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Aback .... A sail is said to be aback, when it is trimmed to bring
the wind to the forward side. Abaft .... Towards the stern of a vessel, relative to another point of reference; e.g. the mizzen mast is abaft the mainmast. Abeam .... On one side or the other of a vessel at right angles to the fore-and-aft centreline. Aboard .... In or on a vessel. About .... To go about or to tack, to bring the bow across the wind, bringing the wind to bear on the opposite side of the vessel. Above-board .... Above the deck, out in the open and visible. A-bracket .... A triangular bracket fitted to the hull of a vessel, used to support the propeller shaft where it extends outside the hull. Abreast .... To be alongside or abeam another vessel facing in the same direction. Ac .... Altocumulus.. Nautical Abbreviations. AC .... Alternating Current.. Nautical Abbreviations. A-cockbill .... Said of an anchor when it is suspended, ready to be released. Adrift .... A vessel or an object that is floating free and is unable to move under its own power. A vessel that has broken free from her moorings. Aerodynamics .... The interaction between the air and an object moving through it. Afloat .... Said of a vessel when it is fully supported by the water. Afloat .... To be at sea or to be on board a vessel. A-frame .... A hinged A-shaped framework which is attached to the deck of a vessel and is used to give a mechanical advantage when raising or lowering a mast. Aft .... At, near, or towards the stern of a vessel. After body .... The rear half of the hull of a vessel. After part .... That part of the vessel, that is behind the widest part or beam of the vessel. Aground .... A vessel is said to be aground when it is on or touching the bottom. AH .... Amp-hour.. Nautical Abbreviations. Ahead .... In front of a vessel. Ahead, to go .... To move forwards. Ahoy .... The call, or hail used to attract the attention of another vessel. A-hull, to lie .... A vessel is said to be lying a-hull, when it has no sails set and the helm lashed down. Aldis lamp .... A hand held electric lamp that is used to send signals at sea. Al .... Aluminium.. Nautical Abbreviations. A-lee .... The position of the helm when it held over to the leeward side of the vessel, bringing the bow up into the wind. Alfa .... The letter A in the phonetic alphabet. Phonetic Alphabet. All hands .... The complete crew. All in the wind .... Said of a vessel when it is head to the wind with all sails flapping. All standing .... A vessel is said to be brought to a halt all standing, when it stops as the result of dropping anchor while still moving. Aloft .... Up the mast, overhead, above the deck. Alongside .... Lying side by side with another vessel, or at a dock or jetty. Alow .... Opposite to aloft. On or near the deck. Alt .... Alternating Light.. Nautical Abbreviations. Alternating light .... A navigational light that displays two different colours in turn. Usually displayed by a buoy or lighthouse. Navigation Lights. Altocumulus .... A medium altitude cloud formation consisting of rounded masses with a flat base. Clouds Types. Altostratus .... A medium altitude, flat layer of continuous uniformly shaped cloud. Clouds Types. Amidships .... In the middle of the vessel. Anchor .... A heavy metal weight used to moor a vessel to sea-bottom. Anchor Types Anchorage .... An area in which it is safe for a vessel to anchor. Usually, sheltered from prevailing winds, tides and currents with good holding ground. Anchor buoy .... A small buoy that is used to mark the position of an anchor. With a smaller anchor it may also act as a tripping line enabling the recovery of a fouled anchor. Anchor cable .... The rope, chain or warp to which the anchor is attached. Anchor rode .... An anchor cable. Anchor light .... An all-round white light displayed while at anchor; usually mounted on the forestay. Anchor windlass .... A mechanical device used to retrieve the anchor rode or cable and thereby weigh anchor. Anchor warp .... A rope, hawser or cable attached to an anchor. Anemometer .... An instrument used for measuring wind speed. Angle of cut .... The angle at which two position lines plotted on a chart cross. Anodes .... Sacrificial zinc fittings that are attached to the outside of the hull adjacent to any exterior fittings; e.g. rudder, propeller etc. to protect them from corrosion by electrolysis. Galvanic Corrosion. Answering pendant .... A red and white vertically striped pendant, that is raised to a position half way up the signal halyard to indicate that a message has been received and subsequently fully raised when it has been understood. Signal Flags. Anticyclone .... A wind system that circulates around an area of high pressure, usually bringing fair weather. Anti-fouling .... A paint compound that is applied to the hull of a vessel to discourage the growth of marine life. Apeak .... An anchor is said to be apeak when the bows of a vessel are directly above it and it is just about to be broken out the of the ground. Apparent wind .... The wind that blows across a vessel. The combination of the true wind and of the wind created by the movement of the vessel. Arm .... To place tallow on the base of a lead when taking a depth sounding to determine the nature of the bottom. Arm .... That part of an anchor between the flukes and the shank. Anchor Types As .... Altostratus.. Nautical Abbreviations. Aspect ratio .... The ratio between the length of the luff or forward edge, and the length of the foot or bottom of a sail. Astern .... Behind a vessel. Astern ,to go .... To move backwards. Astronavigation .... To navigate using the positions of the sun, moon and stars. Athwart, athwartships .... Across a vessel, from one side to the other. Athwart-hawse .... A vessel is said to be athwart-hawse when the wind or the tide has driven it across the bows of another vessel. Athwart the tide .... Said of a vessel when it is held across the flow of the tide by the wind while at anchor. A-trip .... An anchor is said to be a-trip when it is just braking out of the ground. Auxiliary .... An engine that has been fitted in a sailing vessel for occasional use is known as an auxiliary engine. Auto-pilot .... An automatic steering device which maintains a vessel on a constant course. Avast .... A command, to stop or cease. Awash .... Flooded, level with the surface of the water. An object is said to be awash when the water just washes over it. A-weather .... In the direction that the weather or wind is coming from. Aweigh .... An anchor is said to be aweigh, just after it has broken out of the ground. Awning .... A sun canopy, usually made of canvass. Asymmetric spinnaker .... A sail that looks like a cross between a jib sail and spinnaker. It is set from a pole extending from the bow. |