Quicken to Rate

To give a greater curve--a term belonging to ship building.

A coating of woven rope about the outside of a vessel.

A wooden wedge; pieces of wood used for steadying casks when the latter are bedded.

A groove cut in a piece of timber into which another timber is fitted.

A rippling commotion of the water caused by a meeting of two tides, or from the tide flowing through a narrow channel. A contest of speed between two vessels. The propeller is said to race when, in a heavy sea, the vessel's stern is so high out of the water that the propeller revolves in the air. Racing of this kind not only strains the vessel but threatens the shaft and engines with a breakdown.

Under this caption comes club-topsail, spinnaker, and all the balloon sails.

A long, narrow, and very light boat with outriggers for the oars to work in, used in racing, and manned with from one to eight oarsmen, according to the size of the boat.

To seize two ropes together with turns of spun yarn, etc., so that they cannot move.

A length of wood containing a number of sheaves, and used as fairleaders.

A sail in the shape of an equilateral triangle ?? which is sometimes set over the highest yard. The foot of the raffee is spread by the yard, and the head, or apex of the sail, hoists directly in front of the mast. This sail is common to English schooner yachts rigged to carry a squaresail, as the raffee is set over the yard.

A floating shape manufactured out of spars, planks, barrels. etc.

The top edge of the bulwarks, called bulwark-rail.

(See Railways.)

Iron jack stays bolted under standing gaffs and used on steam vessels where booms are not carried. The head of the sail is hauled out along the gaff by means of an outhaul, and the sail is brailed in when it is desired to furl it. (See Gaff, Ways.)

(See Dressing Ship.)

As a vessel approaches an object its increasing elevation to the eye of the observer is called raising; hence to raise the land is to bring it more within vision.

Heave and raise the dead is an old order given to the men at the windlass brakes, signifying that they are to heave strong and lift the anchor from its mud grave. The performance is characterized as raising the dead.

The inclination of a vessel's masts from the perpendicular. A term sometimes applied to the overhang of a vessel's stern.

Raking a vessel is firing a shot so that it will plough through her in a fore-and-aft direction.

A vessel is said to be rakish when she presents, a saucy appearance--generally when her masts have a good rake.

A small rope used to determine the centre line of a vessel; also in mast-making to obtain a straight middle line on a spar.

When in sailing one vessel runs up close abeam of another she is said to range alongside.

The light carried on the after-part of steam vessels, elevated above the deck, and forming with the stem light the line of the keel. Also two lights placed on shore in such situations that when they are in line with one another, as seen from a vessel, the latter may know that she is in the channel.

A length of cable overhauled so that when the anchor is let go it will fall to the bottom without being checked.

Not quite close-hauled.

The class to which a vessel belongs--in the navy according to her tonnage and armament, and in the merchant service according to her material and construction. (See Class.)