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 Terms

Browse 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

Random terms, by category

Abbreviations Abbreviations and Acronyms (41 terms) GAR A model used to assess risk. The USCG uses the GAR model when assessing the safety of a mission for example.	Actions The things sailors do (8 terms) Skylarking Playing by climbing around in the Rigging. Especially when done as high as possible.
Directions Why say back when you can say aft instead! (20 terms) Athwartships At right angles to the fore-and-aft Line of the Boat; rowboat seats are generally positioned Athwartships.	Expressions Common sayings and expressions from maritime lore (149 terms) Leeward The direction away from the wind.
Food The foods of the sea (2 terms) Scurvy 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"	Knots Various knots both functional and ornamental from the nautical to the ornamental and with both historic and present day value. (12 terms) Knot 1. A speed of one Nautical mile per hour. (6076 feet) per hour. 2. A method of making a Line Fast to an object, another Line, itself, or for ornament.
Life aboard Bits and bobs from life aboard ship (5 terms) Skylarking Playing by climbing around in the Rigging. Especially when done as high as possible.	Maneuvers Specific sailing maneuvers (33 terms) Wash A specific component of the Wake consisting of loose and broken water. It includes water thrown Aft by the Propeller and the waves that roll off the side of the Boat.
Navigation The points of sail and seamanship (76 terms) A-try Lying under the trysail in a gale	Parts The parts of ships (131 terms) Iron-Jib A toung in cheek term for an auxiliary engine on a sailing vessel.
People Important people and/or their positions in nautical history (14 terms) Helmsman The crew member currently responsible for steering the vessel.	Places Key locations of the maritime world (20 terms) Starboard Right side of the Ship when facing Forward. Named as such after a contraction called a Steering Board, from ancient ships. This was a Rudder like contraption that was situated on the right side of the vessel (as the left or Port side of the vessel needed to be kept free for tieing up to the Dock)
Rigging Rigging components and terms (104 terms) Painter A Line attached to the Bow of a small Boat used in towing or making fast	Sails Sails, their parts and materials (30 terms) Moonsail The small light sails set above the skysails on square-rigged masts in light winds.
Ships Types of vessels and some famous examples (22 terms) Sloop A single-masted fore-and-aft-rigged sailing vessel with a single headsail set from the forestay.	Spars The various spars used aboard ship (6 terms) Jibboom A Spar Forward of Bowsprit that supports the Forward most staysails.
Tools The tools of the trade (27 terms) Viol An older name for the Messenger used to assist in weighing the Anchor.	unsorted terms awaiting clasification (36 terms) none found
Weather Meteorology and its relationship to sailing (7 terms) El Niño A warm inshore Current annually flowing south along the coast of Ecuador. About every seven to ten years it extends down the coast of Peru, where it has a devastating effect in that region and is oftin the cause of unusual weather patterns around the entire eastern Pacific Rim.

Total Terms: 539 Total Views: 1676735