. A fouled killick is the | | | | strong spirits beyond his capacity. |
| substantive badge of non-commissioned officers in | | | | U is for... Under the weather - Serving a watch on |
| the RN. Seamen promoted to the first step in the | | | | the weather side of the ship, exposed to wind and |
| promotion ladder are called 'Killick'. The badge signifies | | | | spray. |
| that here is an Able Seaman skilled to cope with the | | | | V is for... Vanishing angle - The maximum degree of |
| awkward job of dealing with a fouled anchor. | | | | heel after which a vessel becomes unable to return |
| L is for... Luffing - When a sailing vessel is steered far | | | | to an upright position. |
| enough to windward that the sail is no longer | | | | W is for... Windlass - A winch mechanism, usually with |
| completely filled with wind (the luff of the sail is | | | | a horizontal axis. Used where mechanical advantage |
| usually where this first becomes evident). | | | | greater than that obtainable by block and tackle was |
| M is for... Mainsheet - Sail control line that allows the | | | | needed (such as raising the anchor on small ships). |
| most obvious effect on mainsail trim. Primarily used to | | | | Y is for... Yardarm - The very end of a yard. Often |
| control the angle of the boom, and thereby the | | | | mistaken for a "yard", which refers to the entire spar. |
| mainsail, this control can also increase or decrease | | | | As in to hang "from the yardarm" and the sun being |
| downward tension on the boom while sailing upwind, | | | | "over the yardarm" (late enough to have a drink). |
| significantly affecting sail shape. | | | | How many did you already know?! |
| N is for... Nipper - Short rope used to bind a cable to | | | | |