Fisher - The Newcomer

anchor home means the anchor is secured for sea. It usually rests on the outer side of the hull, at the bow of the ship.

barque is a three-masted, square-rigged sailing ship designed to haul cargo.

binnacle is built-in housing for a ships compass.

boatswain , pronounced b-sn, is the ships officer in charge of equipment and the crew.

bollard is a large ball on a short pedestal.

bowsprit is a spar extending forward from a ships bow to which the forestays are fastened.

cleat is a low fastener with a horn on each side.

coaming is a raised border around the hatch of a ship to keep out water.

companionway is a set of steps leading from a ships upper deck down to the lower deck.

focsle deck is a raised deck at the bow of a ship.

forecastle or focsle is the forward part of a ship below the deck, traditionally used as the crews living quarters.

Fraktur is both a German style of lettering and a highly artistic folk art created by the Pennsylvania Dutch in the 18th and 19th centuries.

galley is the ships kitchen.

Great Cabin is the captains quarters.

halyard is a rope used for raising or lowering sails, spars, or yards.

land warrants were official documents (though, in the 1700s, they were often scraps of paper) authorizing a person to assume possession of a specific plot of land.

larboard was the historical term for the left-handed side of the ship, looking forward. In early times merchant ships were loaded from the left side. Lade meant load and bord meant side.

leeward is the side sheltered or away from the wind.

Mutza is a traditional coat worn by Amish men to church and other formal occasions. The coat has no collar, pockets, or lapels. Normally black, some coats from 18th- and 19th-century Europe were red.

oakum , from the word off-combing , is loose fiber obtained by untwisting old ropes, used to caulk wooden ships.

Oath of Allegiance was created in 1727 by the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania and administered to all immigrating male Germans in the Philadelphia Court House. The Oath required an immigrant to disavow ties to his former monarch and pledge allegiance to King George of Great Britain.

round house is the chartroom where the ships progress was planned and plotted.

spar is a thick, strong pole used for a yard.

starboard comes from steor meaning helm or rudder and bord meaning side. At one time, a boat or ship had rudders tied to its side. The modern word, starboard, refers to the right-handed side of a vessel, looking forward.

stern is the rearmost part of the ship.

trammel is a hook in a fireplace to hold a kettle.

triangle trade is an historical term indicating trade among three ports. Sugar (often in the liquid form of molasses) from the Caribbean was traded to New England, where it was distilled into rum. Profits from the sale of sugar were used to purchase goods; those goods were sold or bartered in West Africa for slaves, who were then brought to the Caribbean to be sold to sugar planters. The profits from the sale of the slaves were then used to buy more sugar.

upper deck or waist was the middle part of a British ship. This large area, lower than both the raised forecastle deck toward the bow and the even higher quarterdeck toward the stern, was where passengers could congregate if there was no maneuver requiring the area to be cleared for action.

yard is a horizontal spar on a ships mast for a sail to hang from.