A.

Aback. The situation of the sails when the wind presses their surfaces against the mast, and tends to force the vessel astern.

Abaft. Towards the stern of a vessel.

Abeam. In a line with the middle of a vessel; thus, in reference to a mark or light as seen from the deck, such may be on the bow, or right abeam, or on the quarter, and so on.

Aboard. Within a vessel.

About. On the other tack.

A-box. Having the head yards aback.

Abreast. Alongside of. Side by side.

A-cock-bill. The situation of the yards when they are topped up at an angle with the deck. The situation of an anchor when it hangs to the cathead by the ring only.

Adrift. Broken from moorings or fasts. Without fasts.

Afloat. Resting on the surface of the water.

Afore. Forward. The opposite of abaft.

Aft-After. Near the stern.

After Sails, and After Yards. The sails and yards on the main and mizzen masts.

Aground. Touching the bottom.

Ahead. In the direction of the vessel's head. Wind ahead is from the direction towards which the vessel's head points.

A-hull. The situation of a vessel when she lies with all her sails furled and her helm lashed a-lee.

A-lee. The situation of the helm when it is put in the opposite direction from that in which the wind blows.

All-aback. When all the sails are aback.

All Hands. The whole crew.

All in the Wind. When all the sails are shaking.

Aloft. Above the deck.

Aloof. At a distance.

Amain. Suddenly. At once.

Amidships. In the center of the vessel; either with reference to her length or to her breadth.

Amplitude. Bearing of the sun from the east or west points of the heavens at rising or setting.

Anchor. The machine by which, when dropped to the bottom, the vessel is held fast.

Anchor-watch. (See WATCH.)

An-end. When a mast is perpendicular to the deck.

A-peak. When the cable is hove taut so as to bring the vessel nearly over her anchor. The yards are a-peek when they are topped up by contrary lifts. Apron. A piece of timber fixed behind the lower part of the stem, just above the fore end of the keel. A kind of false or inner stem, on the after part of the stem, from the head down to the dead-wood, in order to strengthen it. A covering to the vent or lock of a cannon.

Arm. Yard-arm. The extremity of a yard. Also the lower part of an anchor, crossing the shank and terminating in the flukes.

Arming. A piece of tallow or soap put in the cavity and over the bottom of a lead to bring up the quality of the bottom.

A-stern. In the direction of the stern. The opposite of a-head.

A-taunt. (See TAUNT.)

Athwart. Across.

Athwart-ships. Across the line of the vessel's keel; across the length of a vessel, in opposition to fore and aft.

Athwart-hawse. Across the direction of a vessel's head. Across her cable. A-trip. The situation of the anchor when it is raised clear of the ground. The same as a-weigh.

Avast, or 'Vast. An order to stop; as, "Avast heaving!"

Average. A legal term used in reference to the claims against the underwriters for damage.

Awash. On a level with the surface of the water.

A-weather. The situation of the helm when it is put in the direction from which the wind blows. Signifying anything on the weather side. A-weigh. The same as a-trip.

Awning. A covering of canvas over a vessel's deck, or over a boat, to keep off sun or rain.

Aye, Aye, Sir. An affirmative answer given by seamen.

Azimuth. Bearing of the sun from the north or south points of the heavens. Azimuth Compass. An instrument for finding the magnetic bearing of a celestial or terrestrial object.

B.

Back. To back an anchor is to carry out a smaller one made fast to the cable by which the vessel rides, to take off some of the strain on the latter.

To back a sail is to throw it back.

To back and fill is alternately to back and fill the sails.

Backstays. Long ropes running from a masthead to the vessel's side, slanting a little aft. (See STAYS.)

Bagpipe. To bagpipe the mizzen is to lay it aback by bringing the sheet to the weather mizzen-rigging.

Balance-reef. A reef in a spanker or fore-and-aft mainsail, which runs from the outer head-earing, diagonally, to the tack. It is the closest reef, and makes the sail triangular, or nearly so.

Bale. To bale a boat is to throw water out of her.

Ballast.

Heavy material, as iron, lead, or stone, placed in the bottom of the hold, to keep a vessel from upsetting.

To freshen ballast is to shift it. Coarse gravel is called shingle ballast.

Balloon Jib. A very large jib of light material, used in light winds. (See article on RACING SAILS, Part IV.)

Balloon Staysail. A large sail of light material, set between the fore and mainmasts, used in light winds.

Bank. A boat is double-banked when two oars, one opposite the other, are pulled by men seated on the same thwart.

Bar. A bank or shoal at the entrance of a harbor.

Capstan-bars are heavy pieces of wood by which the capstan is hove round. Bare-poles. The condition of a ship when she has no sail set.

Barge. A large double-banked boat, used by the commander of a fleet in the

navy.

Bark, or Barque. A three-masted vessel, having her fore and main masts rigged like a ship's, and her mizzen mast like the main mast of a schooner, with no sail upon it but a spanker and gaff-topsail.

Barnacle. A shell-fish often found on a vessel's bottom.

Barquantine. A three-masted vessel with yards on her foremast only.
Barrel. The main piece of a capstan, or steering wheel.

Battens. Thin strips of wood put around the hatches, to keep the tarpaulin down. Also put upon rigging to keep it from chafing. A large batten, widened at the end, and put upon rigging, is called a Scotchman.

Beacon. A post or buoy placed over a shoal or bank to warn vessels off. Also as a signal-mark on land.

Beams. Strong pieces of timber stretching across the vessel, to support the decks.

On the weather or lee beam is in a direction to windward or leeward, at right angles with the keel.

On beam ends. The situation of a vessel when turned over so that her beams are inclined towards the vertical.

Bear. An object bears so and so, when it is in such a direction as the person looking.

To bear down upon a vessel is to approach her from windward.

To bear up is to put the helm up and keep a vessel off from her course, and move her to leeward.

To bear away is the same as to bear up; being applied to the vessel instead of to the tiller.

To bear a-hand. To make haste.

Bearing. The direction of an object from the person looking. The bearings

of a vessel are the widest part of her below the plank-shear. That part of her hull which is on the water-line when she is at anchor and in her proper trim. Beating. Going towards the direction of the wind, by alternate tacks. Becalm. To intercept the wind. A vessel or highland to windward is said to becalm a vessel to leeward. So one sail to windward may becalm another to leeward.

Becket. A piece of rope placed so as to confine a spar or another rope. A handle made of rope, in the form of a circle (as the handle of a chest), is called a becket.

Bees. Pieces of plank bolted to the outer end of the bowsprit, to reeve the fore. topmast stays through.

Before the wind. Sailing with the wind blowing after the ship.

Belay. To make a rope fast, by turns round a pin or coil, without hitching or seizing it.

Belaying Pin. Pins of wood or metal placed in different parts of a vessel, to which ropes are made fast.

Bells. The time told on board vessels by striking the ship's bell a certain number of times.

Bend. To make fast.

To bend a sail is to make it fast to the yard.

To bend a cable is to make it fast to the anchor.

A bend is a knot by which one rope is made fast to another.

Bends. The thickest and strongest planks on the outward part of a vessel's side, to which the beams, knees, and foot-hooks are holted.

Beneaped. (See NEAPED.)

Bentinck Shrouds. Formerly used, and extending from the futtock-staves to the opposite channels.

Berth. The place where a vessel lies. The place in which a man sleeps.
Between-decks. The space between any two decks of a ship.