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Dagger-board .... A removable centre board. Dagger-board case .... The casing through which the dagger board is inserted. Dan-buoy .... A marker buoy that has a vertical pole and flag attached to it, to make it more visible. Danforth .... A type of anchor. Anchor Types Davits .... A pair of small cranes used for hoisting or lowering a tender, dinghy or lifeboat. Day mark .... A shape used to identify a shore feature during daylight hours, usually painted white. DC .... Direct Current. Nautical Abbreviations Deadrise .... The angle at which the bottom of a vessel rises from the horizontal on either side of the centerline. Dead Reckoning .... A method of calculating position, using the direction and distance travelled from a known starting point. No allowance being made for leeway or for tidal set and drift. Dead run .... Sailing directly downwind. Deck .... A platform or covering, over the interior of a vessel, acting as a floor. Deck stepped .... A decked stepped mast is fitted directly onto the deck. Deep vee hull ....A hull designed for speed, where there is a steep angle of deadrise (more than 20%), that extends the whole length of the hull. Delta .... The letter D in the phonetic alphabet. Phonetic Alphabet. Depression .... An area of low atmospheric pressure bringing poor weather conditions. Deviation .... The error induced in a compass by virtue of its proximity to ferrous metals or electrical equipment on board a vessel. Dew point .... The temperature at which water vapour condenses. DGPS .... Differential Global Positioning System. An enhanced positioning system that uses information from a network of satellites and a ground station. Nautical Abbreviations Dinghy .... A small open rowing or sailing boat. Dirty wind .... Turbulent air left by a sailing boat. Direction .... The direction in which an object lies relative to a point of observation, measured as an angle in degrees clockwise from north. Dismasted .... To lose the mast through breakage. Displacement .... The displacement of a vessel is the weight of the vessel, which is equal to the weight of water that is displaced by the hull. Dock .... A place, alongside which a vessel can moor. Dodgers .... Screens attached to a rail to give protection from the wind and spray. Dogger .... The name given to a sea area situated between North East England and Denmark. Dolphin .... A pile, bollard or structure used for mooring or as a navigational mark. Buoyage Double-ender .... A vessel that has both a pointed bow and a pointed stern. Double sheet bend .... A knot used to join two ropes of varying thickness, or for making fast to an eye or loop. Double tiller extension .... Two separate tiller extensions attached to the same tiller for use on either side a high performance dinghy. Dover .... The name given to a sea area situated between the coast of South East of England and France. Downhaul .... A line or tackle used to put downward pressure on a sail or spar. Down helm .... To push the tiller to the leeward so that the vessel turns into the wind. Downwind .... To leeward, running before the wind. DR .... See Dead Reckoning. Nautical Abbreviations Draft .... The depth of camber of a sail. Drag .... When an anchor does not hold, a vessel is said to drag. Draught .... The vertical distance from the waterline to the lowest point of the keel. Draw.... When a sail is filled by the wind it is said to draw. Drift .... The speed of the current in knots. Drift .... A vessel's leeway. Driving force .... The force that is produced by the sails that pushes the boat along. Drogue .... An object towed from the stern of a vessel in order to reduce speed. Drying feature .... An area or an object which is submerged at high water but exposed at low water. Dry suit .... Clothing. A waterproof suit with latex seals around all openings. Dutchman's log .... A method of measuring speed, by dropping an object over the bow and measuring the time it takes to travel the known distance to the stern. |