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Back .... The wind is said to back when it changes in an anticlockwise
direction (in the northern hemisphere); e.g. a change from north to north west. Back an anchor .... To lay a second anchor ahead of the bower anchor for additional holding power. Backboard .... A board that forms the back of a seat, to give support. Backing the jib .... To position or sheet the jib to the windward. Backing a sail .... To put a sail into a position so that the wind fills it from the opposite side. The resultant effect being to slow the vessel down. Back splice .... To weave the strands at the end of a rope back in on themselves to prevent them from unravelling. Backstay .... The stay that supports the mast from aft, preventing any forward movement. Backwash .... The receding waves that are created by the movement of a vessel. Backwind .... When a mainsail is eased or let out and it flaps and spills the wind it is said to backwind. Baggywrinkle .... A protective sheath wound around shrouds etc. to prevent the sails from chafing, made from many short lengths of line woven together. Bail .... To remove water from a vessel by hand. Bailey .... The name given to a sea area situated off out from the North West of Scotland. Balance .... A boat is balanced when it is upright, both from side to side and fore-and-aft. Balanced helm .... A vessel that has a balanced helm has little or no tendency to change direction. Ballast .... Weight, normally lead or iron carried within a vessel or formed into the keel of a vessel to improve trim and stability. Barber hauler .... A device used for moving the jib sheet leads in an athwartships direction. Bare away .... To turn away from the wind. Bare boat charter .... A vessel chartered without a crew. Bare poles.... Underway without any sails set. Barge .... A large flat bottomed vessel used for carrying freight on canals, rivers and in coastal waters. Bargee .... A person in charge of, or working on a barge. Barograph .... An instrument that makes a continuous record of the atmospheric pressure. Barometer .... An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure. Barque .... A vessel that has the rear mast rigged fore-and-aft and the remaining masts square-rigged. Barquentine .... A vessel that has only the foremast square-rigged and the remaining masts rigged fore-and-aft. Battens .... Flexible strips of wood, metal or plastic that are placed into long slots in a sail to assist the leach to maintain the correct shape. Batten down .... To secure all fittings and make a vessel watertight in preparation for heavy weather. Bawley .... A small coastal fishing vessel (no longer used), peculiar to the south-east coast of England. Beacon .... A navigational mark, usually but not always lit. Beam .... The maximum width of a vessel. Beam reach .... Sailing with the wind coming directly from the side of the boat. Beam ends .... A vessel is on beam ends when it is heeled over to such an extent that it is about to capsize. Bean-cod .... A small Portuguese inshore fishing vessel. Bear away .... To alter course away from the wind. Bear down .... To approach from up wind. Bear in .... To approach closer. Bearing .... The measured angle between true north and the direction of an object from a position of observation. Bear off .... To stand further away. Bear up .... To alter course closer to the wind. Beat .... To sail to the windward, close hauled. Beating .... To sail to the windward. Close hauled, zigzagging across the wind, in order to reach an objective upwind. Beaufort scale .... An internationally used scale of wind force. Beaufort Scale Becalmed .... To be motionless as the result of the absence of any wind. Becket .... An eye or loop in the end of a rope or on a block. Becue .... To attach a rope to the flukes of an anchor so that it may be retrieved if it becomes fouled. Bee .... A ring or a hoop of metal. Bee block .... A small wooden block housing a sheave through which leech reef pendants are passed. Before the wind .... Running with the wind coming from astern. Belay .... To make a rope fast, usually around a cleat with a figure of eight knot. Belay .... A instruction meaning 'stop'. Belaying pin .... A fixed wooden or metal pin used for fastening a rope round. Bell buoy .... A buoy usually unlit on which a bell is mounted, rung by the motion of the sea to warn of shallow water. Bell rope .... A rope attached to the clapper of a bell, used to assist in ringing it. Belly band .... A strip of canvas sometimes sewn to a square sail between the foot and the reefing points in order to strengthen it. Bend .... To attach a mainsail to its boom. Bend .... A knot used to fasten the ends of two lines together. Bendy mast .... A mast which is capable of being deliberately bent to take up the desired degree of curvature. Beneaped .... A vessel that has gone aground at the top of a spring high tide. Bermudan rig .... Triangular fore-and-aft sails set on a single tall mast. Berth .... A place in a harbour in which a vessel may be moored or swing at anchor. Berth .... A bunk, a place to sleep on board a vessel. Berth .... To give a wide berth. To give clearance to or keep clear of a vessel. Berthon boat .... A folding canvass boat, named after the inventor, Edward Berthon. Best bower .... The starboard hand anchor carried at the bow of a vessel. Bight .... A bight is formed when a rope is turned back on itself. Bight .... A curve or recess in the coastline. Bilge .... The almost flat part of the bottom of a vessel. Bilge keels .... Shallow keels, attached to the bilge of a vessel. Bilge pump .... A small pump used to pump the water from the bilges. Bilge water .... Dirty water that collects inside the bilge of a vessel. Binnacle .... A mounting for the compass in the cockpit. Biscay .... The name given to a sea area situated in the Bay of Biscay. Bite .... When the flukes of an anchor dig into the bottom and take hold it is said to bite. Bitter .... The part of a anchor warp or cable that is wound around the bitts. Bitter end .... The unused end of an anchor cable. Bitts .... Two small posts fixed to the foredeck to which a mooring cable or the bowsprit can be attached. Block .... A housing with one or more pulleys. A device