WEATHER ROLL. The roll which a ship makes to windward.
WEIGH. TO lift up; as, to weigh an anchor or a mast.
WHEEL. The instrument by which a ship is steered; being a barrel, (round which the tiller-ropes go,) and a wheel with spokes.
WHIP. A purchase formed by a rope rove through a single block.
To whip is to hoist by a whip. Also, to secure the end of a rope from fagging by a seizing of twine.
Whip-upon-whip. One whip applied to the fall of another.
WINCH. A purchase formed by a horizontal spindle or shaft with a wheel or crank at the end. A small one with a wheel is used for making ropes or spunyarn.
WINDLASS. The machine used in merchant vessels to weigh the anchor by.
WIND-RODE. The situation of a vessel at anchor when she swings and rides by the force of the wind, instead of the tide or current. (See TIDE-RODE.)
WING. That part of the hold or between-decks which is next the side.
WING-AND-WING. The situation of a fore-and-aft vessel when she is going dead before the wind, with her foresail hauled over on one side and her mainsail on the other.
WINGERS. Casks stowed in the wings of a vessel.
WITHE, or WYTHE. An iron instrument fitted on the end of a boom or mast, with a ring to it, through which another boom or mast is rigged out and secured. WoOLD. To wind a piece of rope round a spar, or other thing.
WORK UP. TO draw the yarns from old rigging and make them into spunyarn, foxes, sennit, &c. Also, a phrase for keeping a crew constantly at work upon needless matters, and in all weathers, and beyond their usual hours, for punishment.
WORM. TO fill up between the lays of a rope with small stuff wound round spirally. Stuff so wound round is called worming. WRING. TO bend or strain a mast by setting the rigging up too taut.
WRING-BOLTS. Bolts that secure the planks to the timbers.
WRING-STAVES. Strong pieces of plank used with the wring-bolts.
YACHT. (Pronounced yot) A vessel of pleasure or state.
YARD. (See PLATE I.) A long piece of timber, tapering slightly toward the ends, and hung by the centre to a mast, to spread the square sails upon.
YARD-ARM. The extremities of a yard.
YARD-ARM AND YARD-ARM. The situation of two vessels, lying alongside one another, so near that their yard-arms cross or touch.
YARN. (See ROPE-YARN.)
YAW. The motion of a vessel when she goes off from her course.
YEOMAN. A man employed in a vessel of war to take charge of a storeroom; as, boatswain’s yeoman, the man that has charge of the stores, of rigging, &c.
YOKE. A piece of wood placed across the head of a boat’s rudder, with a rope attached to each end, by which the boat is steered.
ILLUSTRATIONS
——
PLATE I. THE SPARS AND RIGGING OF A SHIP.
INDEX OF REFERENCES.
