Nautical Charter

Nautical Dictionary - Nautical Glossary - Maritime Terminology

Alquiler-directo.com

Nautical Dictionary

Nautical Glossary - Maritime Terminology

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

Waist: That part of the upper deck of a ship between the forecastle and the quarterdeck, or on sailing ships, between the fore and main masts.

Waister: An old term to describe an untrained or incompetent seaman, or one who was worn out after many years of work.

Wake: Moving waves, track or path that a boat leaves behind it, when moving through the water; the track of disturbed water a boat leaves as it moves.

Wall Knot: A stopper not in the end of a line.

Wardrobe: All the various sails carried on board a yacht.

Wardroom: Officer's recreation area.

Warming the Bell: Striking "bells" a little before the proper time at the end of a watch. More generally, doing something unjustifiably or unnecessarily early.

Warp: (1) To warp is to move a vessel by lines move a boat by hauling on lines attached to docks or anchors. (2) The longitudinal threads in canvas and other textiles. (3) Hawser used when warping. (4) The line by which a boat rides to a sea anchor. (5) Mooring ropes.

Warrant Officer: A range of ranks above enlisted men and below commissioned officers, usually having specialized knowledge and skills. 1

Wash: (1) Broken water at bow of a vessel making way. (2) Disturbed water made by a propeller or paddle wheel. (3) The rush or sweeping of waves on a bank, shore, or vessel.

Washboards: Boards used to close the companionway.

Washing Down: Said of a vessel when she is shipping water on deck and it is running off through scuppers and freeing ports.

Watch: The day at sea is divided into six four hour periods. Three groups of watchstanders are on duty for four hours and then off for eight, then back to duty; also refers to those standing watch as an individual, pair, or group. In order to prevent the same men from keeping the same watch each day, the watch between 1600 and 2000 is divided into two half watches, known as the first and last dog watches, in order to produce an odd number of watches each day.

Watch Bell: Bell used for striking the half hours of each watch.

Watch Buoy: A buoy moored near a Lightship from which she can check her position to make sure that she has not moved by dragging.

Water Ballast: Sea water used for ballast, let into the double bottom, or into a water-ballast tank, or trimming tanks.

Water Breaker: Small cask used for carrying drinking water in a boat.

Water Stop: A dowel driven through a hole that is drilled across a seam, to prevent leakage, usually in structural members. 1

Waterline: The line where the water comes to on the hull of a boat. Design waterline is where the waterline was designed to be, load waterline is the waterline when the boat is loaded, and the painted waterline is where the waterline was painted. Actual waterline is where the waterline really is at any given time.

Waterline Length: The length of the boat at the waterline.

Waterlogged: Completely filled with water.

Watertight Bulkhead: A bulkhead that will not let water pass from one side of it to the other.

Watertight Compartment: A compartment having a watertight bulkhead at each end.

Waterway: A river, canal or other body of water that boats can travel on.

Wave: Oscillations of the sea caused by wind blowing along the surface and moving in the direction from which the wind blows.

Waveson: Goods floating on surface of sea after a wreck.

Way: A vessel's movement through the water; such as headway, sternway, or leeway.

Way Enough: Order given to a boat's crew when going alongside under oars. Denotes that boat has sufficient way, and that oars are to be placed inside the boat.

Waypoint: A charted feature or chosen position on a chart

Ways: The framework of timber, etc., on which a vessel is built, from which she is launched into the water.

Wear: 1) To wear a boat is the operation of bringing a sailing vessel onto the other tack by bringing the wind around the stern, as opposed to tacking, where the wind is brought around the bow. 2) In respect to the flying of flags, a ship flies her national flag or ensign, but wears a personal flag.

Weather: In the direction from which the wind blows, as in weather side of the ship, the side from which the wind is blowing; to windward.

Weather Board: Windward side of a vessel.

Weather Deck: A deck exposed to the wind and sea.

Weather Helm: The natural tendency of a sailboat to come up into the wind. The helm must be held over to keep the boat from coming up

Weather Proverbs: The ability of a seaman to foretell weather by the appearance of the sky, change of wind direction, etc. was handed down in the form of proverbs. Some well known are:; • Mackerel skies and mares' tails; • Make tall ships carry short sails; • Red sky at night, sailor's delight;; • Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.; • Rainbow in the morning, sailors take warning,; • Rainbow toward night, sailors' delight.; • A backing wind says storms are nigh,; • But a veering wind will clear the sky.; • Seagull, seagull, sit on the sand,; • It's never good weather when you're on the land.; • When a halo rings the moon or sun,; • The rain will come upon the run.; • If wooly fleeces deck the heavenly way,; • Be sure no rain will mar a summer's day.; • With the rain before the wind,; • Stays and topsails you must mind,; • But with the wind before the rain,; • Your topsails you may set again.; • When boat horns sound hollow,; • Rain will surely follow.

Weather Side: The windward side.

Weathercock: (1) A weathercock is a weathervane, especially one in the form of a rooster. (2) As a verb, it means to have a tendency to veer in the direction of the wind.

Weatherly: A sailing vessel is said to be weatherly when she can sail closer to the wind than the average, thus gaining an advantage when the destination is to windward.

