measurements

• 1 knot ≈ 1.8 km/h
  • 10 knots is fast for a common sailboat. (20 for a racing sailboat.)
  • modern cruise ships travel at max. 30 knots
• 1 fathom ≈ 1.8 m
• 1 shackle (15 fathoms) ≈ 27 m
• 1 cable length (100 fathoms) ≈ 180 m
• 1 nautical mile (1.1 mile) ≈ 1.8 km
• 1 league (3 nautical miles) ≈ 4800 meters = 4.8 km

position

• latitude: north-south coordinate (max. 90°)
  • tropic of cancer: 23°27′ N
  • equator: 0°
  • tropic of capricorn: 23°27′ S
• longitude: east-west coordinate (max. 180°)
  • prime meridian: 0° (goes through greenwich, england)
  • antimeridian / date line: 180° (goes through pacific ocean, russia, fiji, antarctica)
• course: intended path (in 0-360° relative to north)
• heading: direction the ship is facing (in 0-360° relative to north)
  • with a strong side wind, the heading must be adjusted to maintain the same course
• bearing: angle between the line from your position to your destination and the line from your position to the north / angle of your actual track (?)

crew

• captain
  • first mate / chief officer (second in command below captain)
  • second mate / second officer (third in command below captain)
  • third mate (morale officer, deck officer, upkeeping emergency systems, ...)
  • officers (any sailor with high rank)
• seamen:
  • able seamen (2+ years experience, higher ranking than ordinary seamen)
  • ordinary seamen / ordinary hands (handle the lines, reef the sails, steer the vessel, keep watch, ...)
  • deckhand (general-purpose sailor. hoisting, cooking, .... lowest rank.)
  • cadet (trainee or inexperienced sailor in the navy)
• other:
  • boatswain / petty officer / deck officer / bosun (manages deck, hull and crew)
  • helmsman (steering, keeping on course)
  • coxswain (helmsman of a ship's boat like a lifeboat, launch or barge)
  • signalman (communicated with other ships using flags and lights)
  • navigator (plots the course and relays that info to the captain)
  • pilot / harbor pilot (not aboard, navigators)

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍

S H I P

basics

• fore, bow, prow = front of the ship
• aft, stern, astern = back of the ship
• port, larboard = left (facing front)
• starboard = right (facing front)
• line = a rope that does something

categorization

• by sail plan
  • full-rigged ship = 3 square-rigged masts
  • barque = 2 square-rigged masts and 1 fore-and-aft masts
  • barquentine = 1 square-rigged mast and 2 fore-and-aft masts
  • brig = 2 square-rigged masts
  • brigantine = 1 square-rigged mast and 1 fore-and-aft mast
  • schooner = 2 or more fore-and-aft masts
• misc
  • clipper = merchant ship designed for speed, with any type of sail plan
  • galleon = large, primarily square-rigged armed cargo carrier
  • frigate = "ship-rigged" warship
    • "ship-rigged" = has 3+ masts with square-rigged sails

features

• hull
• keel: the bottom-most part of a ship
• rudder: at the stern of the ship, a control surface that moves the water to steer
• beakhead / beak: foremost protruding part of a ship
• figurehead: a decoration on the bow of a ship
• hold: lowermost deck (for cargo)
• capstan: turning thing for raising ("weighing") anchor and hoisting the foresail
• great cabin: the captain's cabin, windows facing aft
• gunports with cannons
• brig: prison
• galley: kitchen

‍ ‍ ‍‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ — decks:

• main deck / upper deck / upper gun deck: just... the main deck
• forecastle / "fo'c'sle": the raised deck forward of the foremast
• quarterdeck: a raised deck at the stern of the ship (location of wheel/helm)
• poop deck: higher and above the quarterdeck (rail = taffrail)
• gundeck / lower deck: the deck below the main deck (inside, holds gun ports)
• orlop: deck below gundeck. storage for equipment.

‍ ‍ ‍‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ — rigging:

• standing rigging to support the masts (fixed lines, wires, rods)
  • stays (ropes/cables) support masts, always in two directions (e.g. fore-and-aft)
  • shrouds (appear like nets) to support masts. they are tensioned by "deadeyes". between them are horizontal ropes called "ratlines" for climbing
  • spars / yards (poles of wood or other materials) which carry the sails
    • bowsprit - a spar extending forward from the prow
    • ends are called yardarms
    • some spars are called gaffs
• running rigging to adjust the sails with (raising, lowering, shaping, and controlling sails)
  • halyards, brails, buntlines, lifts, leechlines, braces, sheets, ...

‍ ‍ ‍‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ — masts:

• names in bow-to-stern order (front to back): fore-mast, main-mast, mizzen-mast
  • the fore-mast is typically the tallest and the mizzen-mast the shortest. (exception: on schooners the aftermost mast is usually taller than the fore-mast)
• made out of a single tree trunk ("pole mast") or multiple sections ("made mast". section are also called masts.)
  • sections from bottom: lower mast, top mast, topgallant mast, royal mast
• on the masts are the crow's nest (lookout point in the upper part of the main mast) and the tops (short for fighting tops) (platforms at the upper part of lower masts)

‍ ‍ ‍‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ — sails:

• sail types: (some vessels have a combination)
  • square-rigged (perpendicular and carried on horizontal spars)
  • fore-and-aft (along the line of the keel)
• sails are attached to either:
  • a stay
    • sails attached to forestays (bowsprits) are called jibs
    • sails attached to other stays are called staysails ("stays'l")
  • a mast (like in "gaff rigs", which are fore-and-aft rigged)
  • a spar (like most square sails and fore-and-aft sails)