THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 162 163 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER ©2024 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER ©2024 If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com mast, with the fore part used like a jib and the after part attached to the mast. Splitting tacks – Modern expression for tacking on the lee bow of another yacht in racing. Split topsail- SMS Spoiled - In Elizabethan times, despoiled or pillaged. Spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar - To fail to satisfactorily complete a task through failing to invest in sufficient materials. Usually advised in the negative. Spoke - A projecting hand hold on the outside of the steering wheel. Sponge(tge) Sponge tub(tge) Sponsons - The galleries fore and aft of paddlewheels. Spoondrift - Spindrift. Spooning – Running before the wind and sea. Spotted dog - A duff with currants or raisins. Spouter - Seamen's term for a whaleman or whale ship. Spray - Water blown into the air. Spread Bracket ERR Spreader - on topmast trestle tree CTC Spreaders – 1. Metal or timber extensions fastened onto the cross-trees to spread the topgallant and royal backstays (or the topmast backstay in a fore-and-aft rig). 2. Metal bars rigged horizontally from the bows of a small vessel, to widen the spread of the head sheet. Sprig(tge) Spring – 1. Rope from side or end of ship to anchor cable. 2. A crack through a mast or yard, rendering it unsafe. Spring – 1. A rope run from the stern of a ship to her anchor cable or mooring point, by which the direction of her head can be adjusted. 2. (v) To use the spring. 3. The call for extra effort in a whaleboat, such as ‘spring your oars’. Springald - A heavy mounted cross-bow. Spring a leak - Said when a leak develops. Spring a luff – 1. To come nearer to the wind when sailing close-hauled. 2. To sail into the wind and then drive to leeward when the ship has lost some headway. Spring block – A block having a spring connection to a ring bolt, to allow it to yield to the jerks of the working rope. Springing – 1. The loosening of a plank in a vessel's hull. 2. Changing a vessel’s position by hauling on her spring. Springs - Ropes rigged onto anchor or mooring lines to enable the ship's position to be moved. Spring stay - 1 An extra rope rigged above a stay to act as a substitute in case of damage. 2 Another name for a triatic stay. Spring-stay - A stay running horizontally between the main, mizzen and jigger mast caps. Also triatic-stay. Spring the luff – A helm order given when the conner wanted the vessel to come closer to the wind. Also ‘keep your luff’, or ‘keep your wind’, or ‘luff’. Spring tides – Tides of greater range occurring when the sun and Moon are aligned and so reinforce each other’s effect, at New and Full Moon. Sprit – 1. A diagonally positioned boom supporting a square fore-and-aft sail. 2. The spar or spars keeping the sheers of a sheer hulk at the correct angle. Spritsail, sprit-sail – 1. A square sail set under the bowsprit. 2. A fore-and-aft sail set upon a sprit. Conventionally 'spritsail' is used as the name for the fore-and-aft sail extended by the sprit and 'sprit-sail' is the square sail set on a yard crossing the bowsprit. Spritsail and spritsailtopsail, were replaced by Jib and Fore-TopmastStaysail Spritsail collar stop(tge) Spritsail gaff - The yard rigged below the bowsprit to take a spritsail. Spritsail sheet Block Spritsail sheet knot – A knob knot made on a spritsail sheet knot strop, by the rope being rove through a block, the strands unlayed and the ends formed into an irregular crown. Spritsail sling saddle(ecr) Spritsail topsail – 1. A small square sail set on a small vertical mast stepped into a top on the bowsprit. A practice that did not continue after the early eighteenth century. 2. Later, the name was given to a second square sail set under the jib-boom, in addition to the spritsail. Sprit topmast ERR Spruce Beer- Beer made by adding young fir cones to fermented malt. A good antiscorbutic. Spruce, Essence of- Used for brewing Sprung - 1. Said of a split mast or spar. 2. Said of a loosened plank in the ship's side that is projecting outwards from the hull. Sprung a butt - Said of a ship that leaked through a loosened butt joint. Spume - The froth of sea foam. Spunger - Sponger or social parasite. Spunyarn or Spun-Yarn - Ship made rope, from Junk. A small line made from two or three strands of old rope, twisted and tarred and used for seizing, etc. Spunyarn - A three-strand line spun out of old rope-yarns knotted together. Must ships carried a spunyarn winch, and the spinning of such yarn was a favourite occupation in fine weather. Spunyarn stops- SMS Spur - A timber prop between a vessel's bilge and the bilgeway. Spur beam(tge) Spurling line – The small line attached to the wheel or tiller and leading to the cabin tell-tale or indicator showing how much helm is being applied. Spurling pipe - A tube leading from the cable locker to the cable deck or forecastle, through which the vessel's cable passes. Also called the navel pipe. Spurnwater - See rigol. Spurs – Iron spikes worn on a whaleman’s boots whilst he was working on a carcass. Squadron Squall - A high wind arriving and ceasing suddenly. If there are no clouds it is called a white squall, and, when cloudy, a black squall. Square – 1. The order given to adjust the yards to be square with the ship. 2. The square upper part of an anchor shank, attached to the stock and the ring. Square Away - Yards etc put back to rights. Square frames Square knot – 1. Another name for the reef knot. 2. A knot made to fasten two ropes crossing at right angles, by making an S-shaped knot in one rope and passing the other rope through it. Square meal - A seaman's plate was wooden and square, from which came this expression, meaning a good meal. Square off - Seamen's term for making tidy, especially of clothing and caps. Square rig - Full uniform. Square-rigged - Said of an officer or crewman in full uniform, or otherwise 'properly' dressed. Squared away - Put away tidily. Squared off - Tidied up. Square-rigger Square sail - Four cornered sail set on a yard athwartships. Square Sennit - A cunning plait which makes a four square bar. Square the Cro'jack Yard' Square the yards – To trim the yards so that they are at right angles both to the masts and to the centreline of the hull. Square tuck - The perpendicular or oblique aft end of a vessel's hull. Square Up Square yards - Make friends with someone after an argument, or, at least, make up the differences. Squeegee - A tool with a cam-head, used on the bending slab to shape frames. Squeegee – A cleaning tool comprising a rubber or leather edge fixed across a handle and used to push water from the decks. Squeeze box - Accordion. Squilgee – A squeegee, but in American. Squilgee strap - SMS Squitters - Loose bowel movements. Stability - The ability of a vessel to remain upright when afloat, or to return to upright after heeling over. Stable equilibrium - The state of a vessel when she is upright and stable whilst afloat. Stacken cloud - Cumulus. Staff - Reply to Watchman's Challenge if boat contained an Admiralty Staff Officer. Stage - A platform rigged over a ship's sides from which work to the sides could be done. Stage lashing – Soft-laid flexible rope used to lash working platforms, known as stages. Stag horn - The fitting used to belay the mainbrace, Stagger juice - Rum, or some other strong drink. Stairs- Landing stage. Staith – A quayside built high and with tracks on it, from which coal trucks, or similar, could tip their loads directly into the hold of a vessel moored alongside. Stalboats - Stowboats. Stanchion - 1. A pillar supporting a deck beam or a bulkhead. 2. Small wooden or metal pillar supporting bulwarks, rails, etc. Stanchion - A fixed deck support. Stand – Said of a sail working correctly. Also taut leech. Standard – 1. Reply to Watchman's Challenge if boat contained a member of the Royal Family. 2. The sentry's warning shout when he sees the Royal Standard on an approaching boat. 3. An inverted knee, mounted above instead of below the deck and with the vertical part pointing upwards. Standard compass - A magnetic compass suitably located to navigate a vessel. Standard knee - A heavy right-angled piece of timber with one arm bolted horizontally to a beam, the other to the ship's side to give strength. Standard Ration WW89 Standard time – The old arrangement by which local people kept local mean time. Stand by - Be ready to carry out the next order instantly. Stand by – 1. Get ready. 2. Wait. 3. Be appointed to a ship that is still getting ready for sea duty. Stand by to lay on your oars – oars – give way – The sequence of orders given to a boat’s crew, when about to salute another boat or to check their way for another reason. ‘Stand by’ warns the crew – at ‘oars’ the crew take one oar stroke and feather their oars at gunwale height – at ‘give way’ they resume pulling. Stand by to toss oars – toss – The sequence of orders given to a boat’s crew, when about to salute another vessel or to check their way for another reason. ‘Stand by’ warns the crew – at ‘toss’ the crew raise their oars to the vertical. Stand by to trail – trail – The sequence of orders given to a boat’s crew to remove their oars from the rowlocks and trail them in the water alongside, either by holding the looms or by using trailing lines. Stand down - Relax and proceed with normal duty. Stand in – Sail towards land. cf stand out. Standing backstay(tge) Standing block – The fixed block in a tackle that does not move when the fall is hauled on. Standing lift ERR Standing lifts- SMS Standing lug – A lug sail in which the forward lower corner of the sail is attached to the deck at the foot of the mast and the yard stays at the same side of the mast when tacking. Standing off and on – Sail alternately towards and then away from the land. The usual need for this was when arriving at an unfamiliar harbour at night, or when awaiting the arrival of a pilot. Also simply ‘off and on’. Standing Officers- Warrant officers who stay with ships even when in ordinary. Standing Orders - The written orders of what should be done each normal day. Standing part – The fixed part of a rope forming part of a tackle. Standing rigging - The fixed rigging supporting the masts. Standing waves – Water flowing over submerged objects, giving the impression of immobility. Stand into danger - Steer the ship on a course that will take it into a dangerous situation. Also used in everyday speech, as a warning of imminent problems. Stand of the tide – The period at high and low
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