NIM’S NAUTICAL GLOSSARY
ALOFT: Anything above the highest deck of a ship is said to be aloft
ASTERN: Anything directly behind the vessel is considered astern
BOW: The extreme forward end of the ship
BUCCANEERS: The name given to the pirates who plundered Caribbean coasts in the 17th century
CELESTIAL: Pertaining to the sky or stars, especially for navigation
FATHOM: A depth of six feet or 1.8 meters
FURLING: Gathering in the sail and lashing it down
GALE: A strong wind, usually greater than 28 knots
GANGPLANK: The portable bridge that links a ship and the wharf
HURRICANE: A ferocious wind of 64 to 71 knots
JACOB’S LADDER: A rope ladder used to climb aboard or aloft the ship
KEEL: The backbone of a ship, along the centerline of the bottom
KNOT: A measure of speed equal to one nautical mile (6,080 feet) per hour
LATITUDE: A measurement of how far north or south of the Equator a place is located
LEEWARD: The direction opposite the way the wind is blowing
LONGITUDE: The position of any place on earth measured in degrees east or west of Greenwich, England
MERIDIAN: Imaginary lines running north and south around the earth that cross the equator
PORT and STARBOARD: The left and rights sides of the ship, respectively
STERN: The rear of the boat
ZENITH: The point in the heavens directly above the head of the observer
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