 | A SEA GRAMMAR. |  |
Chapter IX.
Proper Sea tearmes for dividing the company
at Sea, and stearing, sayling, or moring a Ship
in faire weather, or in a storme.
IT is to bee supposed by this the Ship is victualled and manned, the
voiage determined, the steepe Tubs in the chains to shift their
Beefe, Porke, or Fish in salt water, till the salt be out though not the
saltnesse, and all things else ready to set saile; but before wee goe any
further, for the better understanding the rest, a few words for stearing
and cunning the Ship would not bee amisse. Then know, Star-boord
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the Helme a Starboord, then the ship will goe to the Larboord. Right
your Helme, that is, to keepe it in the mid ships, or right up. Port,
that is, to put the Helme to Larboord, and the Ship will goe to the
Starboord, for the Ship will ever goe contrary to the Helme. Now by
a quarter wind, they will say aloofe, or keepe your loofe, keepe her
to it, have a care of your Lee-latch. Touch the wind, and warre no
more, is no more but to bid him at the Helme to keepe her so neere
the wind as may be; no neere, ease the Helme, or beare up, is to let
her fall to Lee-ward. Steady, that is, to keepe ∥ her right upon that
point you steare by; be yare at the Helme, or a fresh man to the
Helme. But he that keepes the Ship most from yawing doth commonly
use the lest motion with the Helme, and those steare the best.
The Master and company being aboord, he commands them to
get the sailes to the yards, and about your geare or worke on all
hands, stretch forward your maine Halliards, hoise your Sailes halfe
mast high. Predy,
your Cable to the Capsterne; Boatswaine fetch an Anchor aboord,
breake ground or weigh Anchor. Heave a head, men into the Tops,
men upon the yards; come, is the Anchor a pike, that is, to heave the
Hawse of the ship right over the Anchor, what is the Anchor away?
Yea, yea. Let fall your fore-saile. Tally, that is, hale off the Sheats;
who is at the Helme there, coile your Cables in small fakes, hale the
Cat, a Bitter, belay, loose fast your Anchor with your shank-painter,
stow the Boat, set the land, how it beares by the Compasse that we
may the better know thereby to keep our account and direct our
course, let fall your maine saile, every man say his private prayer for
a boone voyage, out with your spret saile, on with your bonits and
Drablers, steare steady and keep your course, so, you go wel.
When this is done,
the Captaine or Master commands the Boatswaineto call up the company; the Master being chiefe of the Starboord
watch doth call one, and his right hand Mate on the Larboord
doth call another, and so forward till they be divided in two parts,
then each man is to chuse his Mate, Consort, or Comrade, and then
devide them into squadrons according to your number and burthen
of your ship as you see occasion; these are to take their turnes at the
Helme, trim sailes, pumpe, and doe all duties each halfe, or each
squadron for eight Glasses or foure houres which is a watch, but care
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they may have the more roome in their Cabbins to rest. And
as the Captaine and masters Mates, Gunners, Carpenters, Quartermasters,
Trumpeters, etc. are to be abaft the Mast, so the ∥ Boatswaine,
and all the Yonkers or common Sailers under his command
is to be before the Mast. The next is, to messe them foure to a messe,
and then give every messe a quarter Can of beere and a basket of
bread to stay their stomacks till the Kettle be boiled, that they may
first goe to prayer, then to supper, and at six a clocke sing a Psalme,
say a Prayer, and the Master with his side begins the watch, then all
the rest may doe what they will till midnight; and then his Mate with
his Larboord men with a Psalme and a Prayer releeves them till foure
in the morning, and so from eight to twelve each other, except some
flaw of winde come, some storme or gust, or some accident that
requires the helpe of all hands, which commonly after such good
cheere in most voyages doth happen.
