Not an expert mariner? Well, me neither! But that's no reason why a body can't use at least passing nautical slang, particularly in fiction or roleplay, is it?

I don't pretend to be a master of all things nautical, and I haven't read this entire document, but I've definitely found it to be quite interesting so far.

Some Nautical Origins of Common Words and Phrases

by Vance Broad - Chief Sailing Instructor

Mumbles Sailing School

Points Of Sailing ~ The Wind

Sailing vessels cannot sail directly into wind and those that point up towards the wind will eventually lose their way. Headway is forward motion of the vessel regardless of wind; leeway is sideways motion of the vessel away from the wind. Upwind is always the direction facing towards where the wind is blowing from; to look downwind is to look in the direction to which the wind is blowing. To pass above a mark is to pass on its windward or weather side; to pass below a mark is to pass on its lee side (to leeward - pronounced loo'wud) or downwind side. Many nautical terms are pronounced with a West Country accent (many of Britain's first sailors came from Devon and Cornwall) such as bowline pronounced bo'lin, gunwhale pronounced gunnel, forward pronounced forrud and main sail pronounced mains'l. Sailors will always keep a weather eye open as trouble will always come from that side of the ship as bad weather arrives. If a sailor's station is at the weather bow, he may become tired of the pitching of the boat and the constant spray blown into his face. He will most certainly be under the weather. The weather is the wind and to make heavy weather is to make unnecessary work.

A vessel which is sailing close to the wind will sail slower, and runs the risk of being put about (turned) on the wrong tack (in the wrong direction) by the slightest wind shift. A sailing vessel can only sail to windward by tacking through ninety degrees (forty five degrees either side of the direction from which the wind blows), and coming up close hauled to wind (pulling all sails in tight) with all blocks hard up and choke-a-block (pulleys hauled together as close as possible with rope choked hard in - corrupted nowadays to chocabloc). A vessel can take short tacks up towards the wind (zig-zagging frequently) or take one long tack out on either port (wind blows into the sails from the left side of the vessel) or starboard (wind blows into the sails from the right side of the vessel - as you look forward). Once a vessel that is out on one tack becomes beam-on to her windward destination (her sides are at right angles to her intended destination) she can tack through the wind at ninety degrees to point directly at her destination. If the vessel stands on (holds course) to over-reach her turning point, she will have increased her distance to sail when she does eventually tack. However, once tacked, the vessel will be able to fetch her original windward mark without further tacking (alteration of course) i.e. no further upwind tactics are required.

Port is a four letter word - and so is left. Port wine is red and so is the navigation light shown on the port beam of a vessel under way at night. When standing at the stern (back) of a vessel (aft) looking forward (for'ud), the left side of your vessel is the port side. To port arms is to carry weapons in the left hand. Port (larboard) or left side is an abbreviation of porta il timone (to carry the helm). Buoys which mark the port side of a channel going into a harbour are red and look like blunt upside-down wine glasses. Starboard marks and lights are green with sharp pointed tops - like the tip of a star. Lateral marks (pairs of red and green buoys or channel markers) safely mark a deeper channel going into a harbour and are 'the wrong way around' when heading back to the comparative safety of the open sea (nobody swaps them over for you when leave harbour). At night most harbours have a pair of white vertical leading lights to show the way as they shine high on a point inland above and behind the harbour. Vessels can steer to port or starboard to keep the distant lights aligned vertically and 'in transit' (the upper light is usually further away than the lower light) thus keeping the lights aligned vertically will ensure that the approaching vessel keeps to the middle of the deep water safe channel. Steor is the Anglo-Saxon word for star and bord is a rudder or oar, always fitted on the right side of ships as most Saxon and Viking sailors were right handed. The steering bord (steorbord) side (starboard) is the right side of a ship (looking forward from the stern).

A vessel sailing a bit close to the wind may not draw wind efficiently across her sails. Such a vessel will point nearer towards her desired windward destination but the inefficient airflow across her sails will cause her to sail slower. A vessel in this situation is said to be pinching wind which isn't there for her. Such a vessel would sail faster and more efficiently if she were to free a little (wear away) from pointing up. She would then remain full sailed and by the wind sailing full and bye or by and large. A vessel which pointed up to wind too far could easily get stuck head to wind in irons (as a man might be held motionless in manacles) with the wind passing from stem to stern (front to back) down each beam (side). The only time a mariner would pinch would be to deliberately slow his vessel and/or to gain a weather side advantage without tacking (to creep around an obstacle or to deliberately luff up (push upwind) a weather side vessel, which might otherwise take the wind out of your sails as she overtook and masked you from the wind). The luff is the front edge of a sail, the first part of a sail which meets the wind. Loef is a Dutch word meaning windward. A-luff (or aloof) describes a vessel which may be sailing close hauled (sails choke-a-block) along a lee shore (wind blowing onto the land), bearing up (heading upwind), pinching her head (bows) high into wind to prevent her being set ashore. To luff up is to point the sail further in to wind - almost to pinch in fact. A vessel which can point higher to windward and hold speed better than another (deeper keeled perhaps) was said to stand apart or sail a-luff from others downwind below her. A ship's navigator would often draw or shape a course around a dangerous lee shore. His ship, working off that shore, trying to avoid going downwind in the offing (which might be full of potential surprises), would point up and shape up to this course. It is important to allow a little leeway (room downwind) to manouevre off a lee shore. A vessel which carries too much sail aft, or has her keel balanced too far forward, is said to gripe upwind so that her sails flog, her speed falls off and she is a pig to hold off (keep away from) the wind, naggingly getting her own way. Her heavy weather helm is cured in the short term by shortening sail aft and in the long term by re stepping masts aft, creating more sail space forward and by trimming the keel. Care should be taken not to over-correct a tendency towards weather helm in a vessel (which is inherently safe). Following a long watch, a helmsman's attention would often wander. A ship with natural weather helm would tend to point herself up to the wind and the fore sails (headsails at the front - bows - of a vessel - watertight container) would 'shake'. Sailors would measure short periods of time before watch changes with a 'couple of shakes'. A griping vessel and a tired helmsman are a dangerous combination, sometimes leading to a vessel being taken aback - turning naturally head to wind so that the wind blows into the wrong side of the sails.