The document containing all particulars relating to the terms of agreement between the Master of the vessel and the crew. Sometimes called ship's articles, shipping articles.

(1) The action of a line as it passes over the sheave of a block. (2) The act of easing away gently.

A valve that controls the flow of air that passes through the valve. Used often for retardation or timing circuits, but especially for regulating the piston speed in cylinders.

The area of calm which lies inside the trade winds near the equator.

A design in which the forestay does not go to the very top of the mast, but instead to a point 3/4-7/8 of the way up the mast.

The region around the equator between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The tropics are known for their warm weather.

A switching railroad operating within a commercial area.

In a dynamic compressor, surge limit is the capacity below which the compressor operation becomes unstable.

Maritime area usually specified by range of ports in which a vessel may operate

The maximum speed a hull can achieve without planing - the fastest a keelboat will go, usually dependent on length of the hull at the waterline

Chest, or compartment, in which is stowed clothing for issue to crew.

Old legend of a Dutch skipper who, in a strong gale, swore by Donner and Blitzen that he would beat into Table Bay in spite of God's wrath. His ship foundered and he was condemned to go on sailing eternally in his attempt to reach Table Bay. There was a s ...

A device invented by Captain Jacques Cousteau in 1943 to enable a diver to operate underwater independent from an air supply from the surface.

Sailing with the wind from astern, in the same direction toward which the wind is blowing

The principal vertical timber in a ship's bow.

A bulkhead, frame, or longitudinal stiffener, running fore and aft.

(1) A large casting shaped to allow the propeller blades to revolve. The rudder is fitted on the after post. (2) The principal vertical timber in a ship's stern, upon which the rudder is fastened.

An ornamental knot to provide a stopper on the end of a line.

This is the pressure found on the suction side of a refrigeration system.

To search for a sunken object by towing a grapnel along bottom.