Combing. The raised board sur-ser or chain that holds the anchor. rounding the cockpit. Close-hauled. Sailing as close as possible to the wind. Close to the wind. Nearly in the direction from which the wind is blowing. Crank. Easy to overturn, opposed to stiff. Cringle. A loop of rope, either plain, or made around an iron ring, and attached to a sail. Cringle means a ring. Down, To put the helm. To push the tiller to leeward. Down-haul. A rope to pull down a sail. Draught of water. The depth of the lowest part of the boat beneath the surface of the water. Foot. The lower edge of a sail. Fore-and-Aft. Lengthwise of the boat. Head. The top of a sail. Helm. The steering apparatus. From the Anglo-Saxon, helma, rudder. Hoist. The part of a fore and aft sail that slides up and down the mast. Fibs. Triangular sails set on ropes reaching from the foremast to the bowsprit. Fibboom. A spar extending from the end of the bowsprit. Jibe. To swing the boom from one side to the other, while sailing before the wind. Jigger. The small mast in the stern of a yawl, also called the mizzen. Keel. A timber running from bow to stern at the bottom of the boat. From the Anglo-Saxon ceol, keel. Keelson, (kél-son). A timber running over the keel above the floortimbers. Foremast. The forward mast of vessels having more than one mast. Knot. A nautical mile (in the Foresail (fóre-s'l). The principal United States 6,080 feet), so called sail on the foremast of a fore-and- because it is the distance between aft rigged vessel. two knots on the log line, by which Furl. To fold a sail and lash it to distances at sea are measured. the boom or mast. Gaff. The spar to which the upper part of a fore-and-aft sail is fastened. From the French gaffe, a long pole with a hook, used in fishing. Gasket, a rope for lashing a furled sail to the spar or mast. From the French garcette. Grapnel. A small anchor having several claws. From grapple. Grommet. A ring of rope or metal, Derived from the French gourmette, curb-chain. Gunwale (gún-nel). The topmast board or plank that forms the side of a boat. Halliard, or Halyard. A rope for hoisting a sail. Derived from haul and yard. Hawser, a large rope. From the German, haltseil, hold-rope. Larboard (lár-burd). The lefthand side of a vessel (looking forward) now generally replaced by the word "port," to avoid confusion with "starboard." It is probably contracted from lowerboard, because the left side was considered inferior in rank. Lee, or Leeward (loó-ard). The side toward which the wind blows, originally a place sheltered from the wind. From the Anglo-Saxon hleo, a shelter. Leech. The after-edge of a foreand-aft sail. Probably from the Latin licium, a thread. Luff. The forward edge of a sail. Toluff, or luff up, is to steer close to the wind. Luff may be from the German luft, air. Mainmast. The principal or largest mast. Hawse-hole, or Hawse-pipe. A hole through which passes the haw-of a cat-boat or sloop. Mainsail (main-s'l). The large sail Miss Stays. To fail in trying to tack. The after-mast in Mizzenmast. three-masted vessels. Off. Away from the point from which the wind blows, as in "Keep her head off." Peak. The point of the sail at the outer end of the gaff. Port. The left-hand side of a boat looking forward (see Larboard). Rake. Inclination, as "the rake of a mast," "a raking stern-post." Masts are usually given a rake aft to bring their weight and that of sails and rigging farther aft. The word is from the Anglo-Saxon raecan, to reach. Ratlines. Ropes fastened across the shrouds, making ladders by which the sailors in large vessels can climb to the masts. Spar. A general term for masts, yards, booms, gaffs, and the like. Spinnaker. A large triangular sail used by sloops in a light wind. Splice, to fasten the ends of two ropes by interlacing the strands. It is nearly the same word as "split," the strand being pulled apart. Sprit. A light spar extending from the middle of the mast to the outer corner of the sail, used in place of a gaff. From the Anglo-Saxon spreot, a spear or pike. Starboard (stár-burd). The righthand side of a boat (looking forward). From the Anglo-Saxon steoran, to steer, and bord, a border. Stay. A rope to steady a mast, extending diagonally forward from its top. Stays also extend between the masts and from the upper masts to the sides. Staysail (stay-s'l). A sail spread on a stay. Reef. To fold part of the sail and fasten it together in order to lessen the surface exposed to the wind. The folded part of the sail is called also the reef. From the Anglo-end of a vessel's bow to which the Saxon reaf, a garment. Rig. The arrangement of masts, sails, and ropes in a boat. From the Anglo-Saxon wrigan, to cover. Rigging. The ropes of a boat, divided into standing rigging, the rope used to strengthen the masts, and running rigging, the ropes used to work the sails. Serve. To wind yarn or cloth around a rope's end to prevent its ravelling, or around any part to keep it from wearing away by rubbing. Sheet. A rope fastened to the lower outer corner of a sail or to the boom, to haul it in and keep it in place. From the Anglo-Saxon Sceotan, to cast or extend. Shrouds. In large vessels, ropes extending from the head of the lower mast to strong timbers at the sides of the vessel. They serve to strengthen the masts. See ratline. Slack. Applied to a boat with a tendency to turn her bow from the wind, owing to improper construction. Stem. The upright timber at the ends of the planking are fastened. Stern. The rear end of a boat. From the Anglo-Saxon stearn, a helm, because the helm is placed there. Stiff. Keeping upright, opposed to crank; a boat is stiff when the wind makes her incline very little. Applied to a wind or breeze, stiff means strong. Tack. The lower fore-corner of a fore-and-aft sail, or a rope attached to that corner; also the direction of a boat when sailing to windward. A boat is on the starboard tack when the wind is on the starboard side; on the port tack when the wind blows against the port side. A boat is said to tack in changing from one tack to another. Tack