A-Bracket A metal bracket which supports a propeller shaft beneath the hull, just ahead of the propeller.In form it is more like a V than an inverted A. A single-legged bracket doing the same job is called a P-bracket, and looks more like this b. A-Lee On the opposite side…
Glossary of nautical terms
B
B Flag The single-letter signal means, ‘I am taking in, or discharging or carrying dan¬gerous goods’. The flag is a plain red swallow-tail and you will see it on vessels carrying petroleum or explosives. In the phonetic alphabet the word is Bravo. The Morse code is – ••• , but…
C
C (letter) In the International Code of Signals the single letter C means Yes (or AffIrm¬ative). Charlie in the phonetic alphabet -0-0 in Morse code. Cabin cruiser Invariably a powered craft with sleeping accommodation. A sailing craft with similar accommodation may be implied if the word Cruiser is used alone,…
D
D (Delta) The single-letter signal means, ‘Keep clear of me; I am manoeuvring with difficulty’. Few yachtsmen are likely to make it, if only because they would hardly find time to do it if they found themselves in such straits, but every private owner should know what it implies if…
E
E (Echo) In the International Code of Signals the single letter E means, ‘I am altering my course to starboard’. Echo in the phonetic alphabet, and just a single dot in the Morse code. Earings Not rings, but ropes. May be any rope used to lash the corner of a…
F
Fixed (On charts, though for the most part I am omitting chart abbreviations.) Foxtrot In the International Code of Signals the single letter F means, ‘I am disabled; communicate with me’, In the phonetic alphabet it is Foxtrot. In Morse code ..-.. Fair wind A wind that allows a boat…
G
G – Golf In the International Code of Signals the single letter G means, ‘1 require a pilot’, and may be made by flag or any other method of signalling. It is Golf in the phonetic alphabet. In Morse code it is – – •. (Note that a fishing vessel…
H
H – Hotel In the International Code H means, ‘[ have a pilot on board’. It is a commonly¬made single-letter signal since a ship normally flies the H flag whenever she does have a pilot. In Morse code H is four dots. In bad visibility a pilot vessel may iden¬tify…
I
I – India As a single-letter signal in the International Code it means, ‘f am altering my course to port’, and as such is more often given by sound than by any other means. It is two dots in the Morse code, and India in the phonetic alphabet. IALA buoyage…
J
Juliet As a single-letter signal it means, ‘I am on fIre and have dangerous cargo on board; keep well clear of me’. In the Morse code it is .– and in the phonetic alphabet it is Juliet. Jack The Union Flag or Union Jack is the national flag of the…
K
K flag K As a flag, or flashed in Morse code, -0-, it means, ‘I wish to communicate with you’. In the phonetic alphabet it is Kilo, pronounced ‘key-low’. Kedge A relatively light and secondary anchor used for a variety of purposes, such as backing up the main or Bower…
L
L – Lima If someone flashes this at you in Morse code, .- •• it means, ‘You should stop your vessel immediately’. For radio-telephone work it is Lima, with the Li pronounced Lee. Lacing eye (and hook) A lacing eye is a small bridge-shaped metal fitting with a hole at…
M
M – Mike (phonetic) Two dashes in Morse code, and means, ‘My vessel is stopped and making no way through the water’ in the International Code. Mike in phonetic M Magnetic M – Magnetic – Of bearings, courses and the like, means that the direction is measured as an angle…
N
N – November (phonetic) Means ‘no’ or negative when made as a single-letter signal. Dash dot in Morse code, and November in phonetic. Nacelle A word deriving from the Latin navicella, a little boat, it is used for a small subsidiary hull, such as might be found in a trimaran,…
O
Oscar (phonetic) As a single-letter signal, means ‘Man overboard’. It is three dashes in the Morse code, and Oscar in phonetic Oakum Teased-out fibres of old hemp rope which are used for caulking seams before Paying. Oar Implement used for rowing – propelling a boat without the use of sails…
P
P Flag P, the Blue Peter, is one of the best-known flags ashore and afloat. Its principal meaning when flown by a ship is, ‘about to proceed to sea ‘. But the same flag, flown in the open sea by a fishing vessel means ‘My nets have come fast on…
Q
Q Flag The single-letter signal means, ‘My vessel is healthy and I request a free pratique’. The Q flag is flown on entering a foreign port, or returning home from abroad. The ‘pratique’ that is requested is ‘permission’ or ‘licence’ to come ashore. It may relate to health, customs or…
R
Romeo (phonetic) Romeo in the phonetic and .-. in Morse. No meaning in the International Code. Race A fast-running stream or current, usually caused by the tide and occurring where the stream is constricted, either because a channel narrows or because it shoals. Eddies and Overfalls are commonly found in…
S
Sierra (Phonetic) Sound signals – One to starboard, two to port, and three astern. The single letter S means, ‘My engines are going astern’, thus matching three hoots nearly (and intentionally) with the three dots Morse code for S. Sierra is the word in phonetic Saddle A wooden block on…
T
T – tango T – tango 1) The single-letter signal means, ‘Keep clear of me, I am engaged in pair trawling’. This is an important signal for pleasure-craft skippers, and since the signal flag consists of red, white and blue in three vertical bands you might mistake it for the…