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Nautical Terms

Abaft - toward the rear (stern) of the ship. Behind

Abeam - at right angles to the keel of the boat, but not on the boat

Aboard - on or within the ship

Above Deck - on the deck

Abreast - side by side, by the side of another ship

Accommodation Ladder - External Folding Stairway for access to or from a tender along side

Adrift - loose, not on moorings or towline

 Aft – near or toward the stern of a ship

Aground - when the hull or keel of ship is against the ground

Ahead - in a forward direction

Aids to Navigation – an artificial objects to supplement natural landmarks indicating safe and unsafe waters

Alee - away from the direction of the wind. Opposite of windward

Alleyway - a passageway or corridor

Aloft - overhead, above

Amidships - in or toward the middle of the ship

Anchor - An object designed to grip the ground, under a body of water, to hold the ship in a selected area

Anchorage - a place suitable for anchoring in relation to the wind, seas and bottom

Apparent Wind - the direction of the wind as is relative to the speed and direction of the ship

Astern – something behind the ship, opposite of ahead

Athwart ships - at right angles to the centerline of the ship

Aweigh - the position of anchor as it is raised clear of the bottom

Backstay - a support wire that runs from the top of the mast to the stern

Backwash - motion in the water caused by the propellers moving in a reverse direction

Bail - to remove water from the ship

Ballast - weight in the lower portion of a boat, used to add stability

Bar - sandbar, usually caused by tidal or current conditions near the shore

Battens - thin, stiff strips of plastic or wood, placed in pockets in the leech of a sail, to assist in keeping its form

Batten Down - secure hatches and loose objects both within the hull and on deck

Beam - the width of the ship at its widest

Beam Reach - a point of sail where the boat is sailing at a right angle to the wind

Bearing - a compass direction from one point to another.  The direction of an object expressed either as a true     bearing  as shown on the chart, or as a bearing relative to the heading of the ship                     

Belay - to make secure

Bells - audible sounding of the ship's time

Below - beneath the deck

Berth - a space for anchoring or mooring a ship

Berth  - a built-in bunk (bed) for sleeping

Bight - the part of the rope or line, between the end and the standing part, on which a knot is formed.

Bilge - the lowest part of a ship, designed to collect water that enters the ship

Binnacle - the ship's compass

Bitter End - the last part of a rope or chain. The inboard end of the anchor rode

Block - a pulley

Boat - a fairly indefinite term. A waterborne vehicle smaller than a ship. One definition is a small craft carried aboard a ship      

Boat Hook - a device designed to catch a line when coming alongside a pier or mooring. A short shaft with a fitting at one end shaped to facilitate use in putting a line over a piling, recovering an object dropped overboard, or in pushing or fending off

Boat Stations - an allotted place for each person during a lifeboat drill or an emergency when lifeboats are lowered

Bolt Rope - a rope sewn into the luff of a sail for use in attaching to the standing rigging

Boom - the horizontal spar which the foot of a sail is attached to

Boom Vang - a line that adjusts downward tension on the boom

Boot Top - a painted line that indicates the designed waterline

Bow Line - a docking line leading from the bow

Bowline - a knot used to form a temporary loop in the end of a line

Bow Sprit - a spar extending forward from the bow

Breast Line - a docking line going at approximately a right angle from the boat to the dock

Bridge - Navigational and Control centre of a ship, which is in a raised location, located in the forward part of the ship

Bridle - A line or wire secured at both ends in order to distribute a strain between two points

Bright - a loop of line or rope

Brightwork - Varnished woodwork and/or polished metal

Broach - to spin out of control, either causing or nearly causing a capsize

Broad Reach - a point of sail where the boat is sailing away from the wind, but not directly downwind

Bulkhead  - A vertical partition (wall) separating a ship’s compartments

Bulwark - the side of the ship at or near the main deck

Buoy - an anchored float used for marking a position on the water or a hazard or a shoal and for mooring

Burdened Vessel - That vessel which, according to the applicable Navigation Rules, must give way to the privileged vessel. The term has been superseded by the term "give-way"

By the Lee - sailing with the wind coming from behind, and slightly to the side, that the sails are on

C

Cabin – a compartment for passengers or crew

Cable Length  - a measured length equalling 100 fathoms or 600 feet

Can - a kind of navigation buoy mainly used during racing

Capsize - to turn over

Capstan - vertically mounted motor driven spindle used in hawsers or cables

Cast Off - to let go, to release lines holding boat to shore or mooring, to release sheets

Catboat - a one sail sailboat

Catamaran - a twin-hulled boat, with hulls side by side

Centerboard - a fin shaped, often removable, board that extends from the bottom of the boat as a keel

Chafe - damage to a line caused by rubbing against another object

Chafing Gear - tubing or cloth wrapping used to protect a line from chafing on a rough surface.

