A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. ~ John A. Shedd
Sail ship acronyms: HDMS - His/Her Majesty's Ship (Danish) HMAS - His/Her Majesty's Australian Ship HMNZS - His/Her Majesty's New Zealand Ship HMS - His/Her Majesty's Ship (Britannic, Saudi, Swedish) RMS - Royal Mail Ship SV - Sailing Vessel USS - United States Ship
Types of sailing vessels (glossary under construction): B - barge, barque (barc, bark), barquentine, battleship, bilander, bragana (felucca), brig, brigantine C - caravel, carrack (nao), catamaran, catboat, clipper, cogs, continental sloop, corvette, cutter D - dhow, dingy, Dutch clipper E - East Indiaman F - felucca (bragana), fishing , mack, fluyt, frigate, full rigged, full-rigged ship, full-rigged vessel G - galleon H - hermaphrodite-brig J - jackass barque, jack-ass barque, junk K - ketch, knockabout L - lightship, longship, lugger, luzzu M - merchantman, Mersey flat, monkey, motorship, multihull O - oyster skipjack P - pocket cruiser, polacca, pink, pram, proa S - schooner, schooner, ship of the line, skipjack, sloop, smack, snow, square rigged ship, square rigged vessel T - Thames sailing barge, three masted schooner, topsail schooner, traditional-rigged ship, traditional-rigged vessel, trimaran, two masted schooner W - warship, war sloop, wherry, windjammer X - xebec Y - yacht, yawl
Nautical terms, modern and ancient:
A - aback, abaft, abaft the beam, abeam, able seaman, aboard, about ship, above deck, abreast, accommodation ladder, admeasure, admiralty law, adrift, afore, aft, aft, aground, ahead, ahoy, aid to navigation, aids to navigation, alee, aloft, aloft, ama, amidships, anchor, anchor light, anchor locker, anchor roller, anchor windlass, anchorage, anemometer, angel poker, apparent wind, armored belt , armored deck, astern, astern, athwart, athwartship, athwartships , australian wheat trade , autopilot, auxiliary, avast, aweigh
B - baby stay, back, back splice, backing & filling, backspring, backstay, backwind, backwind a sail, baggy winkles, bail, bailers, balance, bale, ballast, balloon jib, bamboozle, bar, barber haul, barbette, bare boat charter, bare poles, barge, barometer,barque, barquentine, batten down, battens, battle dressing station, battle ensign, battle station, beam, beam reach, beam wind, beamy, bear, bear away, bearing, beating, beating up, beaufort, cale, becket, before the mast, before the wind, belay, belaying, belaying pin, below, bend, berth, between the devil and the deep blue sea, bight, bilge, bilge pump, bilges, bimini, binnacle, binnacle list, bitt, bitter end, bitter end, blanket, block, block & tackle, blooper, board, boarding nets, boat, boat hook, boat speed, boatswain, bobstay, bollard, bolt rope, boom, boom crutch, boom preventer, boom-vang, boot camp, boot top, boot-top, bosun, bosun's chair, bowditch, bowline, bowlines, bowsprit, box haul, brace, bridle, brig, brig sail, brigantine, brigantine, bright work, brightwork, bring about, bring to, bristol fashion, broach, broad reach, broadside, bulkhead, bulkhead , bulwark, bunt-leechline, buntline, buoy, buoyancy, burdened vessel, burgee, by the lee, by the wind
C - cabin, cable, calking/caulking, calm, cam cleat, camber, can buoy, canvas, capsize, capstan, car, cardinal points, careen, carronades, carry on, casemate, cast off, cat boat, cat rig, catamaran, catenary, caulking, celestial, center of , ffort, centerboard, centerline, chafe, chafing gear, chain locker, chain plates, chandlery, channel, charlie noble, chart , charter, charthouse, chaser , cheek block, chewing the fat, chine, chock, chop, chum, circumnavigate, classes, clean bill of health, clear, clear for , unning, cleat, clew, nclew garnet, clew outhaul, clewline, close aboard, close-hauled, cloud disturber, clovis pin, coaming, cockpit, codline, coil, cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey, come about, commissioning pennant, companionway, compass, compass course, compass error, compass rose, cordage, cotter pin, counter, course, course , rotractor, courtesy flag, cowls, coxswain, cqr anchor, cradle, crew, cringle, cross bearing, crossjack, crosstrees, crow's nest, cuddy, cunningham, cup of joe, current, cut, cutter
