by Michael Aye
lee: the direction toward which the wind is blowing. The direction sheltered from the wind.
leeward: pronounced loo-ard—means downwind.
Letter of Marque: a commission issued by the government authorizing seizure of enemy property.
luff: the order to the steersman to put the helm towards the lee side of the ship, in order to sail nearer to the wind.
mainmast: the tallest (possibly only) mast on a ship.
mast: any vertical pole on the ship that sails are attached to.
mizzenmast: a smaller aft mast.
moor: to attach a ship to a mooring, dock, post, anchor.
nautical mile: one minute of latitude, approximately 6076 feet—about 1/8 longer than the statute mile of 5280 feet.
pitch: (1) a fore and aft rocking motion of a boat. (2) a material used to seal cracks in wooden planks.
privateer: a captain with a Letter of Marque, which allows a captain to plunder any ship of a given enemy nation. A privateer was supposed to be above being tried for piracy.
prize: an enemy vessel captured at sea by a warship or privateer. Technically these ships belonged to the crown, but after review by the Admiralty court and condemnation, they were sold and the prize money shared.
powder monkey: young boy (usually) who carried cartridges of gunpowder from the filling room up to the guns during battle.
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.
quarterdeck: a term applied to the afterpart of the upper deck. The area is generally reserved for officers.
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. Traditionally contained the head, or toilet, for use by those occupying the great cabin.
rake: a measurement of the top of the mast’s tilt toward the bow or stern.
rate: Ships were rated from first to sixth rates based on their size and armament:
First rate: line of battle 100 or more guns on 3 gun decks
Second rate: line of battle 90 to 98 guns on 3 gun decks
Third rate: line of battle 80, 74 or 64 guns on 2 gun decks
Fourth rate: below the line 50 guns on 1 or 2 gun decks
Fifth rate: frigates 32 to 44 guns on 1 gun deck
Sixth rate: frigates 20 to 28 guns on 1 gun deck
ratline: pronounced rat-lin. Small lines tied between the shrouds, horizontal to the deck, forming a sort of rope ladder on which the men can climb aloft.
reef: to reduce the area of sail. This helps prevent too much sail from being in use when the wind gets stronger (a storm or gale).
roll: a side-to-side motion of the ship, usually caused by waves.
schooner: a North American (colonial) vessel with two masts the same size.
scuppers: Drain holes on deck, in the toe rail, or in bulwarks that allows water to run into the sea..
scuttle: any small, generally covered hatchway through a ship’s deck.
sextant: a navigational instrument used to determine the vertical position of an object such as the sun, moon or stars.
ship’s bell: the progress of the watch was signaled by the ship’s bells:
1 bell ½ hour
2 bells 1 hour
3 bells 1 ½ hours
4 bells 2 hours
5 bells 2 ½ hours
6 bells 3 hours
7 bells 3 ½ hours
8 bells 4 hours
ship’s day: the ship’s day at sea began at noon; the twenty-four day is divided into watches measured by a four-hour sandglass.
12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.–Afternoon watch
4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. – Dog watch is broken into 2 separate sections called the first and last dog watch. This allows men on watch to eat their evening meal.
8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. – First watch
12:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. – Middle watch
4:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Morning watch
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. – Forenoon watch
shoal: shallow.
shrouds: heavy ropes leading from a masthead aft and down to support the mast when the wind is from abeam or farther aft.
skiff: a small boat.
skylark: to frolic or play, especially up in the rigging.
skylight: a glazed window frame, usually in pairs set at an angle in the deck to give light and ventilation to the compartment below.
slew: to turn around on its own axis; to swing around.
spar: any lumber/pole used in rigging sails on a ship.
starboard: the right side of a ship or boat when facing the bow.
stern: the aft part of a boat or ship.
stern chasers: cannons directed aft to fire on a pursuing vessel.
tack: to turn a ship about from one tack to another, by bringing her head to the wind.
taffrail: the upper part of the ship’s stern, usually an ornament with carved work or bolding.
thwart: seat or bench in a boat on which the rowers sit.
topgallant: the mast above the topmast, also sometimes the yard and sail set on it.
transom: the stern cross-section/panel forming the after end of a ship’s hull.
veer: a shifting of the wind direction.
waister: landsman or unskilled seaman who worked in the waist of the ship.
wear: to turn the vessel from one tack to another by turning the stern through the wind.
weigh: to raise, as in to weigh anchor.
windward: the side or direction from which the wind is blowing.
yard: a spar attached to the mast and used to hoist sails.
yardarm: the end of a yard.
yawl: a two-masted sailboat/fishing boat with the shorter mizzenmast placed aft of the rudder post. Similar to a ketch.
zephyr: a gentle breeze. The west wind.