Nautical Terms

Avast ye Swabbies! 
Here be words for your knowin'  Arrrgh!

Aft
At the stern or back of a vessel Aground A vessel touching or fast to the bottom

Ahoy
A sailor's call to draw attention.

Aid To Navigation (ATON)
Any device external to a vessel or aircraft specifically intended to assist navigators in determining their position or safe courses or to warn them of dangers or obstructions to navigation

Articles
Contract signed by pirates when signing with a ship. It stated the rules as well as shares of profits.

Astern
Behind the vessel. Direction of movement, opposite of ahead

Avast
Stop

Ballast
Heavy materials at the bottom of a ship used to keep the ship upright.

Beam
The greatest width of the boat

Bearing
The direction to an object given as a horizontal angle from a line of reference

Bilge
The lowest space in a vessel's hull

Black Jack
A leather tankard made stiff with a coating of tar. Used by dockside pubs and taverns to serve wine and beer.

Blow
Short, intense gale or storm.

Boathook
A pole with a hook or spike at the end, commonly used to facilitate line handling

Boatswain or Bosun
The Warrant Officer in charge of sails, rigging, anchors and associated gear.

Boom
A spar attached horizontally to the mast for extending the foot of the sail

Booty
Term for profits taken from plunder.

Boucan
French word for a grill used to smoke meat. The word buccaneer came from boucan. Smoking meat for sale to passing ships was common from about 1620 to 1670. Men were illegally hunting and smoking the meat until the Spanish cracked down on them. Many took up pirating since their livelihood was over. These men at the time were known as Boucaniers.

Bow or fore
Front of ship, Forward.

Bow Line
A docking line leading from the bow

Broach
The uncontrolled turning of a boat parallel to the waves, subjecting it to possible capsizing

Broadside
The simultaneous firing of all the guns on one side of a ship.

Bulkhead
A vertical partition inside of a ship.

Buccaneer
The Term originally applied to the hunters of wild oxen and pigs on the island of Hispaniola, but later it was used to describe the pirates and privateers who plundered the shipping and coastal towns in the West Indies and on the coasts of South and Central America in the second half of the seventeenth century.

Bumboo
A mixture of rum, water, sugar, and nutmeg. Favored among West Indians as well as buccaneers and pirates.

Buoy
A floating object of defined shape and color, which is anchored at a given position and serves as an aid to navigation

Capsize
To turn over

Careen
To heel over a ship to clean the seaweed and barnacles from her bottom.

Castles
These were raised sections of ships. They came from earlier times when archers would use the raised platforms to gain an advantage over their foe. Those ships had extremely high castles. Castles were either fore ( forward ) or aft ( rear ).

Cat-O'-Nine-Tails
A whip made from knotted ropes, used to punish crewmen. What was meant by being "flogged".

Centerboard A plate, in a vertical fore-and-aft plane, that is pivoted at the lower forward end, and can be lowered or raised through a slot in the bottom of the boat to reduce leeway; movable keel used by sailboats

Cleat
A fitting to which lines are made fast. The classic cleat to which lines are belayed is approximately anvil-shaped

Coil
To lay a line down in circular turns

Cog
A ship developed to withstand pirate attacks. It had very high sides and a raised bow and stern.

Colors
The flag flown by a vessel to show her nationality.

Commissions
Governments would issue these licenses to privateers. They authorized raids on foreign shipping.

Corsairs
A Pirate or Privateer operating in the Mediterranean. The most famous corsairs were those based on the Barbary Coast of North Africa who were authorized by their governments to attack the merchant shipping of the Christian countries.

Crimp
a person who is tricked or press ganged into serving on a crew.

Cruiser
Somewhat more seaworthy craft that usually affords some sort of living quarters

Cuddy
A small shelter cabin in a boat

Cutlass
A short, curved, thick sword. The preferred weapon of many a buccaneer. Possibly a carry over weapon from the days of making boucan.

Davy Jones' Locker
According to sailor's lore, Davy Jones is an evil spirit in the sea. His locker was the ocean where he received dead sailors.

Dead Ahead
A relative bearing of 000 degrees

Dead Man's Chest
A true location now called Dead Chest Island in the Virgin Islands. Robert Louis Stevenson ran across the reference while reading "At Last: A Christmas in the West Indies", a travel book by Charles Kingsley. Stevenson used the phrase in his book "Treasure Island", combining it with a little sea-ditty as thus:

     Fifteen men on the dead man's chest
     Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
     Drink and the devil had done for the rest.

Dead Reckoning
The practice of estimating position by advancing a known position for course and distance run. The effects of wind and current are not considered in determining a position by dead reckoning.

Deck
The exposed area of the ship which the men did their work.

Dike
A man-made structure projecting from the shore into a waterway to control shoaling and to maintain a navigable channel

Dinghy
A small open boat. A dinghy is often used as a tender for a larger craft

Distress Signal
MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY

Dirk
A long thin knife. It was used for fighting in close quarters, as well as cutting rope.

