Ship jargon:
I do realize that for some, the ship jargon may seem a bit overwhelming at first, although even with these terms, I try to make them obvious from context or include an explanation in dialogue or internal monologue. These are the actual expressions that are in use with the seafaring crowd today, so it would be wrong to call them by any “common” names (e.g., calling a galley a “kitchen”). For completeness’ sake I’m listing them here with simplified explanations so that you can refer easily if curiosity is aroused; however each term should be clear from the context, in the series where it appears, so do not fear.
Thanks go to my editor Leslie Noble, himself an experienced yachtsman, who taught me many of them and has once again pitched in and completed them in this glossary
Hatch: a doorway into an enclosed section, or an opening in the deck, often closed with a sliding cover.
Porthole: a “window”, usually round
Companionway / companion ladder: A set of stairs inside the ship leading between decks.
Bulkhead: A wall
Cabin sole: The deck of the cabin
Deck: ‘Floor’ & ‘ceiling’ in a ship.
1. Poop Deck: located on the vessel’s stern.
2. Main Deck: As the name suggests, the main deck is the primary deck in any vessel. The main deck, however, is not the topmost deck but usually the one below the upper deck.
3. Upper Deck: The deck that covers the hull of the vessel from fore to aft is the upper deck. It is the topmost deck on a ship.
4. Lower Deck: The deck/s below the primary or main deck is/are the lower deck/s.
5. Weather Deck: A deck that is not roofed by another deck and thus is open to weather conditions
6. Bridge Deck or Bridge: the deck on which the navigational equipment of the ships is housed and from which it is steered.
Stern: Back
Prow, bow: front
Port: left
Starboard: right
Heads: the bathrooms, the toilets, or rocky outcroppings in the sea.
Mainmast: the largest mast.
Stays: ropes or cables which support the masts on a straight fore-and-aft plane.
Forestay and Backstay: Stays set on the central line of the vessel, ahead of or behind the mast respectively. These are also named for the masts they support, e.g. Main Forestay, Mizzen Backstay etc.
Shrouds: These ropes/cables come in pairs and run from the mast to port and starboard sides to form sideways support for the mast in conjunction with the forestay. In smaller vessels they also serve as backstays.
Rigging: All the masts, stays, booms, yards and sails
Lines: Ropes used for securing things.
Sheets: Ropes. Not sails. This refers to any ropes that are used to adjust the angles of the sails – by pulling in or letting out a swingy boom at the bottom of the sail, or attached to the flappy end (clew) of a triangular sail. Thus there are main sheets, jib sheets or spinnaker sheets.
Halliards: ropes used for hoisting sails.
Ropes: Ropes
Snopes: A site that debunks urban legends and conspiracy theories.
Setting sail: Starting out.
Goose-winging: Setting one sail out to port and one to starboard to catch maximum wind on a dead run (see below, points of sail)
Tack, port or starboard: The side from which the wind is coming, eg on port tack the wind comes from the left facing the bow, and the boat leans to the right (starboard). Starboard tack is the other way round.
Jibing /gybing: Changing the tack by turning so that the wind crosses the stern of the boat. (Can be dangerous where the vessel has a boom or booms.)
Tacking, to tack, or going onto the other tack: Changing the tack by steering straight into the wind and across, so that the sail goes to the other side.
Furling: Completely winding round, or tying, the sails onto, the mast, boom, yard or forestay so that they catch no air.
Reefing: Reducing the area of sail by furling – i.e. rolling or tying up part of the sail.
Taking in sail: Generally means lowering and probably removing completely the sails that are surplus for the conditions. It can be synonymous with furling in some cases.
Sea anchor: A parachute-like structure that “catches” the waves to slow the ship down and stabilize it in its position.
Ship lying anchored or at anchor or moored at anchor: the anchor has been dropped and is catching on seafloor, stabilizing the ship’s position.
Ship lying moored or docked: Secured to a fixed mooring or dock with mooring lines/chains and hawsers (strong cables).
Galley: the ship’s kitchen
Bilges: the ship’s lowest part, where the condensation from inside the ship or from leaks or water splashing into hatches runs down towards the keel (and gets pumped out from there)
Engine room: Usually situated right over the bilges on the lowest “deck”, without portholes. Houses the drives etc.
Bowsprit: A boom that comes out like a spike from the front of a ship
Jibs: Triangular sails that fasten to the forestay/s to give extra speed. A bowsprit can allow these to be mounted well in front of the vessel.
Main sail, top sail, stay sails: different sails named after their positions
Spinnaker: A ballooned-out sail used for off-the-wind sailing.
Foremast: the front-most mast of a ship when there is a mainmast behind it.
Mainmast: The tallest mast (usually centrally placed)
Topmast: Another mast attached to the top of the foremast, mainmast or mizzenmast.
Topgallant: A third section of mast, attached to the top of the topmast.
