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General sailing

Terms used to sail, navigate, and maintain a sail boat.

Contributors in General sailing

General sailing

slack tide

Sailing; General sailing

The tide between the two streams when it runs neither one way nor the other. There are high-water slack and low-water slack.

boss

Sailing; General sailing

A slang American term for sailing master, or chief in command, or the manager or master of any business or show.

crow's nest

Sailing; General sailing

A place of shelter at the topgallant masthead for a look out man, used by whalers in northern latitudes.

barra boats

Sailing; General sailing

Vessels of the Western Isles of Scotland, with almost perfect V section.

fall off

Sailing; General sailing

To drop away from the wind; when a vessel is hove to she is said to fall off if her head falls to leeward, in opposition to coming to; also when a vessel yaws to windward of her course and then falls ...

spirketting

Sailing; General sailing

Timber worked inside a vessel under the shelf in a fore-and-aft direction.

balloon sails

Sailing; General sailing

Balloon canvas is a term applied to sails of large dimensions, made of light cotton canvas. The chief balloon sail is the spinnaker used for sailing when the wind is aft. A balloon jib used to fill ...

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