Nautical terminology

thumb|204x204px|Yachts are recreational boats thumb|Three different types of boats Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or waterskiing. It is a popular activity, and there are millions of boaters worldwide.

man-made marine mooring structure

thumb|upright=1.3|A sailor keeps watch aboard .|alt= Watchkeeping or watchstanding is the assignment of sailors to specific roles on a ship to operate it continuously. These assignments, also known at sea as watches, are constantly active as they are considered essential to the safe operation of the vessel and also allow the ship to respond to emergencies and other situations quickly. These watches are divided into work periods to ensure that the roles are always occupied at all times, while those members of the crew who are assigned to work during a watch are known as watchkeepers.

one of the lines on a sail ship

thumb|280pxA centreboard or centerboard (US) is a retractable hull appendage which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat, known as a centreboard trunk (UK) or centerboard case (US). The retractability allows the centreboard to be raised to operate in shallow waters, to move the centre of lateral resistance (offsetting changes to the sailplan that move the centre of effort aft), to reduce drag when the full area of the centreboard is not needed, or when removing the boat from the water, as when trailering. A centreboard which consists of solely a pivoting metal plate is called a center

transverse support of a sailing vessel

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most senior and qualified engineer in a ship

designated location in a port or harbour used for mooring vessels

a naval force that extends a controlling influence without ever leaving port

thumb|Supply Naval rating|ratings handling a coil of towing hawser (rope) at the [[Royal Navy's Naval Stores Department, Nore, Harwich, which supplies all of the Royal Navy's sea-going ships with the stores and provisions that they need. Note that the coil is bigger than the men and they need a trolley to transport it.]] thumb|The hawser is coiled on deck. Hawser () is a nautical term for a thick rope used in mooring or towing a ship. A hawser is not waterproof, as is a cable. A hawser is an anchor rope, located on the hawse.

profession

formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction

sailing rig configuration

thumb|right|An Old Whaler Hove Down For Repairs, Near New Bedford, a wood engraving drawn by F. S. Cozzens and published in ''[[Harper's Weekly'', December 1882]] Careening (also known as "heaving down") is a method of gaining access to the hull of a sailing vessel without the use of a dry dock. It is used for cleaning or repairing the hull. Before ship's hulls were protected from marine growth by fastening copper sheets over the surface of the hull, fouling by this growth would seriously affect the sailing qualities of a ship, causing a large amount of drag. As this growth was underwater, rem

Leeway is the amount of drift motion to leeward of an object floating in the water caused by the component of the wind vector that is perpendicular to the object’s forward motion. The National Search and Rescue Supplement to the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual defines leeway as "the movement of a search object through water caused by winds blowing against exposed surfaces". However, the resultant total motion of an object is made up of the leeway drift and the movement of the upper layer of the ocean caused by the surface currents, tidal currents and ocean curr

type of knot

thumb|right|upright=0.590|The Monument to the Sunken Ships, dedicated to ships destroyed during the siege of Sevastopol during the [[Crimean War, designed by Amandus Adamson]]

On a sailing vessel, a forestay, sometimes just called a stay, is a piece of standing rigging which keeps a mast from falling backwards. It is attached either at the very top of the mast, or in fractional rigs between about 1/8 and 1/4 from the top of the mast. The other end of the forestay is attached to the bow of the boat.

most forward part of a boat or ship's bow

area of sea where ships can navigate safely

fund used to buffer illegitimate or corrupt income and expenditures

port at which a ship or boat is based

thumb|right|A typical marlinspike with lanyard thumb|A large marlinspike being used to splice a wire cable A marlinspike (, sometimes spelled marlin spike, marlinespike, or [archaic] marlingspike) is a tool used in marine ropework. Shaped in the form of a narrow metal cone tapered to a rounded or flattened point, it is used in tasks such as unlaying rope for splicing, untying knots, drawing tight using a marlinspike hitch, and as a toggle joining ropes under tension in a belaying pin splice.