For now the wind veeres, that is, it doth shift from point to point,
get your Starboord tacks aboord, and tally
The Ship will not wayer, settle your maine Topsaile, veere
a fadome of your sheat. The wind comes faire againe and a fresh gale,
hale up the slatch of the Lee-boling. By Slatch is meant the middle
part of any rope hangs over boord. Veere more sheat, or a flowne
sheat, that is, when they are not haled home to the blocke. But when
we say, let fly the sheats, then they let go amaine, which commonly
is in some gust, lest they spend their top-sailes, or if her quicke side
lie in the water, overset the ship. A flowne sheat is when shee goes
before the wind, or betwixt a paire of sheats, or all sailes drawing.
But the wind shrinkes, that is, when you must take in the Spretsaile,
and get the tacks aboord, hale close the maine Boling, that is, when
your Tacks are close aboord. If you would saile against the wind or
keepe your owne, that is, not to fall to lee-ward or goe backe againe,
by halling off close your Bolings, you set your sailes so sharp as you
can to lie close by a wind, thwarting it a league or two, or more or
lesse, as you see cause, first on the one boord then on the other; this
we call boording or beating it up upon a tacke in the winds eye, or
bolting to and againe; but the longer ∥ your boords are, the more you
worke or gather into the wind. If a sudden flaw of wind should surprise
you, when you would lower a yard so fast as you can, they call
A maine; but a crosse saile cannot come neerer the wind than six
points, but a Carvell whose sailes stand like a paire of Tailers sheeres,
will goe much neerer.
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It over-casts we shall have wind, fowle weather, settell your top
sailes, take in the spret-saile, in with your top-sailes, lower the fore-saile,
tallow under the parrels, brade up close all them sailes, lash
sure the ordnance, strike your top-masts to the cap, make it sure with
your sheeps feet. A storme, let us lie at Trie
that is, to hale the tacke aboord, the sheat close aft, the boling set up,
and the helme tied close aboord. When that will not serve then Try
the mizen, if that split, or the storme grow so great she cannot beare
it; then hull, which is to beare no saile, but to strike a hull is when
they would lie obscurely in the Sea, or stay for some consort, lash sure
the helme a lee, and so a good ship will lie at ease under the Sea as
wee terme it. If shee will weather coile, and lay her head the other
way without loosing a saile, that must bee done by bearing up the
Helme, and then she will drive nothing so farre to Leeward. They
call it hulling also in a calme swelling Sea, which is commonly before
a storme, when they strike their sailes lest she should beat them in
peeces against the mast by Rowling. We say a ship doth Labour
much when she doth rowle much any way; but if she will neither Try
nor Hull, Then Spoone, that is, put her right before the wind, this
way although shee will rowle more than the other, yet if she be weake
it will not straine her any thing so much in the Trough of the Sea,
which is the distance betwixt two waves or Billowes. If none of this
will doe well, then she is in danger to founder, if not sinke. Foundering
is when she will neither veere nor steare, the Sea will so over rake
her, except you free out the water, she will lie like a log, and so consequently
sinke. To spend a mast or yard, is when they are broke by
fowle weather, and to spring a mast is when it is cracked in any place.
In this extremity he that doth cun the ship cannot have too much
judgement, nor experience to try her drift, or how she capes,
are two tearmes also used in the trials of the running or setting of
currants. A yoke is when the Sea is so rough as that men cannot
govern the Helme with their hands, and then they sease a block to the
Helme on each side at the end, and reeving two fals thorowthem like
Gunners Tackles brings them to the ships side, and so some being at
the one side of the Tackle, some at the other, they steare her with
much more ease than they can with a single rope with a double Turne
about the Helme.
When the storme is past, though the wind may alter three or
foure points of the compasse, or more, yet the Sea for a good time
will goe the same way; then if your course be right against it, you
shall meet it right a head, so we call it a head Sea. Sometimes when
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the winde after it, wherby we may judge that from whence it came
was much winde, for commonly before any great storme the Sea will
come that way. Now if the ship may runne on shore in ose or mud
she may escape, or Billage on a rocke, or Ancors flooke, repaire her
leake, but if she split or sinke, shee is a wracke. But seeing the storme
decreaseth, let us trie if she will endure the Hullocke of a Saile, which
sometimes is a peece of the mizen saile or some other little saile, part
opened to keepe her head to the sea, but if yet shee would weather
coile, wee will loose a Hullocke of her fore-saile, and put the Helme
a weather, and it will bring her head where her sterne is; courage my
hearts.
