The Captain of a vessel. Highest officer aboard ship. Oversees all ship operations. Keeps ships records. Handles accounting and bookkeeping. Takes command of vessel in inclement weather and in crowded or narrow waters. Handles communications.

Sailing with the tiller over to leeward by force of the wind

Combination minimum pressure valve and check valve.

Six feet. Comes from the Dutch word "fadom" which was the distance between fingertips of outstretched hands.A unit of measurement relating to the depth of water or to the length of line or cable; one fathom is 6 feet or 1.83 meters

Time and date for payment of a draft.

A wind shift that forces a boat to sail below its mean wind course.

Measurement ton 40 cubic ft or one cubic meter.Net ton, or short ton 2,000 lbs.Gross ton/long ton 2,240 lbs.Metric ton/kilo ton 2,204.6 lbs.Cubic meter 35.314 cubic ft.

A cleat designed to hold a line in place without slipping. It consists of two narrowing jaws with teeth in which the line is placed.

Abbreviation for "Not Otherwise Indexed."

An instrument that, once established, cannot be modified or cancelled without the agreement of all parties concerned.

The action of letting go the sheets of a sailing vessel, thus spilling the wind and reducing the forward motion of the boat.

Capable of keeping out water.

The increase in pressure in the discharge header that develops as a result of flow after the pressure relief device opens

A fix taken by visually observing the location of known landmarks.

A tiller or a wheel generally installed on the bridge or wheelhouse of a ship to turn the rudder during manoeuvering and navigation. It is in fact the steering wheel of the ship.

The highest continuous deck which runs the full length of the ship without a fall or interruption.

The ring bolted to the upper end of the shank of an anchor and to which the bending shackle secures.

The top of a mast.

U.S. Customs' automated program under AMS. It allows for electronic reporting of inbound (foreign) cargoes in the U.S.

At a considerable distance.