Doubloon
A gold coin minted by Spain or Spanish colonies. Worth about seven weeks pay for an average sailor

Draft
The vertical depth from the bottom of the keel to the top of the water

Earrings and Eye patches
There is no proof that pirates wore either of these decorations. They seem to be the imagination of authors to liven up their characters. At the height of the age of piracy, around 1700, earrings were no longer fashionable, and pirates like everyone else were in keeping with the fashions of their day.

Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB)
A device that emits a continuous radio signal alerting authorities to the existence of a distress situation and leading rescuers to the scene

Fathom
A measure of six feet, used to describe the depth of water.

Fender
A cushion placed between boats or between a boat and a pier to prevent damage

Figurehead
A carved figure perched on the front or bow of sailing vessels that helped establish a ship's identity. This also refers to the captain when the spouse is on board.

Flibustier
French term for pirates during the golden age of piracy.

Fluke
The portion of an anchor that digs securely into the bottom, holding the boat in place; also, any occasion when this occurs on the first try.

Forward
Toward the bow of the boat Galley The kitchen area of a boat

Freebooter
Another term for pirate.

Gibbet
A wooden frame from which dead pirates were hung, often in a metal cage especially fitted for the dead man. This was done as a warning to others who would think of taking up a career in piracy.

Go on the account
to embark on a piratical cruise

Grog
British naval seamen received a portion of liquor every day. In 1740, Admiral Edward Vernon ordered the rum to be diluted with water. Vernon's nickname was Old Grogram, and the beverage was given the name grog in their disdain for Vernon.

Grommet
A name British seamen gave to an apprentice sailor, or ship's boy. The word comes from the Spanish word grumete, which has the same meaning.

GPS
Global Positioning System, an electronic navigation system using satellites for worldwide coverage

Gunwale
The upper edge of a boat's sides

Halyard
A line or wire used to hoist a spar, sail, or flag. Sails on ships used to be called 'yards'; hence the terms halyard (haul-Yard) and yardarms

Hatch
An opening in a boat's deck fitted with a watertight cover

Heads
A marine toilet.

Head
the upper corner of a triangular sail

Heading (HDG)
The instantaneous direction of a vessel's bow. It is expressed as the angular distance relative to north, usually 000°, clockwise through 359° . Heading should not be confused with course. Heading is constantly changing as a vessel yaws back and forth across the course due to the effects of sea, wind, and steering error. Heading is expressed in degrees of either true, magnetic or compass direction

Headway
The forward motion of a boat through the water. Opposite of sternway

Helm
The wheel or tiller controlling the rudder

Hold
A compartment below the deck in a large vessel used solely for carrying cargo

Hull
The body of the boat Keel The main structural member of a vessel running fore-and-aft; the backbone of a vessel

Jolly Roger
The Jolly Roger was the pirate's flag. It had a black background and a symbol (usually white) symbolizing death. The jolly roger came into use about 1700. Before then pirates used the colors of their nationality. Only Edward England flew a flag with the skull and crossbones motif, but all those flying the Jolly roger had symbols signifying either death, violence or limited time. The variations were unlimited.

Keel
Lowest lengthwise running timber of ship.

Knot (kn sometimes kt) A measure of speed equal to one nautical mile (6076 feet) per hour. Also, 1.15 MPH.

Land Ho!
Traditional calling when a sailor sights land.

Landlubber
Lubber is an old slang word for someone who is stupid and lazy. Sailors added land to it to describe someone stupid about the ways of life aboard a ship.

Letters of Marque
A commission or license issued by the government authorizing seizure of enemy property. In Britain and her colonies the letter was issued by the sovereign, the Lord High Admiral, or a Colonial Governor

Line The nautical term for rope

List Continuous leaning of a vessel to one side

Maroon
Pirates used marooning as an act of punishment. A transgressor of their codes would be stripped and left upon an isolated island with only a few supplies, if any at all. Most transgressors preferred a quick death to marooning, for it could mean starvation or worse, isolation for years, until rescue or death.

Mast
These were upright beams which sails were suspended from. The number of mast varied. Their names were, mainmast ( largest mast centrally located ), fore-mast ( front of ship ), aft-mast ( rear of mainmast ), mizzenmast ( usually lateen-rigged, rear and sometimes front of ship, used to improve steering ), bowsprit ( extended out at an angle over the bow).

Mate
The word mate comes from the word meat, and originally meant people who shared food. Later it came to be known as a companion. Mate was also the title of an officer aboard naval and merchant ships. The mate oversaw the sailors, ensuring that the captain's orders were carried out. He also was responsible for stowing cargo and organizing the crew's work.

Mayday (MAYDAY is spoken three times)
A distress signal given to indicate that a mobile station is threatened by grave and imminent danger and requests immediate assistance

Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW): A tidal datum.
The average of the lower low water height of each tidal day observed over the National Tidal Datum Epoch. For stations with shorter series, simultaneous observational comparisons are made with a control tide station in order to derive the equivalent datum of the National Tidal Datum Epoch

Mooring An arrangement for securing a boat to a mooring buoy or a pier; also anchored

Nautical Mile (M) One minute of latitude; approximately 6076 feet
about 1/8 longer than the statute mile of 5280 feet

No Purchase, No Pay
A term used to mean "no plunder, no pay". At the time, the English word purchase referred to any plunder, loot, or booty. A pirate sailing under this term ( in the ship's articles ) would have to seize loot or forfeit pay.

