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C .... Celsuis.
Nautical Abbreviations Cabin .... Accommodation, living quarters below deck. Cabin sole .... The floor or floor boards of the cabin. Cable .... A unit of measurement. One cable = One tenth of a nautical mile. Cable .... A heavy wire or hemp rope, or a chain used for anchoring. Cable-laid .... A rope is cable-laid, when it is made of three strands of triple strand rope. Call sign .... A signal that is broadcast which identifies the transmitter it originates from. Cardinal points .... The four main points of the compass. North, South, East, and West. Cardinal buoyage system .... The practice of placing buoys to mark the cardinal points of obstacles to navigation. Buoyage Camber .... The curve in the surface of the deck from one side to the other. Camber .... The curvature of a sail. Cam cleat .... A cleat designed with two cams between which a rope or line can be secured. Canal .... A manmade inland waterway Can buoy .... A cylindrical shaped buoy used as a lateral mark. Buoyage Canvas .... A ship is said to be under canvas when it is under sail. Canvas .... A cloth made from hemp or flax, used to make sails and awnings. Capsize .... To turn a boat over into a position from which it can not right itself. Capstan .... A winch or windlass with a vertical drum used to haul in an anchor. Caravel .... A two or three masted Mediterranean trading vessel used by the Spanish and the Portuguese during the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries. Careen .... To haul a vessel down to one side to expose the underside of the hull for cleaning or repairs. Careenage .... A steep sandy beach upon which a vessel could be careened. Carrack .... A large European trading vessel used during the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries. Carriage .... A fitting that supports a fairlead or block and slides on a track so that position can be adjusted. Carrick bend .... A knot used to join two ropes; when tied it is of a shape that will not foul the tackle. Cartography .... The science or practice of map or chart making. Cast off .... To release any lines that attach a vessel to a jetty, dock, buoy etc. Catamaran .... A twin hulled vessel. Catenary .... The curve made by an anchor cable, between the anchor and the vessel. Catspaw .... A hitch formed by twisting the bight of a rope to produce two eyes that can be placed on a hook for towing or hoisting. Catspaw .... A very light puff of wind that just disturbs the surface of the water. Caulk .... To make watertight the seams of a wooden vessel by filling with cotton or oakum and waterproofing material. Caulking .... The cotton, oakum and waterproofing material that is packed into the seams of a wooden vessel to make it watertight. Caulking iron .... A flat chisel-like tool used for driving caulking material into a seam. Cc .... Cirocumulus. Nautical Abbreviations Centreboard .... A retractable wooden board, That is swivelled through a slot in the bottom of a sailing dinghy to reduce leeway. Centreboard casing .... The housing in which the centreboard sits. Centreline .... The centre of a vessel running from bow to stern. Centre of effort .... The centre of the sail area where all the forces of the wind pressure can be said to be concentrated. Centre of gravity .... The point at which the total weight of a vessel can be said to be concentrated. Centre of lateral resistance .... The centre point of the underwater part of a hull where the lateral resistance can be said to be concentrated. CG .... Centre of Gravity. Nautical Abbreviations CG .... Coast Guard. Nautical Abbreviations Centreplate .... A centerboard that is constructed in metal. Chain locker .... The place where the anchor chain is stowed. Chain plate .... A metal fitting that attaches the rigging to the hull or deck of a vessel. Channel .... The navigable part of a waterway; a length of water wider than a strait connecting two larger areas of water. Charlie .... The letter C in the phonetic alphabet. Phonetic alphabet. Chart .... A geographical map or plan used for navigation. Chart datum .... The water level at the lowest tide. The level from which the depths recorded on a chart are taken. Charter .... A contract to hire a vessel for exclusive use. Chili .... A hot Southerly wind blowing into the Western Mediterranean from North Africa. Chine .... The join between the side and the bottom of a vessel. Chock .... To secure objects to prevent them from rolling about with the motion of the vessel. Chock-a-block .... A situation that occurs when two blocks that are part of a tackle run together preventing any further movement. Choke the luff A method of stopping the movement of a rope through a block, by jamming the hauling part across the sheave or pulley. Chops .... An area where two tides meet and cause an irregular sea. Chord .... An imaginary line parallel to the foot or bottom of a sail between the luff and the leech. i.e. between the front and back edges of the sail. Chronometer .... An accurate timepiece or clock, essential to navigation. Chute .... An opening in the deck at the bow from which a spinnaker is hoisted. Ci .... Cirrus. Nautical Abbreviations Cirrus .... A feathery white cloud, occurring at high altitude. Cloud types. Cirrocumulus .... A layer of small lumpy, fleecy white clouds often in contact with each other, occurring at high altitude. Cloud types. Cirrostratus .... A thin high altitude white cloud mainly composed of fine ice crystals. Cloud types. Clap on .... To make a temporary addition of something to an existing object. Class .... A number of boats built to the same design. Claw off .... To beat to the windward to avoid being blown onto a lee shore. Claw ring .... A C-shaped fitting that can be slipped over the boom after roller reefing to enable the kicking strap to be reattached. Clean lines .... Said of a vessel if it is streamlined and cuts