Chain Plates - metal plates bolted to the boat which standing rigging is attached to

Chart - a nautical map used to by navigate a ship

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

Chock - a guide for an anchor, mooring or docking line . Usually U-shaped to reduce chafe

Cleat - a fitting used to secure a line to. The classic cleat to which lines are belayed is approximately anvil-shaped

Close Hauled - a point of sail where the boat is sailing as close to the wind as possible

Close Reach - a point of sail where the boat is sailing towards the wind but is not close hauled

Clove Hitch - a knot for temporarily fastening a line to a spar or piling

Clew - the lower aft corner of a sail

Cockpit - an opening that is somewhat more protected than the open deck, from which the tiller or wheel is handled

Coil - to lay a line down in circular turns

Colors - refers to the national flag or emblem flown by the ship

Companionway  - interior stairway

Conning - to superintend the steering of a ship

Course - the point of the compass, or direction, toward which a ship sails

Crow's Nest - partially enclosed platform at the top of the mast used by a lookout

Cuddy - a small shelter cabin in a boat

Current - the horizontal movement of water

Davit  - a devise for raising and lowering lifeboats

Dead Ahead - directly ahead

Dead Astern - directly aft

Dead Light  - a ventilated porthole cover through which light cannot be emitted

Deck - a permanent covering over a compartment, hull or any part thereof

Dinghy - a small open boat. A dinghy is often used as a tender for a larger craft

Disembark  (also Debark) - to leave a ship

Displacement - The weight of water displaced by a floating vessel, thus, a boat's weight

Displacement Hull - a type of hull that plows through the water, displacing a weight of water equal to its own weight, even when more power is added

Dock - berth, pier, or quay, a protected water area in which a ship is moored , also the act of taking the ship to the pier to secure it. The term is often used to denote a pier or a wharf

Dolphin - a group of piles driven close together and bound with wire cables into a single structure

Draft Numbers - located at the bow and the stern to measure draft. Numbers are 6" high and 6" apart

Downhaul - a line, attached to the tack that adjusts tension in the sail

Drift - the leeway, or movement of the ship, when not under power, or when being pushed sideways while under power

E
Ebb - a receding current or tide

Ease - to loosen or let out

Even Keel - the ship is in a true vertical position with respect to its vertical axis

F

Fairlead - a fitting used to change the direction of a line without chafing

Fantail  - the part of the stern of a ship extending or overhang of the ship

Fathom - a measurement relating to the depth of water, one fathom is 6 feet

Fender – a cushion, placed between ships, or between a ship and a pier, to prevent damage.

Figure Eight Knot - a knot in the form of a figure eight, placed in the end of a line to prevent the line from passing through a grommet or a block

Flagstaff  - a pole at the stern of a ship where the flag of the ship’s country of registry is flown

Flare - The outward curve of a vessel's sides near the bow. Also a distress signal.

Flood - an incoming current

Floorboards - The surface of the bridge or cockpit on which the crew stand

Fluke - the palm of an anchor

Foot - the bottom part of a sail

Fore - the forward mast or the front (bow) of the ship

Fore-and-Aft  - running in the direction of the keel from bow to stern, lengthwise

Forepeak - a compartment in the bow of a small shop

Forward - toward the bow of the boat

Foremast - the forward mast of a boat with more that one mast

Foresail - the jib

Fouled - an entangled or clogged piece of equipment that is or dirtied

Freeboard - the distance from the highest point of the hull to the water

Free Port – port or place that is free of customs duty and regulations

Funnel  - the smokestack or chimney of the ship from which combustion gases are propelled into the atmosphere

Furl - to fold or roll a sail and secure it to its main support

G

Galley - the kitchen area of a ship

Gangway – the stairway or ramp link between the ship and shore where people embark and disembark

Gear - a general term for ropes, blocks, tackle and other equipment

Genoa - a large foresail that overlaps the mainsail

Gimball - a device that suspends a compass so that it remains level

Give-Way-Vessel  - a term used to describe the vessel which must yield in meeting, crossing, or overtaking situations

Gooseneck - a device that connects the boom to the mast

GPS – global positioning system (used for navigation)

Grab Rails - hand-hold fittings mounted on cabin tops and sides for personal safety when moving around the boat

Gross Register Ton (GRT) -A measurement of 100 cubic feet of enclosed revenue earning space within a ship.