No Wake Slow your vessel so it does not make either a bow or stern wake; usually this means the vessel is off plane and level in the water

Peg Leg
This was a nickname, given by pirates to those who had replaced a leg with a wooden prosthetic. The Spanish name is Pié de Palo, the Dutch is Houtebeen. Two of the best known peg-legged pirates were Francois le Clerc and Cornelis Jol.

Peso ( Piece of Eight )
The peso was the main coin in the Spanish-American colonies. It was slightly larger than the 19th century U.S. silver dollar. It had a value of eight reales. Often the coin would be cut into 8 sections, each one representing 1 reale. Hence the name "piece of eight". The Spanish government minted an immense amount of these coins and they were widely circulated.

PFD Personal Flotation Device

Picaroon
Term meaning both pirate and slaver.

Planing
A boat is said to be planing when its displacement decreases, it lifts itself over its bow wave, and it moves on top of the water at high speeds

Ponton
An English prison hulk, or converted ship hull where captured pirates were held.

Port
Left side of a ship;  A Harbor.

Press Gang
a group of sailors who "recruit" for their ship using violence and intimidation

Privateer
An armed vessel or persons aboard, which are authorized by a commission or "letter of marque" from a government to capture the merchant vessels of an enemy nation.

Prize
A prize was a ship which was captured. The word is derived from the Latin PRETIUM, meaning prize, value, reward, wages.

Quarterdeck
As the need for castles was diminished so too was their size. Fore and aft-castles were replaced with the terms quarter-deck and fore-deck.

Quartermaster
Under pirates, the quartermaster had an almost equal amount of authority as the captain. He was elected and as such was the crew's voice. If a ship was captured, the quartermaster almost always took over the captured ship. He maintained order, settled arguments, and distributed supplies. The quartermaster was in charge of all booty gained and distributed it among the crew.

Rigging
The general term for all the lines of a vessel

Rudder
A vertical plate or board which can be pivoted to steer a boat

Sailing
The fine art of getting wet and becoming ill, while slowly going nowhere at great expense.

SATNAV
Satellite navigation system

Scope
The ratio of the length of anchor line deployed to the depth of the water, including the distance from the vessel's bow to the water

Scuppers
holes pierced in deck near bulwarks to allow surplus water to drain off.

Scurvy
A disease resulting from a vitamin C deficiency characterized by weakness, anemia, and spongy gums. In the sense of 'scurvy dog' it meant low or mean. (not angry but low in quality)

Sea Rover
A pirate or pirate's ship.

Seaworthy
A boat or boat's gear able to meet the usual sea conditions

Sheet
The line used to control the forward or athwartships movement of a sail

Shiver my timbers
An imprecation used by "stage-sailors" presumably of nautical origin, shiver here is used in the sense of "to shatter" or "splinter into pieces", the timbers of a ship.

Skiff
A utility boat, flat-bottomed with either straight or slightly flared sides

Spinnaker
A large, light-weather headsail used for running or reaching

Starboard
Right side of ship.

Stern or aft
Rear of ship.

Strike the Colors
to haul down a ship's flag as a signal of surrender.

Sweet trade
the career of piracy.

Swab
A swab is a mop made from rope used to clean the deck. It is also an insult intended to show contempt for a crude, ignorant person.

Swamp
To fill with water but not settle to the bottom

Swells
Relatively long wind waves that have traveled out of the generating area. They exhibit more regular and longer periods (distances between the swells) and flatter crests

Tack
To come about; the lower-forward corner of a sail; sailing with the wind on a given side of the boat, as starboard or port tack

Tiller
A bar or handle for turning a boat's rudder or an outboard motor

Transom
The stern cross-section of a square-sterned boat

Treasure Map
Once again this is a fictional device dreamed up by authors. Pirates did not bury their loot. It probably came about after Captain Kidd's capture as he was purported to have seized more booty than was found with him. The populace found that the burial rumor was a plausible explanation for the lack of booty and the burial theory has been with us ever since.

Underway
A vessel not at anchor, made fast to a pier or wharf, or aground

USCG
United States Coast Guard

Very High Frequency Radio (VHF)
Radio frequency of 30 MHz to 300 MHz. The VHF system is essentially a line-of-sight system limited in range to only a little beyond the horizon

Vessel
Another term for boat or craft

Visual Distress Signal (VDS)
A signal to attract attention and to guide rescuers in a search-and-rescue situation

Wake
Moving waves, track or path that a boat leaves behind it when moving across the waters

Walk the Plank
Walking the Plank referred to blindfolding a prisoner, tying his hands to his sides, and forcing him to walk a plank that was suspended out over the sea. This vivid description of pirate's torture and entertainment sparks the imagination, and well that it should, for that is where it sprang from. It is fictional, the work of 19th century artists.

Wharf
A man-made structure bounding the edge of a dock and built along or at an angle to the shoreline, used for loading, unloading, or tying up vessels

Winch
A device to increase hauling power when raising or trimming sails, adjusting tows, or weighing anchor