The Continental Risque

by James Nelson

  bulwark:

  wall-like structure, generally of waist height or higher, built around the outer edge of the weather decks.

  bumboat:

  privately owned boat used to carry out to anchored vessels vegetables, liquor, and other items for sale.

  buntlines:

  lines running from the lower ledge of a square sail to the yard above and used to haul the bunt, or body of the sail, up to the yard, generally in preparation for furling.

  cable:

  a large, strong rope. As a unit of measure, 120 fathoms or 240 yards, generally the length of a cable.

  cable tier:

  a section of the lowest deck in a ship in which the cables are stored.

  cant frame:

  frames at the bow and stern of a vessel that are not set at right angles to the keel.

  cap:

  a heavy wooden block through which an upper mast passes, designed to hold the upper mast in place against the mast below it. Forms the upper part of the DOUBLING.

  caprail:

  wooden rail that is fastened to the top edge of the bulwark.

  capstan:

  a heavy wooden cylinder, pierced with holes to accept wooden bars. The capstan is turned by means of pushing on the bars and is thus used to raise the anchor or move other heavy objects.

  cascabel:

  the knob at the end of a cannon opposite the muzzle to which the breeching is fastened.

  cathead:

  short, strong wooden beam that projects out over the bow, one on either side of the ship, used to suspend the anchor clear of the ship when hauling it up or letting it go.

  cat-o’-nine-tails (cat):

  a whip with a rope handle around an inch in diameter and two feet in length to which was attached nine tails, also around two feet in length. ‘Flogging’ with the cat was the most common punishment meted out in the navy.

  ceiling:

  the inside planking or ‘inner wall’ of a ship.

  chains:

  strong links or iron plates used to fasten the deadeyes to the hull. The lower parts of the chains are bolted to the hull, the upper ends are fastened to the chainwale, or CHANNEL. They are generally referred to as forechains, mainchains, and mizzenchains for those respective masts.

  channel:

  corruption of chainwale. Broad, thick planks extending from both sides of the ship at the base of each mast to which the shrouds are attached.

  clear for action:

  to prepare a ship for an engagement. Also the order that is given to prepare the ship.

  clew:

  either of the two lower corners of a square sail or the lower aft corner of a fore-and-aft sail. To clew up is to haul the corners of the sail up to the yard by means of the clewlines.

  clewlines:

  (pronounced clew-lin) lines running from the clews of a square sail to the yard above and used to haul the clews up, generally in preparation for furling. On lower, or course, sails the clewlines are called clew garnets.

  close-hauled:

  said of a vessel that is sailing as nearly into the wind as she is able, her sails hauled as close to her centerline as they can go.

  cockbill:

  said of a yard that is adjusted so as not to be horizontal. Said of an anchor when it is hanging from the cathead by the ringstopper only.

  conn:

  to direct the helmsman in the steering of the ship.

  course:

  the largest sails; in the case of square sails, those hung from the lowest, or course, yards and loose footed. The foresail and mainsail are courses.

  crosstrees:

  horizontal wooden bars, situated at right angles to the ship’s centerline and located at the junction of lower and upper masts. Between the lower and the topmasts they support the TOP, between the topmast and the topgallant mast they stand alone to spread the shrouds and provide a perch for the lookout.

  deadeye:

  a round, flattish wooden block pierced with three holes through which a LANYARD is rove. Deadeyes and lanyards are used to secure and adjust standing rigging, most commonly the SHROUDS.

  dead reckoning:

  from deduced reckoning. Calculating a vessel’s position through an estimate of speed and drift.

  dirk:

  a small sword, more like a large dagger, worn by junior officers.

  dogwatch:

  two-hour watches from 4 to 6 P.M. (first dogwatch) and 6 to 8 P.M. (second dogwatch).

  doubling:

  the section where two masts overlap, such as the lower mast and the topmast just above the top.

  driver:

  a temporary sail, much like a studdingsail, hoisted to the gaff on the aftermost fore-and-aft sail.

  elm tree pump:

  an older-style pump, generally used as a bilge pump, consisting of a piston in a wooden cylinder that reached from the deck to the bilge.

  fall:

  the loose end of a system of blocks and tackle, the part upon which one pulls.

  fathom:

  six feet.

  fife rail:

  wooden rails, found generally at the base of the masts and pierced with holes to accept belaying pins.

  first rate:

  the largest class of naval ship, carryng one hundred or more guns. Ships were rated from first to sixth rates depending on the number of guns. Sloops, brigs, schooners, and other small vesels were not rated.

  fish:

  long sections of wood bound around a weak or broken SPAR to reinforce it, much like a splint on a broken limb. Also, the process of affixing fishes to the spar.

  flemish:

  to coil a rope neatly down in concentric circles with the end being in the middle of the coil.

  fore and aft:

  parallel to the centerline of the ship. In reference to sails, those that are set parallel to the centerline and are not attached to yards. Also used to mean the entire deck encompassed, e.g., ‘Silence, fore and aft!’