Ground Tackle - a collective term for the anchor and its associated gear

Halyard - the line used to raise and lower the sail

Hard Chine - an abrupt intersection between the hull side and the hull bottom of a boat so constructed

Hard Alee - the command given to inform the crew that the helm is being turned quickly to leeward, turning the boat windward

Hatch - an opening in a boat's deck fitted with a watertight cover

Hawser - a rope of sufficient size and strength to tow or secure a ship

Head - a marine toilet. Also the upper corner of a triangular sail

Head to Wind - the bow turned into the wind, sails luffing

Heading - the direction in which a vessel's bow points at any given time

Headsail - a sail forward of the mast, a foresail

Headstay - a wire support line from the mast to the bow

Headway - the forward motion of a boat. Opposite of sternway

Heave To - to stop a boat and maintain position (with some leeway) by balancing rudder and sail to prevent forward movement, a boat stopped this way is "hove to"

Heel - the leeward lean of the boat caused by the winds action on the sails

Helm - the wheel, tiller or other devise controlling the rudder to steer the ship

Helmsman - the member of the crew responsible for steering

High Seas - the entire ocean beyond the territorial limits not under the jurisdiction of any country

Hike - leaning out over the side of the boat to balance it

Hitch - a knot used to secure a rope to another object or to another rope, or to form a loop or a noose in a rope

Hoist - to raise aloft

House Flag  - the flag denoting the company to which a ship belongs

Hull - the frame work or the main body of a ship

 I

Inboard - more toward the center of a vessel; inside; a motor fitted inside a boat

In Irons - having turned onto the wind or lost the wind, stuck and unable to make headway

Intercostals Waterway - ICW: bays, rivers, and canals along the coasts (such as the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts), connected so that vessels may travel without going into the sea

J

Jacobs Ladder - a rope ladder, lowered from the deck, as when pilots or passengers come aboard.

Jetty - a structure, usually masonry, projecting out from the shore

Jib - a foresail, a triangle shaped sail forward of the mast

Jibe - a change of tack while going downwind

Keel - the centerline of a ships hull running fore and aft; the backbone of a vessel

Ketch - a two-masted ship with a small mast mounted forward of the rudder post

King Post - vertical posts, usually in pairs, to which the ship's cargo cranes are attached

Knot  - one nautical mile per hour. A nautical mile equals 6076 feet, compared with a land mile which measures 5280 feet

Knot - a fastening made by interweaving rope to form a stopper, to enclose or bind an object, to form a loop or a noose, to tie a small rope to an object, or to tie the ends of two small ropes together

Latitude - an angular distance measured in degrees north or south of the equator. One degree is approximately 60 nautical miles

Lazarette - storage spaces below the deck in the ship’s stern area

League - a measure of distance of approximately 3.45 nautical miles

Lee - the side sheltered from the wind

Leech - the back edge of a sail

Leeward – the direction away from the wind. Opposite of windward

Leeway - the sideways movement of the ship caused by either wind or current

Lifeline - a cable fence that surrounds the deck to assist in the prevention of crew falling overboard

Line - rope or cordage used aboard a ship

List - the leaning of a ship to one side because of excess weight on that side

Log – a record of courses or operation. Also, a device to measure speed

Longitude - an angular distance measured in degrees east or west of the prime meridian at Greenwich, England. Due to the earth's curvature, one degree of longitude will vary from about 60 nautical miles at the equator to zero at the north and south poles

Lubber’s Line - a mark or permanent line on a compass indicating the direction forward parallel to the keel when properly installed

Luff - the front edge of a sail, and the flapping in the wind of the front of the sail (luffing)

