U

Unbend - To cast loose a sail from its gaff, yard. The opposite of bend.

Under Bowing the Sea - When a vessel is close hauled sailing in a cross sea, and gets the worst of it on the lee bow.

Under Bare Poles - When a ship is under way and making steerageway with no sails set (downwind) she is under bare poles or scudding.

Under Deck - Below.

Under Hatches - Below deck.

Under-Run - To follow up a rope, chain hawser, or cable, by hauling it in from a boat which moves in the direction that the cable is laid out.

Under Sail. Under Canvas - Using sails for propulsion

Under the Lee - Sheltered from the wind by the sails of another vessel. Under the lee of the land, sheltered from the full force of the wind by the land.

Underway - Vessel in motion, not moored or aground. Moving through the water under the influence of the wind, steam, or oars. Sometimes wrongly written under-weigh. It is said a vessel may be under-weigh when she is getting her anchor; but even then it would be the anchor, and not the vessel, that would be under-weigh. A ship beginning to move under canvas after her anchor is started

Unmoored - A vessel is also said to be "unmoored" when she is riding to a single anchor, as to be moored two anchors must be down, or she must be fast to a permanent mooring. (See Unwiegh)

Unreeve - To haul out a rope from a hole.

Unrig - To dismantle a ship or any part of her, as to unrig a topmast or bowsprit.

Unship - To remove a thing from its lodgment, normally when striking a mast or other spar.

Unweigh - Raise the anchor. When the anchor is 'a-weigh' it is hanging straight below the vessel and the ship or boat is free to move according to wind and currents or the use of sail or engine.

Up and Down - Vertically. The wind is sometimes said to be up and down the mast, when there is none at all, like Paddy's hurricane.

Upper Mast, Upper Stick - A topmast, a topgallant mast.

Upper Strake - The top strake running round a vessel at the deck edge under the covering board, usually stouter than the general planking, and almost always of bard wood to better bold fastenings. Also called a Rub Rail.

Usages of the Sea - Customs of the sea in relation to commercial pursuits, which are held in law to be binding.

V

Van - The advanced part of a fleet.

Vang - A device, usually with mechanical advantage, used to pull the boom down, flattening the sail.

A rope used to keep a gaff from sagging to leeward. On a schooner's foresail a block is lashed to the mainmast head, through which the vang is rove and made fast to the fore gaff end; the fall of the rope leads to the deck. In square-rigged ships vangs are generally used on the spanker gaff. Sprit sail barges also use vangs.

Variation of the Compass - The departure the compass needle shows from true North at certain parts of the globe. The difference between magnetic and true North usually expressed in degrees on charts. The change is annual and either decreases or increases.

Veer - To pay out chain. Veer is also used in the sense of wearing or gybing. The wind is said to veer when it changes in direction with the sun; to back when it changes against the sun, the wind is said to veer when it draws more aft. To haul when it comes more ahead.

Veer and Haul - To slacken up a rope, and then haul on it suddenly, in order that those who are hauling on it may acquire a momentum. Pulling by jerks.

Veer out the Cable - The order to pay out or slack away cable.

Veering a Buoy in a Vessel's Wake - Throwing overboard a buoy in the wake of a ship when a man has fallen overboard, in the hope that he may get to it, and pick it up.

Ventilator - Construction designed to lead air below decks. May have a cowl, which can be angled into or away from the wind; and may be constructed with baffles, so that water is not allowed below, as in Dorade ventilator.

Vertical - At right angles to the horizon, or perpendicular to the horizon.

Vessel - A name for all kinds of craft, from a canoe to a three-decker.

Victual - To supply with provisions for a voyage

Voyage - The passage of a vessel by sea. A short voyage is called a trip or a cast.

V bottom - A hull with the bottom section in the shape of a "V".

W

Waist - The middle fore and aft part of a vessel's decks.

Waisters - Green hands, or old decrepit seamen, who are stationed about in the waist of a vessel to haul upon rope

Wake - The eddying water that appears after a ship has passed. Moving waves, track or path that a boat leaves behind it, when moving across the waters. Vessels are said to leave a clean wake that do not cause waves to form astern. Vessels are said to leave a clean wake that do not cause waves to form astern.

Wales - Thick strakes of plank.

Wall Knot - A knot formed at the end of a rope by unlaying and interweaving the strands.

Wall Sided - Up and down sides of a vessel that neither tumble home nor flare out.

Wallow - To lie in the trough of a sea and roll heavily; to roll under the sea.

Warp - Heavier lines (rope or wire) used for mooring, anchoring andtowing. May also be used to indicate moving (warping) a boat into position by pulling on a warp.

Wash Strake - A strake, fixed or movable, of plank fitted to the gunwale of an open boat to increase her height out of water.

Watch - An anchor buoy or mooring buoy is said to watch when it keeps above water.

