Brotherband: The Outcasts

A few sailing terms explained

Because this book involves sailing ships, I thought it might be useful to explain a few of the nautical terms that are to be found in the story.

Be rest assured that I haven't gone overboard, as a sailor myself I understand the technical details but even if you're not familiar with sailing, I'm sure you'll understand what's going on. But a certain amount of sailing terminology is necessary for the story to feel realistic.

So, here we go, in no particular order.

Bow: The front of the ship, also called the prow.

Stern: The rear of the ship.

Port and starboard: The left and right sides of the ship, as you're facing the bow. In fact, I'm probably incorrect using the term 'port'. The early term for port was 'larboard', but I thought we'd all get confused if I used that. Starboard was a corruption of 'steering board' (or steering side). The steering oar was always placed on the right-hand side of the ship. Consequently, when a ship came into port it would moor with the left side against the jetty, to avoid damage to the steering oar. One theory says the word derived from the ship's being in port - left side to the jetty. I suspect, however, that it might have come from the fact tht the entry port, by which crew and passengers boarded, was also always on the left side. How do you remember which side is which? Easy. Port and left both have four letters.

Forward: Towards the bow.

Aft: Towards the stern.

Fore and aft rig: A sail plan where the sail is in line with the hull of the ship.

Hull: The body of th ship.

Keel: The spine of the ship.

Steering oar: The blade used to control the ship's direction, mounted on the starboard side of the ship, at the stern.

Tiller: The handle for the steering oar.

Beam: The side of the ship. If the wind is abeam, it is coming from the side, at a right angle to the ship's keel.

Yardarm or yard: A spar (wooden pole) that is hoisted up the mast, carrying the sail.

Masthead: The top of the mast.

Bulwark: The part of the ship's side above the deck.

Gunwale: The upper part of the ship's rail.

Belaying pins: Wooden pins used to fasten rope.

Oarlock or rowlocks: The pegs that hold the oar in place.

Telltale: A pennant that indicates the wind's direction.

Tacking: To tack is to change direction from one side to the other, passing through the eye of the wind. If the wind is from the north and you want to sail north-east, you would perform one tack so that you were heading north-east, and you would continue to sail on that tack for as long as you needed to. However, if the wind is from the north, and you want to sail due north, you would have to do so in a series of short tacks, going back and forth on a zig-zag course, crossing throught the wind each time, and slowly making ground north. This is a process known as beting into the wind.

Wearing: When a ship tacks, it turns into the wind to cange direction. When it wears, it turns away from the wind, travelling in a much larger arc, with the wind in the sail, driving the ship around throughout the manoeuvre. This was a safer way of changing direction for wolfships.

Reach or reaching: When the wind is from the side of the ship, the ship is sailing on a reach, or reaching.

Running: When the wind is from the stern, the ship is running. So would you is the wind was strong enough.

Reef: To gather in part of the sail and bundle it against the yardarm to reduce the sail area. This is done in high winds to protect the sail and mast.

Trim: To adjust the sail to the most efficient angle.

Halyard: A rope used to haul the yard up the mast (haul-yard, get it?).

Stay: A heavy rope that supports the mast. The backstay and forestay are heavy ropes running from the top of the mast to the stern and bow (it's pretty obvious which is which).

Sheets and shrouds: A lot of people think these are sails, which is a logical assumption. But in fact, they're ropes. Shrouds are thick ropes that run from the top of the mast to the side of the ship, supporting the mast. SHeets are the ropes used to control or trim the sail - to haul it in and out according to the wind strength and direction. In an emergency, the order might be given to 'let fly the sheets!'. The sheets would be released, letting the sail loose and bringing the ship to a halt.

Way: The motion of the ship. If a ship is under way, it is moving. If it is making leeway, the wind is blowing it downwind so it loses ground.

Backwater: To row a reverse stroke.

So, now you know all you need to know about sailing terms, welcome aboard the world of Brotherband!