  forecastle:

  pronounced fo’c’sle. The forward part of the upper deck, forward of the foremast, in some vessels raised above the upper deck. Also, the space enclosed by this deck. In the merchant service the forecastle was the living quarters for the seamen.

  forestay:

  standing rigging primarily responsible for preventing the foremast from falling back when the foresails are ABACK. Runs from under the fore top to the bowsprit.

  forward:

  pronounced for’ed. Toward the bow, or front of the ship. To send an officer forward implied disrating, sending him from the officers’ quarters aft to the sailors’ quarters forward.

  fother:

  to attempt to stop a leak in a vessel by means of placing a sail or other material on the outside of the ship over the leaking area. The sail is held in place by the pressure of the incoming water.

  frigate:

  vessel of the fifth or sixth rate, generally fast and well armed for its size, carrying between twenty and thirty-six guns.

  furl:

  to bundle a sail tightly against the YARD, stay, or mast to which it is attached and lash it in place with GASKETS.

  futtock shrouds:

  short, heavy pieces of standing rigging connected on one end to the topmast shrouds at the outer edge of the TOP and on the other to the lower shrouds, designed to bear the pressure on the topmast shrouds. When fitted with RATLINES, they allow men going aloft to climb around the outside of the top, though doing so requires them to hang backward at as much as a forty-five-degree angle.

  gammoning:

  heavy lines used to lash the bowsprit down and counteract the pull of the STAYS.

  gangway:

  the part of the ship’s side from which people come aboard or leave, provided with an opening in the bulwark and steps on the vessel’s side.

  gantline:

  pronounced gant-lin. A line run from the deck to a block aloft and back to the deck, used for hauling articles such as rigging aloft. Thus, when
the rig is ‘sent down to a gantline,’ it has been entirely disassembled save for the gantline, which will be used to haul it up again.

  garboard:

  the first set of planks, next to the keel, on a ship’s or boat’s bottom.

  gasket:

  a short, braided piece of rope attached to the yard and used to secure the furled sail.

  gig:

  small boat generally rowed with six or fewer oars.

  glim:

  a small candle.

  grapeshot:

  a cluster of round, iron shot, generally nine in all, wrapped in canvas. Upon firing the grapeshot would spread out for a shotgun effect. Used against men and light hulls.

  grating:

  hatch covers composed of perpendicular interlocking wood pieces, much like a heavy wood screen. They allowed light and air below while still providing cover for the hatch. Gratings were covered with tarpaulins in rough or wet weather.

  gudgeon:

  one-half of the hinge mechanism for a rudder. The gudgeon is fixed to the sternpost and has a rounded opening that accepts the PINTLE on the rudder.

  gunwale:

  pronounced gun-el. The upper edge of a ship’s side.

  halyard:

  any line used to raise a sail or a yard or gaff to which a sail is attached.

  headsails:

  those sails set forward of the foremast.

  heaver:

  a device like a wooden mallet used as a lever for tightening small lines.

  heave to:

  to adjust the sails in such a way that some are full and some aback so that the vessel is stopped in the water.

  hogshead:

  a large cask, twice the size of a standard barrel. Capacity varied but was generally around one hundred gallons.

  holystone:

  a flat stone used for cleaning a ship’s decks.

  hood-end:

  the ends of the planking on a ship’s hull that fit into the rabbet, or notch, in the STEM or sternpost.

  hoy:

  a small vessel, chiefly used near the coast, to transport passengers or supplies to another vessel.

  hull down:

  said of a ship when her hull is still hidden below the horizon and only her masts or superstructure is visible.

  jolly boat:

  a small workboat.

  lanyard:

  line run through the holes in the DEADEYES to secure and adjust the SHROUDS. Also any short line used to secure or adjust an item on shipboard.

  larboard:

  until the nineteenth century the term designating the left side of a vessel when facing forward. The term port is now used.

  leech:

  the side edges of a square sail or the after edge of a fore-and-aft sail.

  leeward:

  pronounced loo-ard. Downwind.

  letters of marque:

  a commission given to private citizens in times of war to take and make prizes of enemy vessels. Also, any vessel that holds such a commission.

  lifts:

  ropes running from the ends of the yards to the mast, used to support the yard when lowered or when men are employed thereon.

  limber holes:

  holes cut through the lower timbers in a ship’s hull allowing otherwise trapped water to run through to the pumps.

  line:

  term used for a rope that has been put to a specific use.

  log:

  device used to measure a vessel’s speed.

  longboat:

  the largest boat carried on shipboard.

  lug sail:

  a small square sail used on a boat.

  mainstay:

  standing rigging primarily responsible for preventing the mainmast from falling back when the main sails are aback. Runs from under the maintop to the bow.

  make and mend:

  time allotted to the seamen to make new clothing or mend their existing ones.

  marlinespike:

  an iron spike used in knotting and splicing rope.

  mizzen:

  a large fore-and-aft sail, hung from a gaff abaft the mizzenmast.

  mizzenmast:

  the aftermost mast on a three-masted ship.

  painter:

  a rope in the bow of a boat used to tie the boat in place.