M

Mainsheet - the line that controls the boom

Manifest  - a list of the ship’s passengers, crew and cargo

Marlinspike - a tool for opening the strands of a rope while splicing

Midships - approximately in the location equally distant from the bow and stern

Mizzen - the shorter mast behind the main mast on a ketch or yawl

Mooring - an arrangement for securing a boat to a mooring buoy or a pier. an anchor or weight, permanently attached to the sea floor, with a buoy going to the surface, used to hold the boat in a certain area

N

Nautical Mile - one minute of latitude; approximately 6080.2 feet - about 1/8 longer than the statute mile of 5280 feet (one-sixtieth of a degree of the circumference of the earth)

Navigation - the art and science of conducting a ship safely from one point to another

Navigation Rules - the regulations governing the movement of vessels in relation to each other, generally called steering and sailing rules

Nun - a kind of navigational buoy

O

Outboard - away from the centerline of the ship, whether toward the ship's sides or beyond them

Outboard - A detachable engine mounted on a boat's stern

Outhaul - the line that adjust tension along the foot of the sail along the boom

Overboard - over the side or out of the ship

Paddlewheel - a wheel with boards around it circumference and commonly the sole source of propulsion for riverboats

Painter - a line tied to the bow of a small boat for the purpose of securing it to a dock or to the shore

Passageway  - a corridor or hallway in a ship

Pennant - a triangular flag

Pier - a loading platform extending at an angle from the shore

Pile - a wood, metal or concrete pole driven into the bottom. Craft may be made fast to a pile; it may be used to support a pier (see PILING) or a float.

Piling - support, protection for wharves, piers etc.; constructed of piles (see PILE)

Pilot – a person licensed to navigate ships into or out of harbour or through difficult waters, and to advise the Captain on handling the ship during these times

Piloting - navigation by use of visible references, the depth of the water, etc.

Pinch - to sail as close as possible towards the wind

Pitch - the rise and fall of the ship’s bow that occurs when underway

Planning - a boat is said to be planning when it is essentially moving over the top of the water rather than through the water

Planning Hull - a type of hull shaped to glide easily across the water at high speed

Plimsoll Mark - one of a series of load lines marked on the side of a ship at the waterline to prevent overloading

Point - to turn closer towards the wind (point up)

Port - left side of the ship, looking forward toward the bow

Port – a harbour where ships arrive and depart

Port Tack - sailing with the wind coming from the port side, with the boom on the starboard side

Privileged Vessel - the ship with the right of way; a vessel which, according to the applicable Navigation Rules, has right-of-way (this term has been superseded by the term "stand-on")

Prow - the bow or the stem (front) of the ship

Quarter - the sides of a boat aft of amidships

Quartering Sea - Sea coming on a ship's quarter

Quay – (pronounced - key) a berth, dock or pier

R  

Reach - sailing with a beam wind

Ready About - prepare to come about

Reef - to reduce the size of a sail

Registry - the country under whose laws the ship and its owners are obliged to comply with, in addition to compliance with the laws of the countries at which the ship calls and/or embarks/disembarks passenger or cargo

Rhumb line - a straight line compass course between two points

Rigging - the standing rigging is the mast and support lines, running rigging is the lines with which you adjust the sails

Rode - the line and chain that connect the anchor to the boat

Roll - The alternate sway of a ship from side to side which may occur when underway

Rope - in general, cordage as it is purchased at the store. When it comes aboard a vessel and is put to use it becomes line.

Rudder - a vertical plate or fin like devise astern and below the water line which when turned to port or starboard will cause the bow of the ship to respond with similar turn

Run - to allow a line to feed freely

Running - a point of sail, going directly downwind

Running Lights - three lights (green on the Starboard side, red on the Portside and White at the top of the mast) required by international law to be lighted when the ship is in motion between sunset and sunrise

S

Satellite Navigation - a form of position finding using radio transmissions from satellites with sophisticated on-board automatic equipment

Scope - technically, the ratio of length of anchor rode in use to the vertical distance from the bow of the vessel to the bottom of the water. Usually six to seven to one for calm weather and more scope in storm conditions

SCREW – a ship’s propeller

Scull - moving the rudder back and forth in an attempt to move the boat forward

Scuppers - drain holes on deck, in the toe rail, or in bulwarks or (with drain pipes) in the deck itself

Sea Cock - a through hull valve, a shut off on a plumbing or drain pipe between the vessel's interior and the sea.

