When a vessel's head falls off from the wind. To pay. To cover over with tar or pitch. To pay out. To slack up on a cable and let it run out.

Port State Control. Convention which allows the contracting states to inspect the vessel calling their port, and detain them is safety deficiencies are observed.

Pilot Vessel

Pressure/vacuum,prime vertical

Quebec - Q = signal letter and flag. Morse = ( - - . - )Flag= Yellow.When hoisted singly from a ship it means "Quarantine flag"(Kerchove)Hoisted on arrival, it means that nobody can go ashore or board until the quarantine officer has cleared the ship. ...

Quality assurance

Sea coming on a boat's quarter.

Romeo- R = signal letter and flag. Morse = ( . - . )Flag= Red background with yellow Greek cross.When hoisted singly from a ship it means : "The way is off my ship."

R3E. Telephony using amplitude modulation; single sideband; reduced carrier. (ALRS)

A strong, rippling tide.

RAdar beaCONs. Radar signature of beacons and buoys for easy identification on the radar PPI. Most of them work on 3 and 10 cm, and if not they cannot be detected. Poor functioning also affect their performance, nevertheless they offer a precious aid to n ...

Random Access Memory

A vessel of war which has had one deck cut down.

Rescue coordination centre

Raster Chart Display SystemThe electronic chart display in use by the British Admiralty. Based on an image of the paper chart it is far inferior to the ECDIS, and is not accepted by SOLAS to ensure the seaworthiness of the vessel, so that a separate set o ...

To reduce a sail by taking in upon its head, if a square sail, and its foot, if a fore-and-aft sail.

Regional Electronic Navigational Chart Co-Ordinating Centre

Range finder, radio frequency

Range. Range of ports in which the cargo could be loaded: Le Havre/Hamburg includes those ports and all those in between: Dunkirk, Antwerp, Rotterdam...

A figurative term for a vessel's timbers.