SIMPLE NAVIGATION

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 226, 24 September 1938, Page 21

SIMPLE NAVIGATION

NAUTICAL TERMS.

CLEARLY EXPLAINED.

j YACHTSMEN'S DICTIONARY. j PART I.—ABACK TO DOWSE. Aback.-A sail is aback when the wind takes it nn tin' opposite sklc, and. tin: sheet holding it in. the sail flattens and tends to drive the boat backwards. Aba ft. Aft or. j Abeam.-—On the side of the vessel at the j middle. The beam is the midstiip section of tin- Ih»at : thus, wind abeam is wind ! blowing at right angles to the fore-and-aft line of the boat. About. —Put 1 ing the boat round so that the wind blows on the opposite side, the boat's lo«ad bring turned info the wind for the operation. Aft. Thar portion of the vessel which is towards the stern. Apejik.- Said of an anchor when the vessel's warp or ehain is hove short but the anchor is not broken out of the ground. Athwart. Across anything. Atrip. -An anchor is atrip when it is broken out of the around. A wash.--Washed by water. A bit of wreekaire or a n»ek is said to be awash when it is just showinir above water with A weather.-Towards the weather side of tin- boat : t«. windward. Aweirrh — An anchor is a wei-ib when if i< be jn •; lifted to the bows of the boat after beiiv.' broken out or tripped from its hold i.n the bottom. The boat is then under way. Aboard.- -Wit Mii or noon a vessel. Hacking.- To back sails is to haul them to windward. Backing with an oar is to force the blade in the opposite direction to rowing: the wind backs when it veers is

t sun all day. a sitrn "f bad weather. ) Hal la st.—Weight on the keel or inside the boat to keep her steady. Tn small | boats the crew act as ballast. ■ m.~ The greatest width of a vessel, ! tiinbcr> siiMtorling the decks : beam ends, a boat is thrown on her beam ends when I she is hove right down with her side in j the water and deck prnetb-allv vertical. ] Hear.- To :ro towards anything, as bear (off for the harbour or bear down on that , buoy, etc.

Bear Away.—To put the lielm tip and hear the boat uwny from the wind. boat, buoy. etc. I'enrlnir.—-The direction of anything, sin h ns the litrlif or point is bearing northeast : one's sense of direction ; n boat Is said to be down to her bearings when she Is lying over as far as it is safe for lier to lie pressed. Beat.—To go to windward by tacking, that is. sailing close-hauled on the wind on one taek for a distance, then coming round to the other taek and proceeding for a distance on lb'- new tack. This, repeated. means making a zitr-zag course Into the wind, and is called beating to windwa rd.

Belay.—To make a rope fast. B«*nd. —A knot used lor certain purposes. ■as distinct from a hitch. Sails are bent ! to their spars. i Berth.—A place wh"re a vessel lies. A j sleeping place on board, ship. \ Bight.—The bend of' a rope: a bay In I l lie coastline. Bilge.-- The round of a vessel's side which rests on the srround when she takes the bottom. The Inside of tills position is also callwl the bilge, hence bilge-water. Bite.—The anchor bites when the arm grips the. holding ground on which It has been dropped. Bltts.—The posts to which the heel of the bowsprit Is fixed. To bltt the cable le to lake a couple of turns round the bltts. Binnacle.—The case or box in which the compass swings. Bluff.—Kound and short, as a bluff bow. Board. —Denotes the distance a vessel sails on each tack when beating to windwa rd. Bring Up.—To anchor. Break Off.—A vessel is said to break off when the wind comes more ahead and she cannot lip her original course. Bobstav.—The stay that holds «the bowsprit down to the stem. Bolt Ropes.—Ropes sewn along certain sidfs of a sail to strengthen It. Bore.—A vessel bores wnen sne goes down a bit by the head. The tide bores up a channel. Bower.—The largest working ancbor on a vessel. Bowse.—To haul down or hanl taut. Boxing Off.—Hauling the head sheets to windward to pay a vessel's head off the wind; boxing the compass is to call the points from north to north. Break.—You break out a leading jib or spinnaker set up in stops or a bargee. You break out an anchor from the ground. Burgee.—A triangular-shaped flag, as most club flags are. A suitable size for a burgee on smaller yachts is 2ft 6in, with an ensign 11 yards. The next .size It 3ft burgee, with 2 yards ensign, or 3ft Sin burgee and a 2J yard ensign. Bridle.—A rope, wire or chain connecting something. Bring up all standing.—To stop suddenly, as when an anchor and warp falls overboard or the vessel strikes something solid. Broach To.—To come up to the wind against the helm when running in a big sea, or when the boat is thrown sideways into the trough of the waves and lies beam on to the sea. Bumpkin.—An outrigger or projecting spar. The outrigger for the mizzen sheet block on a yawl. Bunt.—The middle of a sail. Bells.—The time on board a ship is indicated by bells struck every half-hour. By.—On or towards anything as by the wind, i.e., on the wind; by the lee, towards the lee. A boat is by the lee when by careless steering when running in a high sea the wind is brought on the same side as her boom. A dangerous position, leading to a sudden gybe. By the head, with her ballast too far forward; by the stem, with too' much weight aft. Kull-and-hy.—Sailing wifh all sails full and good way on. but with the wind still forward of the beam. Cable.—The rope or chain by which, a vessel is anchored or moored. Camber.—The round in a deck or keel. Carry Away.—To break ■& rope, spar or other gear which comes adrift. Tarry On.—To crowd sail on a boat; to continue on same tack or course. I Carvel Built.—Smooth-sided boats with the planks not overlapping, which is termed clinker-built, as in most craft under 18ft. Case. —The box-like construction which houses the centreboard. Careen.—To heel to one side. fast.—A term frequently used and equivalent to let go. You let go the moorings and cast a boat's head on one tack or the other. Cast the lead when taking soundings, cast a fishing line clear of the boat, but an anchor Is never cast: it Is let go. Caulking.—Substance forced into a boat's seams to make her watertight, as oakum, cotton thread, putty, cement, white or red lead, pitch or marine glue. Centreboard.—Also called centreplate or drop-keel. A flat iron plate or board which can be lowered through a slot in the bottom to increase the boat's draught and lateral resistance to the water, tending to hold her to windward.