D - dagger board, davit, dead ahead, dead astern, dead reckoning, deck, deviation, deviation card, devil to pay, dinghy, dink, displacement, displacement hull, ditty bag, dock, dog watch, dolphin, douse, down the hatch, downhaul, boom, draft, dress ship, driver mast, duffle, dungarees
E - eight bells, en flute, ensign, executive officer (XO), eye splice
F - fair lead, fair wind, fantail, fathom, fin keel, flag officer, flag officer, flagship,flagstaff, flatten in, fleet, flotsam, Flying Dutchman, foc'sle, following sea, fore, fore and aft, fore course, fore mast, fore-and-aft rigging, fore-and-aft schooner, forecastl, forecastle, foredeck, forefoot, foremast, forepeak, forereach, foresail, forestay, forward, forward off the beam, fouled anchor, freeboard, full and by, full keel, full-rigged ship, hip, furl, futtock, futtock shroud
H - halliard, halyard, halyards, hance, hard , hatch, haul off, hawser, head, headfoil, headway, heave to, heave to, heaven poker, helm, helmsman, hermaphrodite brig, holystone, hull
I - in irons, in stays, inboard, inland rules, intracoastal waterway - icw, issinglass
J - jack line, jack tar, jack-ass barque, jackstaff, jackstay, jacob's ladder, jam cleat, jaming, jetty, jib, jib, jiffy reef, jigger mast, jump (a line)
K - kedge anchor, kedging off, keel, keel hauling, keep her full, ketch, knockdown, knot, kumatage
L - ladder, land breeze, landlocked, landsman, lanyard, larboard, larboard, lash, lask, lateen sail, lateral, latitude, latitude, launc, lazarette, lazy , heet, lead line, league, lee cloth, lee helm, leech, leech line, leechline, leeward, leeway, length overall (loa), light sails, lightship, limbers, loa, loblolly, log book, log-line, longitude, long-splice, loose-footed, loran, lower mast, lubber line, lubber's line, luff, luffed, lug sail, lying to
M - magnetic bearing, magnetic course, main course, main deck, main mast, maintenance and repair or 'mar', marlin spike, marline, marlinspike, marlinspike sailor, mast, mast boot or coat, mast head, mast step , master at arms, master-at-arms, mayday, mid rats , middle mast, midship, midshipmen, midwatch , mizzen, mizzen mast, moonraker, moonsail, mooring, morse code, motorship
N - nathaniel bowditch (see bowditch), nautical mile, navigation, navigation rules, neptune, noaa - (United States of America) National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Aadministration
O - off the wind, offshore wind, on the wind , ood - officer of the deck, ordinary seaman, orlop deck, osprey pole, outboard, outhaul, out-point, overboard, overlap
P - packet, pad eye, parallel rule, pay out, pea coat, peak (of a gaff sail), petty officer, pier, piling, pilothouse, piloting, pinching, pinnac, piping, pirate, pistol shot, planing, planing hull, p-liners, plyin, pollywog, poopdeck, port, port holes, port tack , pram, preventer, priveleged vessel, prop walk, prow, pusher mast
T - tac, tack, tackle, taffrail, taken aback, tar, telltale, three mile limit, throat (of a staysail or a gaff sail), thwarts, thwartships, tidal range, tide, tiller, toe the line, took the wind out of his sails, top, topgallan, topgallant mast,topmast, topping lift, topping-lift, topsail, topsail schooner, topside , topsides, traffic separation zone, transom, trip line, true course, turnbuckle, turning block, two-topsail schooner
U - unbend, underway, replenishment, united states ship, uss