1. Head.
2. Head-boards.
3. Stem.
4. Bows.
5. Forecastle.
6. Waist.
7. Quarter-deck.
8. Gangway.
9. Counter.
10. Stern.
11. Tafferel.
12. Fore chains.
13. Main chains.
14. Mizzen chains.
15. Bowsprit.
16. Jib-boom.
17. Flying jib-boom.
18. Spritsail yard.
19. Martingale.
20. Bowsprit cap.
21. Foremast.
22. Fore topmast.
23. Fore topgallant mast.
24. Fore royal mast.
25. Fore skysail mast.
26. Main mast.
27. Main topmast.
28. Main topgallant mast.
29. Main royal mast.
30. Main skysail mast.
31. Mizzen mast.
32. Mizzen topmast.
33. Mizzen topgallant mast.
34. Mizzen royal mast.
35. Mizzen skysail mast.
36. Fore spencer gaff.
37. Main spencer gaff.
38. Spanker gaff.
39. Spanker boom.
40. Fore top.
41. Foremast cap.
42. Fore topmast cross-trees.
43. Main top.
44. Mainmast cap.
45. Main topmast cross-trees.
46. Mizzen top.
47. Mizzenmast cap.
48. Mizzen topmast cross-trees.
49. Fore yard.
50. Fore topsail yard.
51. Fore topgallant yard.
52. Fore royal yard.
53. Main yard.
54. Main topsail yard.
55. Main topgallant yard.
56. Main royal yard.
57. Cross-jack yard.
58. Mizzen topsail yard.
59. Mizzen topgallant yard.
60. Mizzen royal yard.
61. Fore truck.
62. Main truck.
63. Mizzen truck.
64. Fore stay.
65. Fore topmast stay.
66. Jib stay.
67. Fore topgallant stay.
68. Flying-jib stay.
69. Fore royal stay.
70. Fore skysail stay.
71. Jib guys.
72. Flying-jib guys.
73. Fore lifts.
74. Fore braces.
75. Fore topsail lifts.
76. Fore topsail braces.
77. Fore topgallant lifts.
78. Fore topgallant braces.
79. Fore royal lifts.
80. Fore royal braces.
81. Fore rigging.
82. Fore topmast rigging.
83. Fore topgallant shrouds.
84. Fore topmast backstays.
85. Fore topgallant backstays.
86. Fore royal backstays.
87. Main stay.
88. Main topmast stay.
89. Main topgallant stay.
90. Main royal stay.
91. Main lifts.
92. Main braces.
93. Main topsail lifts.
94. Main topsail braces.
95. Main topgallant lifts.
96. Main topgallant braces.
97. Main royal lifts.
98. Main royal braces.
99. Main rigging.
100. Main topmast rigging.
101. Main topgallant rigging.
102. Main topmast backstays.
103. Main topgallant backstays.
104. Main royal backstays.
105. Cross-jack lifts.
106. Cross-jack braces.
107. Mizzen topsail lifts.
108. Mizzen topsail braces.
109. Mizzen topgallant lifts.
110. Mizzen topgal’t braces.
111. Mizzen royal lifts.
112. Mizzen royal braces.
113. Mizzen stay.
114. Mizzen topmast stay.
115. Mizzen topgallant stay.
116. Mizzen royal stay.
117. Mizzen skysail stay.
118. Mizzen rigging.
119. Mizzen topmast rigging.
120. Mizzen topgal. shrouds.
121. Mizzen topmast backstays.
122. Mizzen topgal’nt backstays.
123. Mizzen royal backstays.
124. Fore spencer vangs.
125. Main spencer vangs.
126. Spanker vangs.
127. Ensign halyards.
128. Spanker peak halyards.
129. Foot-rope to fore yard.
130. Foot-rope to main yard.
131. Foot-rope to cross-jack yard.
PLATE II. A SHIP’s SAILS.
INDEX OF REFERENCES.
1. Fore topmast staysail.
2. Jib.
3. Flying jib.
4. Fore spencer.
5. Main spencer.
6. Spanker.
7. Foresail.
8. Fore topsail.
9. Fore
topgallant sail.
10. Fore royal.
11. Fore skysail.
12. Mainsail.
13. Main topsail.
14. Main topgallant sail.
15. Main royal.
16. Main skysail.
17. Mizzen topsail.
18. Mizzen topgallant sail.
19. Mizzen royal.
20. Mizzen skysail.
21. Lower studdingsail.
21a Lee ditto.
22 Fore topmast studdingsail.
22a Lee ditto.
23 Fore topgallant studdingsail.
23a Lee ditto.
24 Fore royal studdingsail.
24aLee ditto.
25 Main topmast studdingsail.
25a Lee ditto.
26 Main topgallant studdingsail.
26a Lee ditto.
27 Main royal studdingsail.
27a Lee ditto.
PLATE III. THE FRAME OF A SHIP.
INDEX OF REFERENCES.