Mizzen mast is the mast behind the mainmast.
Crow’s Nest: A “basket” for the lookout to sit, positioned on the main mast.
Fo’c’sle: Forecastle. On ancient sailing ships, this is where the sailors slept, usually in hammocks.
“Paying the Devil”: From olden-day seafaring: A ship had to be pitched regularly (painted with pitch) to waterproof it. One of the nastiest parts of this was the “Devil”, which is the main seam that runs from the prow to the stern of the ship. Some had to “pay the Devil” by getting on hands and knees in the bilges (bilgewater is something nasty); others had to be lowered to the prow and stern of the ship with ropes so they could pitch the outside of the “Devil”. An unpleasant as well as dangerous job.
Points of sailing:
Apparent Wind: The strength of the True Wind in relation to the boat will increase or decrease according to the speed and direction travelled. Thus, if it were possible to sail downwind at the same speed as the air, it would seem as if it was windless. Motoring straight into the wind would give an apparent wind of the wind speed plus the speed travelled. Moving at other angles to the true wind causes, in addition, a shift in direction of the apparent wind.
Dead run: Wind exactly from behind. (Imagine that represents wind from 6 o’clock with the bow pointing at 12 o’clock)
Running: Wind from behind, any angle up to around 30 degrees. (Say between 6 and 5 o’clock on a starboard tack; 6 and 7 o’clock on port.)
Broad reach: Wind from behind and slightly to the side, either on a port tack (wind from port side - left – and boom to starboard - right) or a starboard tack (wind from starboard and boom to port/left).(Between 5 and 4 o’clock, or 7 and 8 o’clock)
Beam reach: Wind from 90 degrees laterally (3 or 9 o’clock)
Close reach: Sailing into the wind - wind from slightly ahead of sideways-on. (2 or 10 o’clock}. The fastest point of sailing, because the movement into the wind adds to the force of it without at the same time slowing the boat.
Close hauled/beating/tacking: Wind sharply from front at an acute angle – nearly in irons. (1 or 11 o’clock) Sails right in, almost in a line with the boat. When sailing to reach a point directly into the wind, the boat zig-zags by alternating port and starboard tacks.
Locked in irons: Wind d
irectly from front. (12 o’clock) Ship can’t move; needs to manoeuvre by turning.
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The Solar Wind Series:
1. The Mystery of the Solar Wind
Three teenage musicians, the “Donegal Troubles”, are on the run from the evil powers that rule the world, the military organization known as the Unicate. They escape by the skin of their teeth onto a ship, only to discover that the Solar Wind is in fact a pirate ship. Is this good news or bad news? They now need to help the pirates escape the authorities and find innovative ways to escape, all the while keeping their own troubles secret. Especially Paean battles to find her way around this rearranged universe.
But with their music and their cheerful (and hot-tempered) presence aboard, “Donegal Magic” begins to transform the pirate crew. And the captain, Radomir Lascek, a wily old sea devil who has been playing games with the Unicate for decades, learns an entirely new definition of “trouble”.
2. The Assassin
Captain Radomir Lascek of the Solar Wind is a big picture person. He has his own ideas as to who should be ruling the world. When the Unicate and the Rebellion both start relentlessly targeting the Solar Wind, Lascek is pressed into a corner.
There is one person aboard who could tip the scales. Lascek “unleashes” his secret weapon in a desperate counter-coup against the Unicate. The only problem is that the Assassin is half insane...
3. Freedom Fighter
Rushka Donegal, the Captain’s daughter, at the helm. She needs to bring the Solar Wind into a safe base while her father organizes World Peace. But is she capable of controlling the young, unruly crew? The only “senior” aboard is the enigmatic gypsy, Federi. So it falls to him to keep everything running smoothly; and then they come across disaster. While Federi jumps around like a flea to put out fires, young Paean Donegal arms up and signs up to be Captain’s Freedom Fighter...
4. Raider!
Dana is coming to pay a visit! The interstellar “goddess” from Planet New Dome is coming to take over the Earth. Can she be swayed by the magic aboard the Solar Wind? Or possibly by some mango daiquiris from Southern Free? Keeping Dana occupied, keeps the whole crew busy – those that aren’t currently fully engaged fighting the terrible bioweapons she brought with her.
5. The Morrigan
“Two words,” said Federi. “Treasure!”
“There is no treasure!” said Perdita.
“It is not Lascek’s treasure!” said Jon Marsden.
Funny how the prospect of treasure can both unite and divide a true-blue pirate crew. The Solar Wind charges off into space hunting for a “Morrigan Treasure” that is said to be 12500 years old.
But things turn weird in space. Weird little aliens infest the Solar Wind. A bogeyman haunts her passages – or is it ghosts? And a terrifying entity – one of the Ancient Gods – begins to dominate the crew.
It takes returning to Earth to sort out this puzzle. A puzzle that costs Federi dearly...
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