The Bosun's Mate Glossary of Terms
The Bosun's Mate dictionary of Nautical Terms has been compiled from many sources and is constantly being augmented and revised in our attempt to capture as much of the rich yet complicated (and often conflicting) maritime termonology as possible.
You will find an extensive list of information about all sorts of nautical items from sailor's knots to the sailors themselves, and from ships to the weather patterns of the seas they ply.
| Find what you are looking for... | |
|---|---|
Search the Glossary |
Browse Terms alphabetically* # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
|
View an item from the The Bosun's Mate Glossary of Terms selected at random... random term |
|
Browse Terms by category
a random term is displayed from each category below|
Abbreviations and Acronyms
contains 41 terms Any type of vessel designed for high speed used primairly for SAR and in the military
|
The things sailors do
contains 8 terms To feed out Line, hand over hand - usually over the side of the vessel.
|
|
Why say back when you can say aft instead!
contains 20 terms At right angles to the fore-and-aft Line of the Boat; rowboat seats are generally positioned Athwartships.
|
Common sayings and expressions from maritime lore
contains 149 terms The depth of water required for a vessel to navigate. The distance from the waterline to the bottom of the vessel's Keel.
|
|
The foods of the sea
contains 2 terms A favorite dish for the crew of tall ships. It could consist of almost anything, but the propper dish consisted of layers of meat, vegetables, and fish alternating with crusts of bread and/or broken biscuit - affectionately referred to as a Two or Three decker based on the number of layers.
|
Various knots both functional and ornamental from the nautical to the ornamental and with both historic and present day value.
contains 12 terms & 2 images |
|
Bits and bobs from life aboard ship
contains 5 terms A disease historically common to seaman, caused by lack of Vitamin C the British Navy started to fight it bu adding lime juice to their water - this was the origin of the slan "Limey"
|
Specific sailing maneuvers
contains 33 terms 1. To slack a tackle and thereby increase the distance apart of the blocks in that tackle by manually running the Rope backwards through the sheaves.
2. The action of passing another vessel. 3. Sometimes used to refer to a refit of a vessel - inspecting and repaiting propulsion and mechanical systems on Board. |
|
The points of sail and seamanship
contains 76 terms A disturbed column of water around and behind a pleasure craft as it makes its way through the water. It includes both the charastic "V" shaped wave pattern and the turbulent wated thrown Back by the propellers.
A detailed look: http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/jul2001/994688283.Ph.r.html |
The parts of ships
contains 131 terms |
|
Important people and/or their positions in nautical history
contains 14 terms 1) The mate (assistant) to the Bosun
2) One of the world's foremost nautical web sites http://www.bosunsmate.org (you had to know we would do this) |
Key locations of the maritime world
contains 20 terms 1) The mate (assistant) to the Bosun
2) One of the world's foremost nautical web sites http://www.bosunsmate.org (you had to know we would do this) |
|
Rigging components and terms
contains 104 terms & 10 images 1. Short lengths of Rope marled or braded and used when weighing the Anchor to bind the Cable to the Messenger or Viol. The (usually hemp) Cable was too thick to be brought around the capstain directly, and as such would be bound by the Nippers to the messanger which in turn was taken around the capstain.
2. The Boys or men responsible for working the Nippers were also referred to as Nippers themselves 3. Slings used when hoisting yards that were wet and slippery. 4. A lashed hammock wi... |
Sails, their parts and materials
contains 30 terms |
|
Types of vessels and some famous examples
contains 22 terms & 8 images |
The various spars used aboard ship
contains 6 terms |
|
The tools of the trade
contains 27 terms A fixed structure (Navigation aid) on shore or in shallow waters upon which is placed one or more daymarks.
|
terms awaiting clasification
there are currently no viewable terms in this category
contains 36 terms |
|
Meteorology and its relationship to sailing
contains 7 terms Gale force wind on the Beaufort Wind Scale
|
The Nautical Terms Glossary contains 539 terms and 14 images, viewed 596346 times
