There was miles and miles of cordage in the rigging of a square rigged ship. The unfortunate sailor was tied to a grating, a mast or over the barrel of a deck cannon. The most common method of punishment aboard ship was flogging. If a ship does not have enough 'leeway' it is in danger of being driven onto the shore.Ī sudden unexpected rush of wind from a mountainous shore which allowed a ship more leeway. A lee shore is a shore that is downwind of a ship. The Lee side is the side of the ship sheltered from the wind. The weather side of a ship is the side from which the wind is blowing. The tallest lookout platform on a ship came to be known as the crow's nest. The crow would fly straight towards the nearest land thus giving the vessel some sort of a navigational fix. When lost or unsure of their position in coastal waters, ships would release a caged crow. The scuttlebutt was a water barrel with a hole cut into it so that sailors could reach in and dip out drinking water. The scuttlebutt was the place where the ship's gossip was exchanged. Scuttle meant to chop a hole in something. This referred to a ship's keel touching the bottom and getting right off again.Ī butt was a barrel. This was called Impressment and was done by Press Gangs. The Royal Navy filled their ships' crew quotas by kidnapping men off the streets and forcing them into service. A distorted, mixed up message was said to be garbled. Garbling was the prohibited practice of mixing rubbish with the cargo. Upon sighting thin foresails on a distant ship a captain might not like the cut of his jib and would then have an opportunity to escape. Warships many times had their foresails or jib sails cut thinly so that they could maintain point and not be blown off course. To anchor a ship far enough away from another ship so that they did not hit each other when they swung with the wind or tide. When casks became empty they were 'shaken' (taken apart) so the pieces, called shakes, could be stored in a small space.

It was sometimes a handy weapon for quarrelling crewmen.Ī large sail used only for sailing downwind and requiring rather little attention. When heated it was used to seal the pitch in deck seams. Most often this was caused by an inattentive helmsman who had allowed the ship to head up into the wind.Īn iron ball attached to a long handle was a loggerhead. If there were no problems during the watch, the slate would be wiped clean so that the new watch could start over with a clean slate.Ī dangerous situation where the wind is on the wrong side of the sails pressing them back against the mast and forcing the ship astern. Sailing in a manner so as to steal or divert wind from another ship's sails.Ī slate tablet was kept near the helm on which the watch keeper would record the speeds, distances, headings and tacks during the watch.

Scuttlebutt navy definition