A. THE OUTSIDE.
1. Upper stem-piece.
2. Lower stem-piece.
3. Gripe.
4. Forward keel-piece.
5. Middle keel-piece.
6. After keel-piece.
7. False keel.
8. Stern knee.
9. Stern-post.
10. Rudder.
11. Bilge streaks.
12. First streak under the wales.
13. Apron.
14. Lower apron.
15. Fore frame.
16. After frame.
17. Wales.
18. Waist.
19. Plank-shear.
20. Timber-heads.
21. Stanchions.
22. Rail.
23. Knight-heads.
24. Cathead.
25. Fashion timbers.
26. Transoms.
27. Quarter pieces.
B. THE INSIDE OF THE STERN.
1. Keelson.
2. Pointers.
3. Chock.
4. Transoms.
5. Half transoms.
6. Main transom.
7. Quarter timbers.
8. Transom knees.
9. Horn timbers.
10. Counter-timber knees.
11. Stern-post.
12. Rudder-head.
13. Counter timbers.
14. Upper-deck clamp.
C THE INSIDE OF THE BOW.
1. Keelson.
2. Pointers.
3. Step for the mast.
4. Breast-hook.
5. Lower-deck breast-hook.
6. Forward beam.
7. Upper-deck clamp.
8. Knight-heads.
9. Hawse timbers.
10. Bow timbers.
11. Apron of the stem.
D. THE TIMBERS.
1. Keelson.
2. Floor timbers.
3. Naval timbers or ground futtocks.
4. Lower futtocks.
5. Middle futtocks.
6. Upper futtocks.
7. Top timbers.
8. Half timbers, or half top-timbers.
PLATE IV.
EXPLANATIONS.
SHIP.—A ship is square-rigged throughout; that is, she has tops, and carries square sails on all three of her masts.
BARK.—A bark is square-rigged at her fore and main masts, and differs from a ship in having no top, and carrying only fore-and-aft sails at her mizzenmast.
BRIG.—A full-rigged brig is square-rigged at both her masts.
HERMAPHRODITE BRIG.—An hermaphrodite brig is square-rigged at her foremast; but has no top, and only fore-and-aft sails at her main mast.
TOPSAIL SCHOONER.—A topsail schooner has no tops at her foremast, and is fore-and-aft rigged at her mainmast. She differs from an hermaphrodite brig in that she is not properly square-rigged at her foremast, having no top, and carrying a fore-and-aft foresail instead of a square foresail and a spencer.
FORE-AND-AFT SCHOONER.—A fore-and-aft schooner is fore-and-aft rigged throughout, differing from a topsail schooner in that the latter carries small square sails aloft at the fore.
SLOOP.—A sloop has one mast, fore-and-aft rigged.
HERMAPHRODITE BRIGS sometimes carry small square sails aloft at the main; in which case they are called BRIGANTINES, and differ from a FULL-RIGGED BRIG in that they have no top at the mainmast, and carry a fore-and-aft mainsail instead of a square mainsail and trysail. Some TOPSAIL SCHOONERS carry small square sails aloft at the main as well as the fore; being in other respects fore-and-aft rigged. They are then called MAIN TOPSAIL SCHOONERS.
NOTES
DEPARTURE.
1. beating: going toward the direction of the wind by alternate tacks.
2. the wind ahead: the wind is from the direction that opposes the ship’s course.
3. roads: protected places near shore where ships can ride at anchor, not so enclosed as harbors.
CHAPTER II.
1. watch: the period of time that each division of the ship’s crew alternately remains on deck, usually four hours.
2. larboard: the left side of the ship facing forward. Starboard is the right side.
3. forecastle: the forward part of the ship under the deck where the crew of a merchant vessel has quarters.
4. trim the yards: to arrange sails by the braces with reference to the wind.
5. hawser: a large rope used for various purposes, but especially for tying to a pier.
6. close hauled upon the wind: when the ship is sailing on a tack with its yards braced in to get as much possible to windward; the same as “on a taught bowline,” “on the wind,” etc.
7. beam ends: A vessel is said to be on her beam ends when the wind blows with enough force to incline the deck nearly vertical from side to side.
8. reef: to reduce the size of a sail exposed to the wind by taking it in partially and lashing it down to the yard or boom.
9. weather side: the side of the ship from which the wind blows, the opposite of the lee side.