means to fasten. The first meaning is the original one, the other being derived from it, as the tack holds the corner of the sail when the wind crosses it obliquely. Taut. Tight. Tarpaulin. Tarred canvas, from Throat. The inner concave end of the gaff or boom, which fits around the mast. Topping-lift. A rope to hold the end of the boom clear of the cabin, in a large boat. Up, To put the helm. To put the tiller to windward. Vangs. Ropes to steady the gaff in a large boat, running from its peak to the sides of the boat. From the Dutch vangen, to seize. Wear. To turn the boat so that the wind will be on the other side, without tacking, the bow being turned away from the wind, and the sail jibed over. Weather. Windward, toward the wind. Weather-helm. A boat is said to have a weather-helm when the tiller must be kept to the weatherside.. Wind. The direction from which part of the rope not bent in making the knot is called the "standing part." Some knots are made purposely very tight, so that they will last forever, and others are made to be easily untied. The Plain Overhand Knot (see C. C. T.) may be made at the end of a rope, either to prevent its untwisting, or to keep it from passing through a hole. For it may be substituted the Figure Eight (see C. C. T.), which is easier to untie than the plain overhand. Boat Knot. An overhand knot whose end is not passed through the bight, but secured by a spike or piece of wood on withdrawing, which the knot unties at once. Square or Double Knot. This is formed of two overhand knots, and is the most common knot for fastening two ends together, but it is made incorrectly by most people. The right way to tie it is shown Fig. 1. in Figure 1, and the wrong way in Figure 2; it will be seen that in the former the bight on one side passes over both ropes and on the other side under both, whereas the wind is blowing; used in "bring- in the latter, called a "granny knot," ing a boat's head into the wind." each bight passes over one rope and "turning her head out of the wind," "toward the wind," "away from the wind," etc. Windward. The direction from which the wind blows. Yaw. To go out of the proper course. From the provincial German gageln, to totter or shake. Fig. 2. under the other. When it is tied properly a strain on it only makes it hold more tightly, and yet it can be loosened at once by pulling the bights apart. It is Knots. Some of the simplest secure only when the ends tied are kinds of knots are described in of the same sized rope. This knot C. C. T. Besides these, the fol- is sometimes called a reef knot, as lowing are useful. They are de- it is used for fastening the reef scribed in this article because they points. are used so often on a sail-boat; but - every one should understand how to tie them. In making a knot, any bend or loop in the rope is called a "bight" (Anglo-Saxon bige, a bending). The Bowline. This forms a loop which cannot slip, and is useful in a great number of ways. It is shown in C. C. T., but as it is important, the method of tying it is described here in more detail. A loop is made and the end passed up through it as in Fig. 3, and then the end is passed over the rope above the loop and through the loop from behind, as in Fig. 4. When the knot is tightened, it will not slip. By Fig. 3 Fig. 4 pulling the rope in a bight through the loop thus formed, the best slip noose is made. This is called a "running bowline." A "bowline on a bight" can be made in the middle of a long rope when it must be done immediately, and there is no time to find an end, as when a rope is to be thrown to a drowning man. The rope doubled is first tied, just as in Fig. 3 (see Fig. 5.), but then Fig. 5. Blackwall hitch. This is really no knot at all, but is useful for Fig. 7. Fig. 8. the end e is pulled hanging a weight from a hook. It apart and brought will be seen from Fig. 9, where it down over the bight, as shown by the dotted lines. Knots for fastening ropes to hooks, spars, or rings are often "hitches," or "bends." One of the simplest hitches is a half hitch, shown inC. C. T. A timber hitch, shown in Fig. 6, is useful for fastening a rope to a post in a hurry. is shown, that the heavier the weight, the tighter the end of the rope is jammed against the hook. In fastening the end of two ropes for hauling, the simplest Fig. 9. method is to use the Common Bend (C. C. T.). Splicing. When two ropes are fastened together, end to end, without a knot, they are said to be spliced. Ropes must be spliced instead of knotted when they are to run through a pulley over anything on which the knot might catch. The appearance of a nicely spliced rope is shown in Fig. 10. To make Fig. 10. a "short splice," untwist the strands at the ends which are to be joined, and bring the ropes together so that the strands of one alternate with those of the other, as in Fig. 11. The strands must be interweaved tightly, but they are shown loose in the figure to make it plainer. Then take any strand, for instance that marked a, pass it over f, and under e, which is lifted up for the purpose Fig. 11. For a "long splice" more of the ropes must be untwisted than for a short splice. After the strands have been laid alternately as before, untwist one strand, as a, still further, for several turns, and in the vacant with a tapering piece of wood or iron, called a marling-spike. Each strand is treated in the same way, then each is shaved down to about half its thickness, and the intertwining is repeated. An "eye splice" is made by making a bight and splicing the end into the standing part. place thus left twist the opposite strand f. At the place where they join, cut off all of each but a few inches,shave both down about one fourth, and tie them with an overhand knot. Shave the ends down another fourth, pass each over the other and under the two next strands, cutting off the ends as they appear. One of A's strands is then worked into B in like manner, and the third pair of strands is shaved and knotted in the same way at the original junction. This splice, if neatly made, does not increase the |