Ghost Messages
Page 14
Tar or Jack Tar: A slang term for a sailor. Early sailors wore overalls and broad-brimmed hats made of tar-impregnated fabric called tarpaulin cloth. The hats, and the sailors who wore them, were called tarpaulins, which may have been shortened to tars.
Watches: Divisions in a naval day. Traditionally, a 24-hour day is divided into seven watches. These are: midnight to 4 a.m., mid-watch; 4 to 8 a.m., morning watch; 8 a.m. to noon, forenoon watch; noon to 4 p.m., afternoon watch; 4 to 6 p.m., first dogwatch; 6 to 8 p.m., second dogwatch; and, 8 p.m. to midnight, evening watch. The half-hours of the watch are marked by striking the bell an appropriate number of times.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Nik Burton of Coteau Books for giving me the opportunity to bring a fun book to life and Ms. Laura Peetoom for being the editor of my dreams!
The author wishes to acknowledge the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for their kind support in the writing of this book.
About the Author
Jacqueline Guest is the author of more than a dozen books for young readers, specializing in sports themes or historical fiction. Her books have received numerous Our Choice and Young Readers Choice citations. Jacqueline Guest lives and writes in the Rocky Mountain foothills of Alberta.