Watch and Watch - The arrangement whereby one half of the crew is on deck for four hours, then the other half for four hours.

Watches - The divisions of time for work on board a vessel. The crew of a ship is divided for this work into two watches, port and starboard, each watch being alternately on deck, excepting in emergencies, when both watches may be called on deck. Watches are thus divided: From 8 p.m. to midnight is the "First Watch." From midnight to 4 a.m. is the "Middle Watch." From 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. is the "Morning Watch." From 8 a.m. to noon is the "Forenoon Watch." From noon to 4 p.m. the "Afternoon Watch." From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. the two "Dog Watches."

Watching for a Smooth - In a sea way looking out for a time when the waves are smaller to tack in.

Watch Tackle - A tackle consisting of single and double block; the single block has a hook, the double a tail.

Water - One cubic foot fresh water .0279 ton or 62.39lb.; one gallon .00447 ton. A ton fresh water equal to 223.76 gallons. One cubic foot salt water .0286 ton or 64.05lb.; one gallon .0046 ton; 1 ton 217.95 gallons.

One gallon fresh water weighs 10.01lb.; one pint 20oz. A ton of fresh water is usually taken as 36 cubic feet; a ton of salt water as 35 cubic feet. Note: These figures are in avoirdupois and may differ from those used in the United States.

Water Ballast - Water carried in tanks or breakers as ballast. The tanks or breakers should be either full or empty.

Water Borne - Not resting on the ground, but being in the condition of floating.

Watering - Taking water into the tanks by the hose or by means of breakers.

Waterline - A line painted on a hull which shows the point to which a boat sinks when it is properly trimmed (see BOOT TOP). A horizontal plane passing through a vessel longitudinally. Length on load waterline means the length in a straight line from the fore side of the stem to the aft side of the sternpost or counter at the water level.

Water Logged - The condition of a vessel, that although her hold is full of water, she does not sink, owing to the buoyant nature of her cargo, or from other causes.

Way - Movement of a vessel through the water such as headway, sternway or leeway. ship makes in the water under sail. Thus, when she begins her motion she is said to be underway

Way Enough - In rowing, an order given by the person steering a boat when being rowed alongside a vessel or causeway to direct the oarsmen to cease rowing with the stroke about to be completed, and lay in their oars. Way enough! is strictly and merely an order to cease rowing and should be followed by the order "Oars!" if the men are to be directed to lay in their oars. In practice, however, the orders "Way enough!" and "Oars !" have an identical effect upon a smart yacht's crew when bringing a boat alongside, i.e., simply to cause the crew to cease rowing, throw up their oars, and lay them in the boat.

Ways - Balks of timber arranged in a kind of chute to haul vessels upon or to launch them off.

Wear - To bring the wind on the other side of a vessel by putting the helm up so that the vessel's head goes round away from the wind instead of towards the wind as in tacking. Used on square rigged vessels instead of gybe.

Weather - The windward or "breezy" side of an object. The side on which the "weather" is felt; not to leeward. To weather is to pass on the windward side of an object. In cross tacking the vessel "weathers" another that crosses ahead of her. To weather on another vessel is to gain on her in a windward direction by holding a better wind than she does -- to eat her out of the wind.

Weather Board - On the weather side of a vessel. Sometimes in working to windward by a long board and a short one the short one is called "weather board."

Weather Boards - Pieces of boards fitted over open ports to direct water or rain off.

Weather Cloth - The cloth in a sail next the luff. The "weather" leach of a sail is the luff.

Weather Cloths - Pieces of canvas fitted on ridge ropes and stanchions of yachts above the bulwarks; also the tarpaulins used to cover the hammocks when stowed in the nettings.

Weather Gauge - The condition of a vessel that is to windward of another one. In slang, to possess an advantage.

Weather Helm - The helm or tiller hauled to windward when a vessel owing to too much after sail has an inclination to fly up in the wind. If the centre of effort of the sails is much abaft the centre of lateral resistance, a vessel will require weather helm to keep her out of the wind. The tendency to fly up in the wind can he remedied by reducing the after sail, or setting more head sail, or by easing the main sheet. However, all vessels should carry a little weather helm. (The contrary to "Lee Helm," which see.) It has been frequently argued that the effect of the water pressure on the rudder when the helm is to windward (that is the rudder to leeward), is to press the vessel bodily to wind. ward, and no doubt there is some truth in this, although the influence of the rudder in this respect could be only small.

Weathering - A relative term used in sailing to define the action of one vessel which is eating to windward of another, thus, if a vessel is said to he weathering on another she is eating her out of the wind, or closing up to her from the leeward, or departing from her in a windward direction. Weathering an object is passing on its windward side.

Weatherly, Weatherliness -

The quality of hanging to windward well or holding a good wind. This term is often improperly used to denote good behaviour in a sea way or in bad weather.

