Atlantic Maritime Academy

“Sabby the Lingo?”  Maritime Language – XXIV

• Timber Hitch - [image] - Method of securing a line around a spar by taking the standing part around the spar, then a half hitch around itself and the end tucked three or four times around its own part.
• Timbers - On wooden vessels, the frames or ribs of a ship, connected to the keel, which give shape and strength to the ship's hull.
• Toe-rail - A small low rail around the deck of a boat. The toe rail may have holes in it to attach lines or blocks and to allow drainage. A larger wall is known as a gunwale.
• Tom Cox's Traverse - Work done by a man who bustles about doing nothing. Usually amplified by adding "running twice round the scuttle butt and once round the longboat".

• Ton - A measure of weight ashore and a measure of capacity on a vessel.
  
• Tonnage - A measure of a vessel's interior volume; The weight or displacement of a ship.
  
• Top - on square-rigged ships, a platform at the masthead resting on the trestletrees and crosstrees. In addition to being a work platform, it extended the topmast shrouds to give additional support to the topmast.
  
• Top Hamper - That portion of a vessel above the main deck. ¹
  
• Topgallant - (1) The mast section next above the topmast and and below the royal mast. (2) The yard supported by that mast. (3) The third lowest square sail. It is stretched between the topgallant yard and the top yard.
  
• Topmast - A second mast carried at the top of the fore or main mast, used to fly more sail.
  
• Topmen - Seamen who worked on the masts and yards of square-rigged ships.
  
• Topping Lift - (1) A line by which the end of a spar is hoisted or lowered. (2) A line that holds up the boom when it is not being used. (3) A line from the upper mast which controls the height of the spinnaker pole.
  
• Topsail - The sail above the lowermost sail on a square-rigged ship; also, the sail set above and sometimes on the gaff on a gaff rigged boat.
  
• Topsail Schooner - A schooner with a square rigged sail on the forward mast.
  
• Topside - Above the main deck.
  
• Topsides - (1) The sides of a vessel between the waterline and the deck. (2) Referring to on or above the deck; "I'm going topsides".
  
• Tow - To pull a boat with another boat, such as a tugboat towing a barge. When used as a noun, it refers to the vessel being towed.
  
• Track - (1) Prospective course over the ground for boat to follow. (2) A strip of metal attached to a mast to take the slides affixed to the luff of a sail.
  
• Trade Winds - Steady regular winds in a belt approximately 30° North and 30° South of the equator.
  
• Traffic Separation Zone - The area between opposing shipping lanes, restricted to most navigation except for crossing with caution
  
• Trailing Edge - The aft edge of a sail, more commonly called the leech.
  
• Tramp Service - Vessels operating without a fixed itinerary or schedule or charter contract.
  
• Transit - Two navigational aids separated in distance so that they can be aligned to determine that a boat lies on a certain line. Transits can be used to determine a boat's position or guide it through a channel. Also called a range.
  
• Transom - The athwartship portion of a hull at the stern. The flat, vertical aft end of a ship.
  
• Transverse - Placed at right angles to the keel, such as a transverse frame, transverse bulkhead, etc.
  
• Transverse Bulkhead - A bulkhead placed athwartships.
  
• Trapeze - A belt and line or wire used to help a crew hike out beyond the edge of a boat to counteract the boat's heel. Usually used on small vessels for racing.
  
• Traveler - A slide which travels on a track to which the mainsheet may be attached. The sail shape can be subtly altered by changing the mainsheet position on the traveler.
  
• Trawl - A large net with its mouth held open, towed by a trawler along the bottom to catch bottom fish.
  
• Trawler - A fishing vessel designed to tow a trawl for catching bottom fish.
  
• Trawlwire - Heavy-duty wire used to lower heavy instruments overboard from the trawl winch.