used as part of a block and tackle or with a single pulley to change the direction of a rope or line. Block and tackle .... A system of blocks designed to give a mechanical advantage. Blue jay .... A light single handed dinghy. International class. Blue Peter .... A flag hoisted to indicate that a vessel is about to set sail. The flag is the letter P in the International Code of Signals. Signal Flags. BMIF .... British Marine Industries Federation. Nautical Abbreviations Bn .... Beacon. Nautical Abbreviations Board .... One leg of a beat to the windward. Boat .... A small open craft. In general used to describe almost any vessel. Boat-hook .... A long pole with a spike and a hook on one end which is used for manoeuvring boats. Boat-house .... A shed at the edge of the water , used to house a boat. Boatswain .... On board ship, the officer in charge of equipment and the crew. Boatswain's chair .... A seat suspended on ropes upon which a man may be hoisted aloft. Bobstay .... A stay rigged from the bow or stem of a vessel to the end of the bowsprit to counteract the upward pull of the forestay. Bollard .... A short post on a quay or on board a vessel, used for securing mooring lines. Bolt .... A roll of canvas or other material. Originally a standard measure of thirty nine yards. Bolt rope .... Rope sewn into the edges of a sail to reinforce it. Boom .... A floating barrier across the mouth of a river or harbour. Boom .... A spar used to extend and support the foot or bottom of a sail. Boom crutch or gallows .... A temporary structure erected to secure and support the boom when moored, or when at anchor. Boom preventer .... A line or tackle set up to prevent an accidental gybe. Boom-vang .... A line that stops the boom from rising when the mainsail is set. Bora .... A strong north-east wind occurring in the northern part of the Adriatic. Bore .... A large wave or surge of water caused by the constriction of a high tide entering a long narrow inlet or estuary. Bosun's chair .... A seat suspended from ropes upon which a man may be hoisted aloft. Bottle screw.... A metal screw fitting used to adjust the tension in a shroud or a stay. Bow .... The front part of a vessel. Bower anchor .... One of the two main anchors carried at the bow of a vessel. Bow fitting .... The fitting to which the forestay is attached. Bowline .... A knot used for making a loop. Bow line .... A mooring warp that runs from the bow to a point on shore. Bow roller .... A roller situated at the extreme forward part of the bow, over which the anchor chain or rode passes to ease the raising and lowering of the anchor. Bowse .... To tighten a sail using tackle. Bowsprit.... A spar that projects forward from the bow enabling headsails to be set further forward. Bow wave.... A wave set up at the bows of a vessel as it moves through the water. Braided rope .... A rope consisting of a sheathed core of braided or plaited strands. Brails .... Ropes on both sides of a loose footed fore-and-aft sail used to temporarily furl or gather the sail to the mast. Bravo .... The letter B in the phonetic alphabet. Phonetic Alphabet. Breach .... The breaking down of sea defenses. Breaker .... A heavy wave that breaks over rocks or shallows. Break ground .... Said of an anchor as the flukes break free from the ground. Break sheer .... A vessel is said to break sheer if, while at anchor it swings into a position in which it could foul the anchor cable. Breakwater .... Sea wall or other structure designed to break the force of the waves. Breast rope .... A rope which lays approximately at right angles to the vessel used for mooring to a dock or jetty. Breeches buoy ... A life buoy that is fitted with a pair of breeches for the users legs. Breeze .... A light wind. Bridge deck .... The raised area that separates the cockpit from the cabin. Bridle .... A length of rope which is attached to either end of an object, the centre part or the bight of which is used to provide a more balanced point at which to apply a purchase. Bridle .... The cable that runs from a fixed mooring point on the bottom to a mooring buoy. Bridle-port .... An opening in the bows of a vessel at deck level through which mooring cables are passed. Brig .... A square rigged two masted vessel. Brigantine .... A two-masted vessel with the fore mast square rigged and the rear mast, fore-and-aft rigged.. Bright work .... The varnished areas of a vessel. Bring up .... To bring up a vessel is to approach an anchor or mooring either head to tide, or if the tide is slack, head to wind. Bring to .... To bring to a vessel is to bring it to a stop by turning the bow into wind. Broach .... When a vessel swings out of control broadside to the waves, whilst heeling at an extreme angle. Broad reach .... Sailing when the wind is coming from the port or starboard quarter. Bruce .... A type of anchor. Anchor Types BST .... British Summer Time. Nautical Abbreviations Bulb keel .... A fin keel that is ballasted with a large bulb shape at the lower end. Bulkhead .... A vertical partition across a vessel which divides and strengthens the hull. Bulwarks .... The parapet around the edge of the deck of a vessel. Bumpkin .... A short spar extending forward from the bow, fitted instead of a bowsprit. Bunk .... A bed on board a vessel. Bunting .... A thin line used to support signal flags. Buoy .... A floating navigational mark. Buoyage Buoyage .... A system of navigational marks that indicate the positions of hazards and safe channels. Buoyage Buoyancy bags .... Inflatable bags that are used to provide additional buoyancy in a dinghy. Buoyancy tanks .... Sealed tanks fitted to a vessel to give additional buoyancy in the event of being swamped. Buoy rope .... A rope that is used to attach a buoy to the object that it is marking. Burgee .... A small triangular flag sometimes flown from the top of the mast to indicate the direction of the apparent wind. By the board .... Close to a vessels deck. By the head .... When a vessel sits deeper in the water at the bow, than is normal. By the stern .... When a vessel sits deeper in the water at the stern, than is normal. By the wind .... To sail close to the wind, close hauled. By the lee .... Running with the wind coming slightly from the lee side of the vessel. |