It cleares up, set your fore-saile; Now it is faire weather, out
with all your sailes, goe lardge or laske, that is, when we have a fresh
gale, or faire wind, and all sailes drawing. But for more haste unparrell
the mizen yard and lanch it, and the saile over her Lee
quarter, and fit Guies at the further end to keepe the yard steady,
and with a Boome boome it out; this we call a Goose-wing. Who is
at Helme there? Sirra you must be amongst the Points; Well Master
∥ the Channell is broad enough; Yet you cannot steare betwixt a
paire of sheats;
the Stearesman. But to proceed,
Get your Larboord Tackes aboord, hale off your starboord
sheats, keepe your course upon the point you are directed, Port, he
will lay her by the lee; the staies, or backe staies, that is, when all the
sailes flutter in the winde, and are not kept full, that is full of wind,
they fall upon the masts and shrowds, so that the ship goes a drift
upon her broad side, fill the sailes, keepe full, full and by.
ready to Tacke about, is but for every man to stand to handle the
sailes and ropes they must hale; Tacke about is to beare up the helme,
and that brings her to stay all her sailes lying flat against the shrowds,
then as she turnes wee say shee is payed, then let rise your Lee-tacks
and hale off your sheats, and trim all your sailes as they were before,
which is cast of that Boling which was the weather boling, and hale
up taught the other. So all your Sheats, Brases, and Tackes are
trimmed by a winde as before. To belay, is to make fast the ropes in
their proper places. Round in, is when the wind larges, let rise the
maine tacke and fore tacke, and hale aft the fore sheat to the cats
head, and the maine sheat to the cubbridge head, this is Rounding
in, or rounding aft the saile; the sheats being there they hale them
downe to keepe them firme from flying up with a Pasarado, which is
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or fore saile, when they are haled aft the clew of the maine saile to
the Cubbridge head of the maine mast, and the clew of the fore saile
to the Cat head; Doe this when the ships goes large.
Observe the height,
that is, at twelve a clocke to take the heightof the Sunne, or in the night the North star, or in the forenoone and
afternoone, if you misse these by finding the Azimuth and Almicanter.
Dead water is the Eddie water followes the sterne of the
ship, not passing away so quickly as that slides by her sides. The wake
of a ship is the smooth water a sterne shewing the way shee hath
∥ gone in the sea, by this we judge what way she doth make, for if the
wake be right a sterne, we know she makes good her way forwards;
but if to Lee-ward a point or two, wee then thinke to the Lee-ward
of her course, but shee is a nimble ship that in turning or tacking
about will not fall to thee Lee-ward of her wake when shee hath
weathered it. Disimbogue is to passe some narrow strait or currant
into the maine Ocean, out of some great Gulfe or Bay. A Drift is any
thing floating in the sea that is of wood. Rockweed doth grow by the
shore, and is a signe of land, yet it is oft found farre in the Sea. Lay
the ship by the Lee to trie the Dipsie line, which is a small line some
hundred and fifty fadome long, with a long plummet at the end,
made hollow, wherein is put tallow, that will bring up any gravell;
which is first marked at twenty fadome, and after increased by tens
to the end; and those distinguished by so many small knots upon each
little string that is fixed at the marke thorowthe stronds or middest
of the line, shewing it is so many times ten fadome deepe, where the
plummet doth rest from drawing the line out of your hand; this is
onely used in deepe water when we thinke we approach the shore,
for in the maine sea at 300. fadomes we finde no bottome. Bring the
ship to rights, that is, againe under saile as she was, some use a Log
line, and a minute glasse to know what way shee makes, but that is
so uncertaine, it is not worth the labour to trie it.