Sailing technique

thumb|upright=1.35| refueling in heavy seas Seakeeping ability or seaworthiness is a measure of how well-suited a watercraft is to conditions when underway. A ship or boat which has good seakeeping ability is said to be very seaworthy and is able to operate effectively even in high sea states.

thumb|left|A triple deadeye without a lanyard A deadeye is an item used in the standing and running rigging of traditional sailing ships. It is a smallish round thick wooden (usually lignum vitae) disc with one or more holes through it, perpendicular to the plane of the disc. Single and triple-hole deadeyes are most commonly seen. The three-holed blocks were called deadeyes because the position of the three holes resemble the eye and nose sockets of a sheep's skull.

person enslaved or sentenced to row in a galley

sharp-hooked pole used to spear large fish

kitchen onboard a ship

A purser is the person on a ship principally responsible for the handling of money on board. On modern merchant ships, the purser is the officer responsible for all administration (including the ship's cargo and passenger manifests) and supply. Frequently, the cooks and stewards answer to the purser as well. They were also called a pusser in British naval slang.

terms connected to the 6 degrees of freedom of motion

kitchen onboard a vehicle

floating instrument package which collects weather and ocean data on the world's oceans

thumb|Kelson marked with 17

thumb|Winslow Homer's 1870s painting [[Breezing Up (A Fair Wind)]] A catboat (alternate spelling: cat boat) is a sailboat with a single sail on a single mast set well forward in the bow of a very beamy and (usually) shallow draft hull. Typically they are gaff rigged, though Bermuda rig is also used. Most are fitted with a centreboard, although some have a keel. The hull can be long with a beam half as wide as the hull length at the waterline. The type is mainly found on that part of the Eastern seaboard of the USA from New Jersey to Massachusetts.

An outport is any port considered secondary to a main port (including a provincial one as opposed to a capital one). It often is a small port built to support the commercial operations of a large port. The Port of Tilbury from the Port of London is a good example. Avonmouth for Bristol and, on a smaller and now historical scale, Fordwich for Canterbury are others.

thumb|Chainplate on a Bavaria 35 Match without shrouds mounted. A chainplate is a metal plate used to fasten a shroud or stay to the hull of a sailboat to support the mast that sails are attached to. One end of the chainplate is normally fastened to a turnbuckle which is connected to the shroud or stay, whereas the remainder of the chainplate normally has multiple holes that are bolted to the hull, or the chains. This distributes the load across the hull, making it possible for a somewhat lighter hull to support the load of the shrouds and stays. Chainplates are commonly made from stainless st

measurement of the internal volume of a sailing vessel (approx. 1650–1849)

thumb|Raised quarterdeck of an 18th-century frigate, between the main mast and the even higher poop deck at the stern. thumb|Before helicopter decks became common, warships such as the often had a deck at the stern used for secondary armament. thumb|Seaplanes were often operated from the quarterdeck of battleships, as here on thumb|right|Quarterdeck of a Japanese warship. Note the watchstanders in uniform, the wooden plaque, and the proximity to the accommodation ladder. The quarterdeck is a raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship. Traditionally it was where the captain commanded h

length of a vessel at its nominal waterline

shapes a beam deforms into when loads are applied

nautical term for a phenomenon which can occur when a layer of fresh or brackish water rests on top of denser salt water, without the two layers mixing

windward side of a sailing craft

sailing part

Medieval custom of disposition of shipwreck

type of beds

test phase of a newly built or renovated watercraft to validate the ship and its systems

Ahoy () () is a signal word used to call to a ship or boat. It is derived from the Middle English cry, ''. The word fell out of use at one time, but was revived when sailing became a popular sport. 'Ahoy' can also be used as a greeting, a warning, or a farewell.

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term or definition relating to measuring a ship's characteristics

measure of the pulling power of a watercraft

person responsible for the health of the people aboard a ship at sea

thumb|A cargo hold (1933) In nautical terminology, stowage is the amount of room available for stowing materials aboard a ship, tank or an airplane.

method by which the hull of a boat skims over the surface of the water

provision of electrical power for use by a ship at berth

thumb|Sailor standing on a footrope, outer foot on the Flemish horse. thumb|The footrope (lightly outlined in red) on the topgallant yard, far above the water. See also the picture at Flemish horse (rigging)

ship cargo space volume