astrolabe: obsolete instrument used in navigation for finding latitude at sea
barque: three-masted sailing ship
barquentine: ship of three or more masts with only the foremast rigged square
bastion: jutting-out section of a fortification
belaying pin: solid wooden or iron device used on traditionally rigged sailing vessels to secure lines of running rigging
bosun (boatswain): ship’s officer in charge of sails and rigging etc.
bow: front part of the boat from where it curves inward
bowsprit: pole (or spar) on a sailing ship or vessel extending forward from the vessel’s prow
brig: lock-up or gaol on board a ship
brigantine: two-masted square-rigged ship
briny: slang term for the sea
bulkhead: inner wall on a ship
bulwarks: sides of the ship
cannikin: a small can used as a drinking vessel
cashiered: dismissed with dishonour
cat-of-nine-tails: whip with nine thongs made of rope used to flog prisoners on board ship
chandler: a ship’s chandler was a merchant specialising in nautical equipment
coal cat: shallow-draughted ship (more properly barque) used as a collier (coal-carrying vessel) from ports in the north of England to ports in the south; Captain Cook’s famous ship Endeavour was originally a coal cat sailing out of Whitby and originally named The Earl of Pembroke
cockade: feather or ribbon on a (military) hat
companionway: set of steps or stairs on a ship between decks
complement: crew
course sail: large square sail set below the topsails
crow’s nest: viewing platform high up on a ship’s mast
Davy Jones or Davy Jones’ locker: sailors’ slang for the bottom of the sea
doldrums: region affected by calm seas near the equator with not enough wind to allow for sailing
duck: heavy white linen material used for sails and trousers
figurehead: carved figure on the bow of sailing ships
flotilla: small fleet of ships
fore and aft: front and rear of a ship
forecastle: the part of the vessel at the bow — often where the crew was quartered (pronounced fo’c’sle)
gavotte: old-fashioned style of dance
gorgon: mythical creature with snakes for hair whose stare could transform its victim into stone
grog: mixture of rum and water; sailors on eighteenth-century ships had an allowance of this each week
gunwale: upper edge of a ship’s or boat’s side (pronounced gunnel)
harbinger: messenger; someone who announces the approach of someone or something
jolly-boat: small ship’s boat, here used by the sailors as a lifeboat
keelhaul: a terrible punishment where a person is dragged by a rope underwater from one side of the ship to the other and under the keel
loblolly boy: boy who was a ship’s surgeon’s assistant on a naval vessel in the eighteenth century
main mast: the tallest mast, usually placed near the centre of the ship
man-of-war: warship
mizzen-mast: the third mast on a three-masted vessel; the mast at the rear of the ship
pantaloons: baggy trousers usually fastened at the calf
pennants: long narrow flags, usually triangular and sometimes with a divided end, used for identification on ships
periwig: wig worn by gentlemen and officers in the eighteenth century
poop deck: the stern (rear) deck, usually raised higher than the other decks
port side: left-hand side of a boat when facing the front
privateer: privately owned armed ship given a licence by the government to attack and seize enemy ships
prow: very front part of a boat or ship
quarterdeck: raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship; traditionally it was where the captain commanded his ship, which led to it being used as the main ceremonial and reception area on board
sextant: an instrument used in navigation
ship of the line: seventeenth-or eighteenth-century warship, so called because it made up part of a line of ships when engaging in a sea battle
skiff: small rowing or sailboat
starboard side: right-hand side of a boat when facing the front
stern: rear part of a boat or ship
topgallant sail: sail immediately above the topsail
topsail: square sail set above the course sail and below the topgallant sails
tricorn hat: three-cornered hat worn by men in the eighteenth century
victuals: food or provisions (pronounced vittles)
wardroom: officers’ dining room on a ship
wherry or wherry boat: rowing boat used for ferrying cargo and passengers, mainly on rivers and canals
windlass: apparatus for lifting weights
yard and yardarm: a yard is the horizontal spar on a mast that supports the sails; the yardarm is the outermost tip of each yard