Tall Ship Speak |
An informal guide for first-time crew
A. Places - see diagram 1 below.
Boat deck
Bridge, Open Bridge
Chartroom
Galley
Mess, Mess-room
Waist
Wardroom
Foredeck
B. Seamanship & general terms.
| Aloft up | up in the rigging (as in: ‘climb up’, or ‘look up’) |
| Belaying pin | a metal pin to which a rope is belayed, or tied up |
| Downhaul | a rope used to pull a sail (or yard) down |
| Stopper | a short rope used to take the strain temporarily from a larger rope |
| Gasket | a sail tie, a rope used to wrap up a sail when the sail is not in use |
| Halyard | a rope used to raise (pull up) a sail or a yard |
| Harness | a safety harness, worn by all crew when going aloft |
| Heads | toilets, WC, lavatories |
| Helm | the ship’s steering wheel |
| Muster stations | special places to which the crew go, in cases of emergency |
| Oilskins | waterproof jacket and trousers |
| Pin | (see Belaying pin) |
| Port | the left-hand side of the ship, when looking forwards |
| RIB | Rigid Inflatable Boat – a small, fast, boat used for rescue, etc |
| Starboard | the right-hand side of the ship, when looking forwards |
C. Square sail basics – see diagram 2 below.
| Brace | a rope used for controlling the angle of a yard |
| Bracing stations | each crew-member has a job to do, when bracing all the yards |
| Buntline | a rope used to pull up the bottom, or foot, of a square sail |
| Clewline | a rope used to pull up the lower corner of a square sail |
| Sheet | a rope used to pull down and control the lower corner of a sail |
| Yard | horizontal spar or beam, to which the top of a square sail is fastened |
D. Commands used when several people are pulling together on a rope.
| Haul away! | a command to start pulling on a rope |
| Heave! | a command to pull together as a team |
| Well! | a command to stop pulling, but keep hold of the rope |
| Ease! | a command to gently slacken after pulling, but keep hold of the rope |
| Come up! | a command to let go a rope quickly, after pulling |
| Belay! | a command to secure, to tie up; also, to stop an action |
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