Weather Lurch - A weather roll or a roll to windward. In running with the main boom well off, the boom should be always secured with a guy, or it may fall to the opposite side during a weather roll, and cause some damage.

Weather Tide, or Weather-going Tide - The tide which makes to windward or against the wind.

Wedges of Immersion and Emersion.-- See "Immersed."

Wedging Up - Lifting a vessel by driving wedges under her keel to take her weight off the building blocks before launching.

Weepings - The exudations of damp or water through the seams or cracks of planks.

Weigh - To raise a thing, as weighing the anchor.

Well - A sunken part of the deck aft, termed cockpit sometimes. In small vessels there is usually a well aft in which the steersman sits; the cabin of a small boat is usually entered from the well. The cabin of most American yachts, large or small, is usually entered from the cockpit aft. In larger sailing ships a well leading all the way to the keel was used to sound the depths of water in the holds preparatory to pumping.

Well That! Well There! - An order to cease hauling and belay.

Wheel - device used for steering a boat.

Whip - A purchase consisting of one single block. A pennant vane.

Whip, To - To bind the ends of rope with twine to prevent their fraying.

Whiskers - Used to spread bowsprit shrouds.

Whisker Pole - A short spar, normally kept stowed, which may be used to push the clew of a jib away from the boat when the boat is running downwind.

Whistling for Wind - In calms or light winds sailors sometimes amuse themselves by whistling in the hope that it will bring a breeze. They also scratch the boom for a breeze, or to make the vessel go faster. During heavy weather the superstition is all the other way, and no whistling or boom scratching is permitted.

Whole Sail Strength - A wind of such strength that a yacht can just carry all her sails, including her "best" gaff topsail, to windward.

Wicked-looking - Said of a craft which has a smart, raking appearance.

Widow-maker - a term for the bowsprit (many sailors lost their lives falling off the bowsprit while tending sails).

Winch - A drum with crank handles and pawls, fitted to the mast or desk to get in the halyards and sheets.

Window - A transparent portion of a jib or mainsail.

Windfall - An unexpected advantage or acquisition of treasure.

Wind Jamming - A old-fashioned slang term for sailing by the wind. Wind jammers, sailing ships.

Windlass - A horizontal barrel, revolved by cranks or handspikes, for getting in the anchor. In yachts a small neat capstan is used.

Wind Marks - The marks or assumed marks on sheets to which they are hauled in for sailing by the wind.

Winds - The following arrangement and description of winds has been generally adopted.

Windsail - A canvas shaft or tube for conveying air to or from below deck.

Windward - Toward the direction from which the wind is coming.

Wing and Wing - A schooner before the wind with the main sail off the lee quarter, and the foresail boomed out to windward. Some. times termed goose winged. (See "Goose Wing.")

Wings of a Ship - That part of a ship at the sides near the load line.

Wishbone - A boom composed of two separate curved pieces, one on either side of the sail. With this rig, sails are usually self tending and loose-footed.

Woof - The threads or texture of any kind of cloth or canvas.

Work - A vessel is said to work when the different parts of her frame, planking, are not securely bound together so that the various parts relative to each other alter their positions.

Working to Windward - Proceeding by short tacks. Beating to windward. To work up to a vessel is to get nearer to her or catch her whilst beating to windward.

Wrinkle - Something worth knowing; a piece of valuable experience. Wrinkles in copper are generally a sign of severe strains in vessels, or that the vessel "works," or that her frame and plank shifts when she is under way in a sea. Sometimes wrinkles will show when a vessel is hauled up to dry and disappear when she is put in the water as the plank swells.

X

Y

Yacht - A pleasure vessel, a pleasure boat; in American usage the idea of size and luxury is conveyed, either sail or power.

Yankee - a fore-sail flying above and forward of the jib, usually seen on bowsprit vessels.

Yard - A spar used to extend a sail.

Yard Arm - The extremities of yards.

Yarn - A yarn is generally understood to mean one of the parts of a strand of a rope. The strands of old rope are separated and used as stops for temporarily securing sails when rolled up, &c. A narrative, a tale, a long story, or discourse. (See "Strands.")

Yaw - To swing or steer off course, as when running with a quartering sea, generally when a vessel does not steer a straight or steady course.

Yawl - Two mast rig with taller mast forward as a ketch but with the rudder post aft of the mizzen mast.

Yellow Flag or Yellow Jack - The quarantine or fever flag. Aso the Letter "Q"

Yoke - The lower cap on the masthead. It is cut out of solid wood, and either strengthened by an iron plate over the whole of its top, or an iron band round its entire edge. The crosstrees are fitted on the yoke. A yoke is also the crossbar put on the rudderhead of small boats, to which lines, termed yoke lines, are attached for steering.

Z

Zebec - a lateen rig normally associated with the Mediterranean.

Zig-Zag Work or Short Tacking - Working to windward by short boards

since 1/28/08