Seamanship - all the arts and skills of handling a ship, ranging from maintenance and repairs to piloting, sail handling, marlinespike work, and rigging

Sea Room - a safe distance from the shore or other hazards

Seaworthy - a ship or a ship's gear able to meet the usual sea conditions

Secure - to make fast

Set - direction toward which the current is flowing

Shake out - to release a reefed sail and hoist the sail aloft

Sheave - the wheel of a block pulley

Sheet - a line used to control the sail

Ship - a large vessel usually thought of as being used for ocean travel

Shrouds - support wires for the mast

Sister Ships - ship’s built on the same design

Slack - not fastened; loose and also, to loosen

Sole - extensions on the bottom of the rudder

Sounding - a measurement of the depth of water

Spinnaker - a large, light sail used in downwind sailing (balloon type sail)

Spreaders - struts used to hold the shrouds away from the mast

Spring Line - a pivot line used in docking, undocking, or to prevent the boat from moving forward or astern while made fast to a dock

Squall - a sudden, violent wind often accompanied by rain

Square Knot - a knot used to join two lines of similar size. Also called a reef knot

Stabilizer  - a gyroscopically operated retractable fin extending from the sides of the ship below the waterline to provide for more stability

Stack - the funnel or chimney from which the ship's gasses of combustion are freed into the atmosphere

Stage - the gangway of a paddlewheel steamboat

Standing Part - that part of a line which is made fast. The main part of a line as distinguished from the bight and the end

Stand-On Vessel - that vessel which has right-of-way during a meeting, crossing, or overtaking situation.

Starboard - the right side of a ship when looking forward toward the bow

Starboard Tack - a course with the wind coming from starboard and the boom on the port side

Steerageway - a rate of forward or reverse motion necessary to allow the ship to answer a repositioning of the rudder

Stem - the forward most part of the bow

Step - the frame that the bottom of the mast ends into

Stern Line - a docking line leading from the stern of the ship

Stow - to put items away in their proper place

Superstructure - the structural part of the ship above the main deck

Swamp - to fill with water, but not settle to the bottom

Tack - the front, lower corner of the sail, also course with the wind coming from the side of the boat, also to change course by turning into the wind so that the wind comes from the other side of the boat

Tender - a small boat (sometimes the ship's lifeboat) used to transport passengers, crew and equipment from shore to a ship

Thwartships - at right angles to the centerline of the boat

Tide - the periodic rise and fall of water level in the oceans

Topsides - the sides of a vessel between the waterline and the deck; sometimes referring to onto or above the deck

Topping lift - a line that holds up the boom when it is not being used, also the line that controls the height of a spinnaker pole

Transom - the back, outer part of the stern

Traveller - a device that the mainsheet may be attached to which allows its position to be adjusted

Trim - to adjust the sails, also the position of the sails

Tuning - the adjustment of the standing rigging, the sails and the hull to balance the boat for optimum performance

Underway – a ship starting to leave its mooring, a ship in motion, i.e., when not moored, at anchor, or aground

V

V Bottom - a hull with the bottom section in the shape of a "V"

Wake - the track of agitated water left behind a ship in motion

Waterline - a line along the hull of ship corresponding to the water surface

Way - movement of a vessel through the water such as headway, sternway or leeway

Weather Side - the side of the ship exposed to the wind or the weather

Weigh Anchor  - raise anchor. A weigh is used to indicate that the anchor has been released from the bottom

Windward  - upwind, toward the direction from which the wind is coming

Winch - a metal drum shaped device used to assist in trimming sails

Whisker pole - a light spar which holds the jib out when sailing downwind

Yacht - a pleasure boat that is propelled by sail

Yaw  - the erratic deviation from the ship’s set course, which is usually caused by heavy seas

Yard Spar - from which a square sail is hung

Yardram - the outer end of a yard

Yarn - a tall tale sea story

Yawl - A two masted boat with a smaller mast stepped abaft of the helm 

Zephyr - A gentle breeze; the slightest movement of air

Zinc - sacrificial anodes attached to the underwater section of the ship to prevent electrolysis of metals aboard the boat from currents inherent to salt water

 

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Last Modified: 11/25/05