10. the log hove: A line with a piece of board, called the log-chip, attached to it is dropped over the side and paid out from a reel. The line has knots in it at regular intervals that are counted over time to ascertain the ship’s speed.
11. athwart our hawse: obliquely off the bow of the ship.
CHAPTER III.
1. supercargo: the representative of the owner on board a merchant ship who oversees the cargo and commercial transactions of the voyage.
2. scuttled butt: the cask of drinking water on board ship.
3. studding-sail gear is to be rove: running the lines for the light air sails that are hung outside the square sails of a ship.
4. running rigging: the lines and halyards that raise, lower, and control the sails.
5. standing rigging: the shrouds and stays that support the masts and yards from which the sails fly.
6. bowsed: hauled down with a tackle.
7. holystone: a large stone used for cleaning the ship’s deck.
CHAPTER IV.
1. royals: the fourth set of sails above the deck on the mast.
2. soger: a person who hangs back or skulks about to avoid work. See Dana’s footnote in Chapter XVII (p. 137).
3. took up his quarters in the land of knives and forks and tea-cups: moved from the forecastle to the officer’s mess.
4. let the halyards run, and fortunately were not taken aback: loosened the sails and were lucky not to have the wind catch them from the wrong side.
5. earing: a small line used to fasten the upper corners of a sail to the yard or a gaff.
6. shrouds and back-stays: a set of ropes that support the masts and that lead from the top of the mast down to another mast or some other part of the ship; part of the standing rigging.
7. bunt: The bunt is the middle of a large sail, in this case rigged to a small tackle, the jigger.
8. south-westers: large oilskin or waterproof hats or caps worn to protect the head and neck of sailors d
uring wet weather.
CHAPTER V.
1. kid: the wooden bowl out of which a sailor eats.
CHAPTER VI.
1. plaguy: annoying, vexatious, disagreeable.
CHAPTER VII.
1. Presidio: a Spanish military garrison.
2. paseo: (Spanish) “a walk.”
CHAPTER X.
1. wore ship: turned a vessel around on the other tack by turning her bow away from the wind; the opposite maneuver is to put the ship about by bringing her bow into the wind, which is a tack.
2. taught bowline: close-hauled sailing to windward.
CHAPTER XI.
1. captain taking the sun every day at noon: The captain is measuring the angle of the sun off the horizon at noon to determine the latitude of the ship.
CHAPTER XII.
1. gente de razón: (Spanish) literally, “people of reason”—the upper classes, aristocrats.
CHAPTER XVI.
1. Mayordomo: church steward.
CHAPTER XVII.
1. a-cock-bill: having the yards at an upward angle to the deck; sometimes this denotes mourning.
CHAPTER XVIII.
1. Garrick: David Garrick (1717-79), legendary actor-manager and dramatist, catapulted to fame in the title role of Richard III.
2. veni-vidi-vici: (Latin) “I came, I saw, I conquered,” famously uttered by Julius Caesar after his victory in 47 B.C. over King Pharnaces II at Zela.
3. “caballos” and “carréra”: (Spanish) literally, “horses” and a “race.”
4. Yahoos: in Jonathan Swift’s satirical novel Gulliver’s Travels, a race of brutish, degraded creatures displaying the vices of men.
5. “For the tired slave, Song lifts the languid oar, / And bids it aptly fall, with chime / That beautifies the fairest shore, / And mitigates the harshest clime”: William Wordsworth, “The Power of Sound” (Canto IV, 5-8).
6. “That walked upon the beach, / Appeared like mice; and our tall anchoring bark / Diminished to her cock; her cock a buoy / Almost too small for sight”: William Shakespeare, King Lear (Act 4, scene vi, lines 17-20).
CHAPTER XX.
1. “Mandeville, a Romance, by Godwin, in five volumes”: Mandeville: A Tale of the Seventeenth Century in England is an 1817 novel by William Godwin (1756-1836), the husband of Mary Wollstonecraft and the father of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, the author of Frankenstein.
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