through the water without undue resistance or turbulence. Clear wind .... Wind that reaches a sailing vessel without interference. Clearing lines .... Lines plotted on a chart to define the limits of areas of hazardous and safe navigation. Cleat .... A wooden or metal fitting with two projecting ends securely attached to the vessel, to which a line can be fastened or belayed. Clench .... To make a permanent joint; e.g. to hammer over the end of a bolt so that the nut can not be removed. Clew .... The lower after corner of a sail. Clew outhaul .... A line or tackle used to tension the foot of a sail. Clinch .... To fasten a rope to an object by using a half hitch and then binding the working end back on the standing part with a seizing. Clinch .... A technique used to ensure that the planking on a vessel does not become loose, by turning over the ends the fixing nails. Clinker .... A form of hull construction where the edges of the planks are overlapped. Clipper bow .... A bow that has a concave curvature. Close hauled .... Sailing as close as possible to the wind with the sails pulled in tight. Close reach .... Sailing close to the wind but slightly freer than close hauled. Close reefed .... All reefs taken in. Close winded .... Said of a vessel that sails particularly close to the wind. Cloths .... The strips of cloth or canvas that are sewn together to form a sail. Clove hitch .... A knot used to secure a line at right angles to a rail. Clump block .... A large heavy duty block. Coach roof .... Part of the structure of a cabin above deck. Coaming .... A raised edging surrounding any opening in the deck of a vessel to prevent water entering. Cock .... A valve or tap used to control the flow of a liquid. Cockbill .... Said of an anchor when it is hanging in position ready to be dropped. Cocked hat .... The triangle formed by three position lines when plotted on a chart. Cockpit .... That part of the vessel where the helm and instruments are located. Cockpit coaming .... The raised border around the cockpit to keep the water out. Cockpit locker .... A cupboard within the cockpit area. Cockpit sole .... The floor of the cockpit. Coffee grinder .... A powerful sheet winch usually with two handles mounted on a pedestal. Coil .... The way in which a rope is stowed, in a number of concentric circles. Collision regulations .... The International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea. The rules of the road. Conical buoy .... A buoy used in the lateral buoyage system to mark a navigable channel, this shape is usually used in a starboard hand position. Continental shelf .... An area of relatively shallow sea bed lying between the shore of a continent and the deeper ocean floor. Continental slope .... The steep slope from the edge of the continental shelf down to the ocean floor. Committee boat .... A vessel from which a race is directed by the officials. Companionway .... The access to the main cabin. Compass .... An instrument used to indicate the magnetic north (in the case of a magnetic compass), or the true north (in the case of a gyro compass). Compass bearing .... The direction of an object (measured in degrees) as indicated by the compass reading. Compass course .... The course followed as indicated by the compass. Compass deviation .... The difference made to the reading given by a compass due to the magnetic field of the vessel or of equipment on board. Compass error .... The amount by which the compass is inaccurate in its reading of true north due to variation and deviation. Compass north .... The direction in which a compass needle points when there is no nearby magnetic interference. Composite construction .... Method of hull construction using more than one material. Counter .... The overhanging part of the stern. Course .... The direction in which the vessel is being steered. CQR .... A type of anchor. Also known as a plough. Anchor types. Nautical Abbreviations Cradle .... A framework designed to safely support a vessel while stored on land. Crazing .... Fine hairline cracks in a gel coat or paintwork. Cringle .... An eye in a sail. Cromarty .... The name given to a sea area off the coast of North East Scotland. Crossing turn .... A crossing turn is formed by crossing one part of a rope over or under another. Cross-trees .... Struts attached to either side of a mast to increase the spread and hence the effectiveness of the shrouds. Crown .... That part of an anchor where the stock meets the arms. Anchor types Crown .... A knot formed by folding the strands at the end of the rope back on themselves and weaving them back into the rope to prevent it from unravelling. Crows nest .... A small sheltered platform mounted high on the foremast of sailing ships, used as a lookout. Cruising chute .... A light three cornered sail, set forward. Similar to a spinnaker but with one corner attached to the bow. Crutch .... A rowlock. A U-shaped fitting that is fitted into the gunwale of a rowing boat that supports the oar while allowing it to pivot. Crutches .... Support for the boom when the sails are stowed. Cs .... Cirostratus. Nautical Abbreviations CTR .... Cathode Ray Tube. Nautical Abbreviations Cu .... Cumulus. Nautical Abbreviations Cu .... Copper. Nautical Abbreviations Cumulonimbus .... A dense tall low level mass of cloud, usually present during thunder storms. Cloud Types. Cumulus .... A cloud formation with rounded masses of heaped up cloud and a flat base. Cloud Types. Cunninghams control .... A line used to adjust the tension of the luff. Cunningham hole or cringle .... An eye in the luff of a sail situated above the tack used to attach a line for tensioning the luff. CUT .... Co-ordinated Universal Time. Nautical Abbreviations Cutter .... A sailing vessel with a single mast that is stepped more than one third of the way aft, carrying two or more sails forward of the mast. Cutwater .... The forward edge of the stem or prow of a vessel. |