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Aft: Toward or in the rear (stern) of the ship.
Berth:
Dock, pier or quay (pronounced key).
Bow:
Toward or in front (fore) of the ship.
Course: The direction the ship is headed in, typically
expressed in compass degrees.
Crow’s nest: A small lookout platform at the top of the ship’s mast.
Even keel: The ship in an even vertical position.
Fathom: A unit of measurement equal to six feet; used to calculate
depth.
Fore: See "bow".
Free port: A port free of customs duty and most customs
regulations.
Galley: The ship’s kitchen.
Gangway: The opening through the ship’s side, or the ramp
by which passengers enter or leave the ship.
Helm: The ship’s steering system.
Hull: The frame and body of the ship.
Jacob’s ladder: A rope ladder, usually with wooden
rungs.
Keel: The ship’s "backbone" extending underneath
from bow to stern.
Knot: A unit of speed equal to one nautical mile.
Latitude: The angular distance north or south of the Equator measured in
degrees, with one degree being approximately 60 nautical miles.
League: A measurement of distance - approximately 3.45 nautical miles.
Leeward: Located on or in the direction of that side
of the ship opposite from which the wind blows (pronounced loo-word).
Longitude: The angular distance east or west of the prime
meridian of Greenwich, England, measured in degrees, with one degree
being about 60 nautical miles.
Manifest: A list of a ship’s crew and passengers or invoice of
cargo.
Moor: To secure a ship to a fixed place.
Muster drill: The process by which passengers are acquainted with a ship’s
regulations and safety provisions prior to sailing.
Nautical mile: 6,080.2 feet, versus a land mile of 5,280
feet.
Pitch: The rise and fall of a ship’s bow that may occur
while sailing.
Port: The left side of the ship when facing toward the bow.
Registry: The country with whose laws the ship and its crew are
obligated to comply.
Rudder: An oar-shaped device mounted beneath the ship’s
waterline, enabling it to turn.
Running lights: Lights are required by international law to
be lit while the ship is in motion from sunset to sunrise.
Stabilizer: A fin like device extending beneath the
waterline from both sides of the ship to provide stability.
Starboard: The right side of the ship when facing toward the
bow.
Stern: See "aft".
Tender: A small vessel, sometimes the ship’s lifeboat,
used to ferry passengers to shore when the ship is at anchor.
Waterline: The line on the side of the ship’s hull
corresponding to the surface of the water.
Weigh: To raise, as in "weigh the anchors".
Windward: The side of the ship in the direction from which
the wind blows.
Yaws: To deviate from the ship’s intended course. |