S lrictiou~ AnymaS USCd t0 take the Chime or Chine.—The angle of a flat or bo '' t s and bottom Chime is the correct term. Chock-a-Block.—When two blocks come together as a purchase is shortened in. Claw.—To claw off a lee shore is to sail so close to the wind that a vessel in danger, proceeds further from a dangerous position. ® Chain Plates.—lron, brass or gunmetil plates bolted to the sides of a ves""l n secure the rigging to. I Ki. f i e ". B 'T A i vac^J" s model is clean if not bluff and uglv. An anchor goes down or comes up clean if it has no round turn of IsVrmed fou!."" 11 ° D th « " h "" " ingr r oJo m ro" S * f ° r mUk " Jlew. The lower, aftermost co.rner of a Close-hauled.- A boat is close hauled sl, {' , ls failing as close as possible to the wind. 1 Close-reefed. —All reefs taken in and sail shortened as nmeli as possible. Companion.—The entrance to the cabin from the deck. Coaming. '1 he sides of the cabin top hatches or cockpit. Come.—t'sed as go in. go about, come round, come to (anchor). The anchor comes home it it tails to take hold on the bottom and the boat drags. < rank.—-\ot stable or seaworthy. ( ringles. r lhe small loops on the sides aml ;lt f,K ' c,>rn, ' rs which brass thimbles are sewn or spliced. Crutch.—A support for the boom and gaff when the sail is lowered. < oyering Board.— The timber running round the side of a vessel from which i the deck planks commence.

Course.-—The direction in which a vessel has to proceed to reach its objective. Clearance.—The document obtained from the ( ustoms stating that all requirements of law have l>ceu fulfilled prior to <ailin* r for a foreign or overseas British pcirt. " i hart. A marine map delineating some part of the sea, showing land, rocks, shoals, lights. depth of wafer and other information necessary to assist in navigating a vessel.

l utter.—A single-masted, fore and aft rigged vessel carrying two or more head sails. The correct term for a vessel with ono headsail is a sloop, but it is seldom used.

Drop.—To drop anchor, drop astern drop down with the tide. ere.

Dead.—Dead woods are used to strengthen the join of stern and post to the keel : dead reckoning is reckoning a vessel's position by the course and distance run and effects of currents, etc., without obtaining a eight ; dead-eyes are holes, without sheaves, through which rope is rove: deadahead, dead-astern. dead to windward or leeward are self-explanatory. Diagonal Build.—A system of building where the planting is double or treble and the first two layers of planks are put on diagonally, crossing each other.

Draw.—A sail is drawing when it is full of wind and tugs hard "at the sheets. You let a head sail draw when yon pull the eheet round to leeward and sheet it home or make it fast.. Davits.—lron staunehions used for hoisting <lingt k 3 or boats up the siJes of a vessel or at the stern. Dismantled.—Stripped of sails, spars and Sear. Dipping I,ng.—A lugsail which has to be moved to leeward of the mast every time the boar is tacked. Naval whalers ali carrv dipping lug*. Drift.—Length of rope over what is actually used. It is advisable to allow some drift in sheets and halliards. Also signifies the set of a tide or current and a vessel'* leeway. Downe.—To lower and gather in n sail, as dowsing a spinnaker, leading Jib or topsail, to dowse (extinguish! a light. (To be continued next Saturday.)