  parceling:

  strips of canvas wrapped around standing rigging prior to SERVING.

  partners:

  heavy wooden frames surrounding the holes in the deck through which the masts and CAPSTAN pass.

  pawls:

  wooden or iron bars that prevent a windlass or capstan from rotating backward.

  pintles:

  pins attached to the rudder that fit in the GUDGEON and form the hinge on which the rudder pivots.

  plain sail:

  all regular working sails, excluding upper staysails, studdingsails, ringtails, etc.

  port:

  the left side of the ship when facing forward. In the eighteenth century the word was used in helm directions only until it later supplanted LARBOARD in general use.

  post:

  in the Royal Navy, to be given official rank of captain, often called a post captain, and thereby qualified to command a ship of twenty guns or larger.

  privateer:

  vessel built or fitted out expressly to operate under a LETTERS OF MARQUE.

  quadrant:

  instrument used to take the altitude of the sun or other celestial bodies in order to determine the latitude of a place. Forerunner to the modern sextant.

  quarter:

  the area of the ship, larboard or starboard, that runs from the main shrouds aft.

  quarterdeck:

  a raised deck running from the stern of the vessel as far forward, approximately, as the mainmast. The primary duty station of the ship’s officers, comparable to the bridge on a modern ship.

  quarter gallery:

  a small, enclosed balcony with windows located on either side of the great cabin aft and projecting out slightly from the side of the ship.

  quoin:

  a wedge under the breech of a cannon used when aiming to elevate or depress the muzzle.

  ratline:

  pronounced ratlin. Small lines tied between the shrouds, horizontally forming a sort of rope ladder on which the men can climb aloft.

  reef:

  to reduce the area of sail by pulling a section of the sail up to the yard and tying it in place.

  reef point:

  small lines threaded through eyes in the sail for the purpose of tying the reef in the sail.

  rigging:

  any of the many lines used aboard the ship. Standing rigging holds the masts in place and is only occasionally adjusted. Running rigging manipulates the sails and is frequently adjusted, as needed.

  ringbolt:

  an iron bolt through which is fitted an iron ring.

  ring stopper:

  short line on the CATHEAD used to hold the anchor prior to letting it go.

  ringtail:

  a type of studdingsail rigged from the mainsail gaff and down along the after edge of the mainsail.

  round seizing:

  a type of lashing used to bind two larger lines together.

  run:

  to sail with the wind coming over the stern, or nearly over the stern, of the vessel.

  running rigging:

  see RIGGING.

  sailing master:

  warrant officer responsible for charts and navigation, among other duties.

  scantlings:

  the dimensions of any piece of timber used in shipbuilding with regard to its breadth and thickness.

  schooner:

  (eighteenth-century usage) a small, two-masted vessel with fore-and-aft sails on foremast and mainmast and occasionally one or more square sails on the foremast.

  scuppers:

  small holes pierced through the bulwark at the level of the deck to allow water to run overboard.

  scuttle:
<
br />   any small, generally covered hatchway through a ship’s deck.

  service:

  a tight wrapping of spunyarn put around standing rigging to protect it from the elements.

  serving mallet:

  a tool shaped like a long-handled mallet used to apply SERVICE to rigging.

  sheet:

  lines attached to the CLEWS of a squaresail to pull the sail down and hold it in place when the sail is set. On a fore-and-aft sail the sheet is attached to the BOOM or the sail itself and is used to trim the sail closer or farther away from the ship’s centerline to achieve the best angle to the wind.

  ship:

  a vessel of three masts, square-rigged on all masts. To ship is to put something in place, thus shipping capstan bars means to put them in their slots in the capstan.

  short peak:

  indicates that the vessel is above the anchor and the anchor is ready to be pulled from the bottom.

  shrouds:

  heavy ropes leading from a masthead aft and down to support the masts when the wind is from abeam or farther aft.

  slack water:

  period at the turn of the tide when there is no tidal current.

  slings:

  the middle section of a yard.

  sloop:

  a small vessel with one mast.

  sloop of war:

  small man-of-war, generally ship rigged and commanded by a lieutenant.

  slop chest:

  purser’s stores, containing clothing, tobacco, and other items that the purser sold to the crew and deducted the price from their wages.

  snatch block:

  a block with a hinged side that can be opened to admit a rope.

  spar:

  general term for all masts, yards, booms, gaffs, etc.

  spring:

  a line passed from the stern of a vessel and made fast to the anchor cable. When the spring is hauled upon, the vessel turns.

  spring stay:

  a smaller stay used as a backup to a larger one.

  spritsail topsail:

  a light sail set outboard of the spritsail.

  spunyarn:

  small line used primarily for SERVICE or seizings.

  standing rigging:

  see RIGGING.

  starboard:

  the right side of the vessel when facing forward.

  stay:

  standing rigging used to support the mast on the forward part and prevent it from falling back, especially when the sails are ABACK. Also, to stay a vessel means to tack, thus missing stays means failing to get the bow through the wind.

  stay tackle:

  system of blocks generally rigged from the MAINSTAY and used for hoisting boats or items stored in the hold.