Nautical Dictionary
Nautical Glossary - Maritime Terminology
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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
- Jack
- The national flag flown on a jackstaff on the bow of naval ships while anchored.
- Jack Lines
- Safety lines, usually of flat webbing, that run along the deck between bow and stern used to attach a tether from a safety harness.
- Jack Nastyface
- Nickname for an unpopular seaman.
- Jack Tar
- Nickname for a British naval seaman.
- Jack With a Lantern
- Used by some seamen to describe St. Elmo's Fire.
- Jackanapes
- see Monkey Jacket.
- Jackass Barque
- Four-masted sailing ship square-rigged on the two foremost masts and fore-and-aft rigged on the two after masts.
- Jackstaff
- A short vertically erected pole at the bow on which the national flag is hoisted on naval ships while at anchor.
- Jackstay
- A line or cable secured between two points and used as a support for various purposes.
- Jackyard
- A yard or pole extending the head or foot of the topsail beyond the topmast or gaff of a gaff-rigged boat
- Jacobs Ladder
- A rope ladder with wooden steps. A rope ladder, lowered from the deck, as when pilots or passengers come aboard.
- Jam Cleat
- A cleat designed to hold a line in place without slipping. It consists of two narrowing jaws with teeth in which the line is placed.
- Jaw
- The distance between a rope's adjacent strands, giving a measure of the tightness of the lay. The shorter the distance, the harder the lay. When a line has been overused and the lay has become slack, it is said to be slack-jawed.
- Jaws
- A fitting holding a boom or gaff to the mast.
- Jenny
- A genoa jib. A large jib that overlaps the mast.
- Jerque
- Search of a vessel, by Customs authorities, for unreported goods.
- Jetsam
- Anything thrown overboard; debris, jettisoned items, floating at sea. Goods deliberately thrown overboard from a ship, for example to lighten her if she is in danger, while flotsam refers to goods accidentally lost overboard or which may float up from a hull of a wrecked ship.
- Jettison
- To cast overboard or off. To discard something as unwanted or burdensome. Goods or equipment may be jettisoned to lighten a ship in danger.
- Jetty
- A man made structure projecting from the shore. May protect a harbor entrance or aid in preventing beach erosion.
- Jewel Blocks
- On square-rigged ships, the blocks attached to those yards on which studdingsails were set.
- Jib
- The foremost sail; a triangular shaped foresail forward of the foremast.
- Jib Netting
- A rope net to catch the jib when it is lowered.
- Jib Sheet
- The lines that lead from the clew of the jib to the cockpit and are used to control the jib.
- Jib Stay
- The stay that the jib is hoisted on. Usually the headstay.
- Jib Topsail
- A small jib set high on the headstay of a double headsail rig.
- Jib-boom
- Spar forward of bowsprit to extend the foot of the outer jib.
- Jibber the Kibber
- The act of decoying a ship ashore by means of false lights.
- Jibe
- see Gybe
- Jib-Headed Topsail
- A triangular topsail set above the mainsail in a gaff-rigged vessel.
- Jibstay
- The headstay on which jibs are hoisted
- Jiffy Reefing
- A method of lowering the sail in sections so that it can be reefed quickly.
- Jigger
- (1) A light tackle consisting of a double and single block used for many small purposes onboard. (2) Aft sail on the mizzen mast of a yawl or a ketch, or on the jigger-mast of a schooner.
- Jigger-Mast
- After mast on a schooner or sailing ship carrying a spanker; usually the fourth mast of a five or six masted schooner.
- Jimmy Bungs
- Nickname for a ship's cooper.
- Jockey Pole
- A spar used to prevent the spinnaker guy from fouling on the stanchions.
- Jolly Roger
- In lore, the flag flown by a pirate ship a white skull on a black background with crossed bones below the skull although there is no evidence that such a flag was ever flown.
- Jumbo
- The largest of the headsails; corresponds to the genoa.
- Jump (a line)
- To stand at the mast and pull down on a halyard as another crewmate winches it in.
- Jumper Strut
- A short strut on a mast angled forward at about 45° which spreads the effective angle of a short jumper stay. This adds stiffness and support to the mast.
- Junction Buoy
- Also known as a preferred channel buoy. A red and green horizontally striped buoy used in the United States to mark the separation of a channel into two channels. The preferred channel is indicated by the color of the uppermost stripe. Red on top indicates that the preferred channel is to the right as you return, green indicates the left.
- Junk
- (1) A sailing vessel common in the Far East. It's flat-bottomed, high sterned, has square bows, and has two or three masts carrying lugsails. (2) Old and condemned rope.
- Jury Rig
- A temporary repair or replacement using improvised materials and parts.