And check out the book When a Loose Cannon flogs a Dead Horse there's the Devil to Pay if you'd like to know more about the many nautical terms have become part of our language.
Aloft: Anything above the deck in the rigging, usually refers to being on the yards. See Lay aloft.
Baggywrinkles: Old strands of rope tied in fluffy bundles around lines to keep them from chafing through sail canvas.
Bend on (v) (Past tense- Bent on): Describes action of tying sails onto where they need to be on yards for squares, or on masthoops for gaff rig sails. Usually isn’t used to describe putting on headsails, see Hank on.
Bits: Hardware on ship used to tie off line usually to dock but also anchor. Same purpose as a cleat but different shape. Similar to a Bollard.
Bollards: Hardware on dock or pier on which to tie off ship. Similar to a Bit.
Bow: Front of ship. Often the pointy end, and usually away from the wheel.
Cat (v): To shift an anchor into place.
Chafe gear: Used to protect things that rub. Often refers to bit of firehose on dock lines, so they don't rub through in a night. See also Baggywrinkles.
Companionway: Opening with a door or hatch and usually with a ladder or steps leading from deck into a ship interior.
Dock: Place to tie up a ship while in port. Usually floating. See Pier.
Fo’c’sle: Shortened from forecastle. Area in bow below decks before the foremast where crew sleep. Not comfortable in a seaway.
Furl: Gather up sail and tie down to keep from flapping open in wind.
Gaff: Spar at top of fore and aft sail (if gaff rigged).
Gaskets: Short lines used to tie up square sails when furled up.
Gimbals: A pivoted support that allows the rotation of an object about a single axis, so that it stays level with the horizon.
Grommet: A reinforcement of a hole, usually made of metal in a sail.
Halyard: From the command ‘Haul the yards.’ The line that pulls the head of a sail up the mast, whether attached to a spar or to canvas.
Hank on (v): Action of clipping the headsails or staysails hardware (called hanks) onto a stay to ready sail for use.
Hanks (n): Small bits of hardware used to clip sail to stay. Tied to grommets in sails.
Hatch: As in, "Close that hatch!" Protects entrances to ship, and will let spray or even rain in if open.
Jackstay: Bar that is bolted to top of yards so sailors (jacks) have something to hang on to while furling sails.
Jaws: Part of gaff that is against mast, and keeps it in place. Nothing to do with teeth.
“Lay Aloft”: Direct order to go up into the rigging to perform some task.
Leech (n): Aft most edge of fore and aft sail and both side edges of a square sail. A square sail has no luff, but it can be luffing.
LOA: Length Overall. Measurement of entire vessel including anything overhanging, like a bowsprit, or boom off stern.
LOD.: Length on deck . May be said “El-oh-dee,” never “lawd.” Measurement of a vessel from stem to stern, not including spars that project out further.
Luff (n): Leading edge of a sail rigged fore-and-aft.
Luff (v): Movement or shaking of leading edge of sail when wind is not filling it properly. Also term of endearment, slang for love from the Michelle Shocked song, Must be Luff.
LWL: Length on the Waterline. Measurement of the ship along line where boat floats in the water. Used in the equation to determine maximum hull speed if the vessel does not plane.
Mast: Large pole(s) in ship that hold up the sails.
Masthoops: Wooden hoops, made like the ring of a keychain. Hold the leading edge of a gaff-rigged sail to the mast.
Mousing: Bits of line or wire to keep shackle from coming undone. (Nothing to do with mice.)
Pier: Place to tie up ship, can be stone, cement or wood. Does not float, see Dock.
Port: (1) Left side of ship. (2) Place one comes into at end of voyage, harbor with docks, etc. (3) Sweet red wine.
Shrouds: Type of rigging supporting the mast to keep it from falling sideways.
Spars: Large poles of wood, often the size of trees! Only all branches are removed and smoothly shaped and varnished.
Spanker: Fore and Aft sail on after most mast. (Nothing to do with rear ends but is the rear sail.)
Stays: Type of rigging that leads fore or aft to keep mast from falling forwards or backwards.
Standing Rigging: All those cables and ropes that support the mast(s) to keep it from falling over.
Stern: Back of the boat, usually fat end with great cabin and windows even!
T’Gallant: Originally "top gallant". Denotes location of mast or sail above the topmast, and often the highest part aboard. As in main t’gallant mast, is a section of the main mast above the main topmast.
Topmast: Middle section of 3-part mast, or upper section on a schooner.
Topsail: Sails that hang on topmast yard.
Watch (n): A group of sailors that are on duty under the Captain’s or Mates’ command. Also the block of time usually 4 hours, when the group of sailors is on duty.
Watch (v): To scan the horizon and around the ship for other ships, or land, or lights at night, or anything else that needs to be reported to person in command.
Yards: The spars that sit perpendicular to the masts, on which square sails hang. Not to be confused with yard as in shipyard where boats are pulled from water to be worked on.