One to the top to looke out for land, the man cries out Land to;
which is just so farre as a kenning, or a man may discover, descrie, or
see the land. And to lay a land is to saile from it just so farre as you
can see it. A good Land fall is when we fall just with our reckoning,
if otherwise a bad Land fall; but however how it beares, set it by the
compasse, and bend your Cables to the Anchors. A Head land, or a
Point of land doth lie further out at sea than the rest. A Land marke,
is any Mountaine, Rocke, Church, Windmill or the like, that the
Pilot can know by comparing one by another how they beare by the
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see them in a right line, as White Hall and London Bridge, or White
Hall and the end of Lambeth towards Chelsey. Fetch the Sounding
line, this is bigger than the Dipsie line, and is marked at two fadome
next the lead with a peece of blacke leather, at three fadome the like,
but slit; at 5. fadome with a peece of white cloth, at 7. fadome with
a peece of red in a peece of white leather, at 15. with a white cloth,
etc. The sounding lead is six or seven pound weight, and neere a
foot long, he that doth heave this lead stands by the horse, or in the
chaines, and doth sing fadome by the marke 5. o. and a shaftment
lesse, 4. o. this is to finde where the ship may saile by the depth of the
water. Fowle water is when she comes into shallow water where shee
raises the sand or ose with her way yet not touch the ground, but
shee cannot feele her helme so well as in deepe water.
When a ship sailes with a large wind towards the land, or a faire
wind into a harbour, we say she beares in with the land or harbour.
And when she would not come neere the land, but goeth more
Roome-way
beare off is used to every thing you would thrust from you. Beare up
is to bring the ship to goe large or before the wind. To Hold off is
when we heave the Cable at the Capsterne, if it be great and stiffe,
or slimie with ose, it surges or slips backe unlesse they keep it close to
the whelps, and then they either hold it fast with nippers, or brings
it to the Jeare Capsterne, and this is called Holding off. As you approach
the shore, shorten your sailes, when you are in harbour take
in your sailes, and come to an anchor, wherein much judgement is
required.
To know well the soundings, if it be Nealed to,
that is, deepewater close aboord the shore, or shallow, or if the Lee under the
weather shore, or the lee shore be sandy, clay, osie, or fowle and
rockie ground, but the Lee shore all men would shun that can avoid
it. Or a Roade which is an open place neere the shore. Or the Offing
which is the open Sea from the shore, or the middest of any great
streame is cal- ∥ led the Offing. Land locke, is when the land is round
about you.
Now the ship is said to Ride, so long as the Anchors doe hold
and comes not home. To Ride a great roade is when the winde hath
much power. They will strike their top masts, and the yards alongst
ships, and the deeper the water is, it requires more Cable; when wee
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water broke into the hawses. To ride betwixt wind and tide, is when
the wind and tide are contrary and of equall power, which will make
her rowle extremely, yet not straine much the cable. To Ride thwart
is to ride with her side to the tide, and then she never straines it. To
ride apike is to pike your yards when you ride amongst many ships.
To ride acrosse is to hoise the maine and fore yards to the hounds,
and topped alike. When the water is gone and the ships lies dry, we
say she is Sewed; if her head but lie dry, she is Sewed a head; but if
she cannot all lie dry, she cannot Sew there. Water borne is when
there is no more water than will just beare her from the ground. The
water line is to that Bend or place she should swim in when she is
loaded.
Lastly, to More
a ship is to lay out her anchors as is most fit forher to ride by, and the wayes are divers; as first, to More a faire Berth
from any annoiance. To More a crosse is to lay one anchor to one
side of the streame, and the other to the other right against one
another, and so they beare equally ebbe and flood. To More alongst
is to lay an anchor amidst the streame ahead, and another asterne,
when you feare driving a shore. Water shot is to more quartering betwixt
both nether crosse, nor alongst the tide. In an open rode they
will more that way they thinke the wind will come the most to hurt
them. To more a Proviso, is to have one anchor in the river, and a
hawser a shore, which is mored with her head a shore; otherwise two
cables is the least, and foure cables the best to more by.
| A SEA GRAMMAR. | |