Weeping: When water oozes through the seams of a vessel's shell, or a steam boiler, etc., they are said to weep.

Weigh: To haul up; as, weigh the anchor.

Weigh Anchor: To raise anchor in preparation for departure.

Well Deck: The two spaces on the main deck of an older type merchant ship, one between the forecastle and the midships housing which supports the bridge, and the other between this midships area and the poop deck. Most modern merchant vessels are now built with the bridge aft and an uninterrupted flush deck from the bridge to the bow of the ship.

Well Found: Said of a vessel that is adequately fitted, stored, and furnished.

West: One of the 4 cardinal compass points. West is at 270° on a compass card.

West Wind, Westerly Wind: Wind coming from west.

Wet: A maritime term meaning stupid.

Wet Dock: Repairs made without removing the vessel from the water.

Wet Locker: A locker equipped with a drain so that wet clothes can be stored in it without damaging other objects in the boat.

Wetted Surface: The whole of the external surface of a vessel's hull that is in contact with the water in which she is floating.

Whack: An old term for a seaman's daily rations.

Whaler: A ship engaged in the whale fishery.

Wharf: Man-made structure of wood or stone parallel to the shoreline, used for loading and offloading of cargo, embarkation and disembarkation of passengers, or making fast. Virtually the same as a quay, except a quay is generally built only of stone.

Wharfage: Charge to a ship for using a wharf.

Wharfinger: One who owns or manages a wharf.

Wheel: (1) Device used for steering a boat. (2) Slang for a ship's propeller.

Wheelhouse: The deckhouse of a vessel where the helm is located.

Wheelsman: Another name for the helmsman; one who steers a ship via a wheel.

Where Away?: Inquiry addressed to a look-out man, demanding precise direction of an object he has sighted and reported.

Whip, Whipping: To bind the strands of a line with a small cord. Winding twine or heavy thread around the end of a line to keep it from unraveling

Whisker Pole: A pole connected to the mast and the clew of the jib, to hold the jib out when going downwind

Whistle Buoy: A navigational buoy with a whistle.

Whistling for Wind: Based on an old tradition that whistling at sea will cause a wind to rise.

Whistling Psalms to the Taffrail: Nautical phrase that means giving good advice that will not be taken.

White Horses: Fast-running waves with white foam crests.

Wholesome: Said of craft that behaves well in bad weather.

Wide Berth: To avoid something by a large distance.

Widow-maker: A term for the bowsprit (many sailors lost their lives falling off the bowsprit while tending sails).

Wildcat: A special type of drum or sprocket on a windlass constructed to handle the anchor chain links. Also referred to as a chain gypsy.

Winch: A metal drum shaped device used to increase hauling power when raising or trimming sails, loading and discharging cargo, or for hauling in lines. A machine that has a drum on which to coil a rope, cable or chain for hauling, pulling or hoisting.

Winch Head: A drum (usually of small diameter and concave) on a winch. Designed for taking and holding the turns of a rope.

Wind Dog: An incomplete rainbow, or part of a rainbow. It is supposed to indicate approach of a storm.

Wind Rose: A diagram usually shown on pilot charts that indicates the frequency and intensity of wind from different directions for a particular place

Wind Scoop: A funnel shaped device used to force wind in a hatch and ventilate the below decks area.

Wind Shadow: The wind being blocked by a land mass, obstruction, or sails from another boat. This creates a windless area on boats downwind away from them.

Winding: Turning a vessel end for end between buoys, or along-side a wharf or pier.

Windlass: A special form of winch used to hoist the anchors. It has two drums designed to grab the links of the anchor chains and is fitted with ratchet and braking device suitable for "paying out" chain.; A windlass revolves around a horizontal axis, as opposed to a capstan, which rotates around a vertical axis.

Window: A transparent portion of a jib or mainsail.

Windshift: The natural occurrence of the movement of the wind. Sailors use windshifts to sail a shorter distance on a race course.

Windward: Towards the wind. Windward is an adjective meaning the direction from which the wind is blowing. The windward side of a boat is the one which the wind hits first. "Sailing to windward" means sailing towards the wind. Opposite of leeward.

Windward Mark: A racing mark or buoy that is set upwind.

Wing and Wing: Sailing directly downwind with two sails set. Usually the mainsail on one side and a headsail on the other, or one headsail on each side.

Wishbone: A boom composed of two separate curved pieces, one on either side of the sail. With this rig, sails are usually self tending and loose-footed.

Without Prejudice: Words used when a statement, comment, or action is not to be taken as implying agreement or disagreement, or affecting in any way a matter in dispute, or under consideration.

Working Sheet: The sheet that is currently taught and in use to control a sail. The opposite of the lazy sheet.

Worm: The operation of passing a small line in a spiral between the lays of a rope, in preparation for parcelling and serving. Rope is wormed, parcelled and served to protect it from water which could rot it, or from chafing

Wrack: (1) To destroy by wave action. (2) Seaweed thrown ashore by sea.

Wreck: The hull of a ship which is a total loss through weather stress, collision, fire, sinking, stranding or any other cause.

Nautical Charter

Nautical Services