Thursday, March 01, 2007

Nautical Terms

Hello Fishies!

There are many terms that you read and/or hear that you may not know the meaning of. I thought that the following might be of help to you:

Aft - Towards the stern or rear of the vessel.

Ahoy - A cry to draw attention.

Amidships or midships - In the middle portion of ship, along the line of the keel.

Anchor's aweigh - Said of an anchor when just clear of the bottom.

Astern - Toward the stern.

Bar - Large mass of sand or earth, formed by the wave action of the sea. They are primarily found at the entrances of rivers, and often make navigation extremely dangerous, but once inside the waters are usually calm.

Beam - The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point.

Booby - A type of bird that has little fear and therefore is particularly easy to catch, hence booby prize.

Buoy - A floating object of defined shape and color, which is anchored at a given position and serves as an aid to navigation. It also marks the location of certain gear used in commercial fishing.

Bow - The front of a ship.

Bridge - A structure above the weather deck, extending the full width of the vessel, which houses a command center.

Bulkhead - An upright wall within the hull of a ship.

Bunked - One's afflicted disposition after being talked to by a driveling idiot. (The way I feel after reading a lot of the internet postings about commercial fishing).

Cleat - A stationary device used to secure a rope aboard a vessel.

Coaming - The raised edge of a hatchway used to help keep out water.

Compass - Navigational instrument designed to show the direction of travel.

Decks - the structural part of the boat which forms the horizontal surfaces.

Draft - The depth of a ship's keel below the waterline.

Fathom - A unit of length equal to 6 feet. This roughly measures as the distance between a man's outstretched hands.

Fender - An air or foam filled bumper used in boating to keep boats from banging into docks or each other.

Flank - The maximum speed of a ship. Faster than "full speed".

Forecastle - A partial deck, above the upper deck and at the head of the vessel; traditionally the sailors' living quarters.

Founder - To fill with water and sink

Fore - Towards the bow or front of the vessel.

Freeboard - The height of a ship's hull (excluding superstructure) above the waterline. This usually varies from one part to another.

Gaff - A long hook with a sharp point to haul fish in.

Galley - the kitchen of the ship

Harbor - A harbor is a place where ships may shelter from the weather, anchor, or are stored. Harbors can be man-made or natural.

Head - The toilet or latrine of a vessel.

Heave - A vessel's up-and-down motion.

Hold - The lower part of the interior of a boat's hull, used as storage space, as for cargo.

Hull - The shell and framework of a vessel.

Icing - A serious hazard where cold temperatures combined with high wind speed result in spray blown off the sea freezing immediately on contact with the ship.

Keel - The central line of the hull, running from the bow to the stern. It is the foremost item in ship construction – as in “laying a keel”.

Keelhauling - Maritime punishment: to punish by dragging under the keel of a ship.

League - A unit of length, normally equal to three nautical miles.

Line - the correct nautical term for the majority of the cordage or "ropes" used on a vessel. A line will always have a more specific name, such as mizzen, topsail, or halyard, which describes its use.

List - The vessel's angle of lean or tilt to one side, in the direction called roll.

Radar - An electronic system designed to transmit radio signals and receive reflected images of those signals from a "target" in order to determine the bearing and distance to the "target".

Radar reflector - A special fixture fitted to a vessel or incorporated into the design of certain aids to navigation or fishing gear, to enhance their ability to reflect radar energy.

Reef - Rock or coral, often only revealed at low tide and shallow enough that a vessel will at least touch if not go aground.

Scuppers - An opening on the side rail that allows water to run off the deck.

Splice - To join lines (ropes, cables etc.) by unraveling their ends and then weaving them back together to form a continuous line.

Stern - The rear part of a ship.

Weigh anchor - To pull up the anchor preparatory to sailing.

Knot - a unit of speed, one knot = 6,076 feet per hour

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

Starboard - the right side of the boat

Port - the left side of the boat

Lazarette - spaces below the deck that are designed for storage

Stay tuned!

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