The angle between a celestial body and the sea horizon below it.

The magnetic compass bearing of a celestial body, when compared with the true azimuth (bearing) derived from the annual Nautical Almanac, gives the error of the magnetic compass for the course being steered.

Baltic and International Maritime Council.

The crewman who first harpoons a whale and then takes over steering the boat while the mate does the killing with a lance.

6 feet (1.829 meters).

Taking in sails and securing them to the yards by line gaskets.

International Shipping Federation.

International Transport Workers’ Federation.

The captain of a merchant ship; in the eighteenth century a noncommissioned officer in the British Royal Navy.

Failure to go from one tack to another, when the head hangs and falls back on the previous tack. Dangerous when there is little sea room or when tacking away from a lee shore.

6,080 feet (1.853 km). Unless otherwise stated, all sea distances in this book are in nautical miles.

Taken as synonymous with the “captain” of an indigenous vessel, e.g., tia borau (Kiribati), rimedo (Marshalls), pelu (elsewhere in Micronesia), and tou tai and variations (Polynesia).

Usually there are three departments on a cargo vessel: deck, engine, and catering. Each has three levels of crewing: officers, petty officers, and ratings. On-deck ratings comprise mainly ordinary seamen (OS) and able-bodied seamen (AB); in the engine room they are mainly motormen (MM), firemen, and greasers; and in catering, various assistants. Some of these designations have changed with technology and minimal crewing, but AB and MM have been retained.

Shortening sail by gathering it up and tying it with line reef points.

Running before a gale when the speed of the vessel equals the speed of the following sea. Creates the danger of losing steering and of a heavy sea coming on board astern (pooping).

Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Has consultative and advisory roles in maritime affairs.

Ability of a vessel to return to an upright position when it heels over. Determined by a righting lever, which is a function of the relationship between the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy. The distributions of cargo, passengers, and free water surfaces can be crucial.

The superintendent of the cargo and the trade room. Knows products and customs of the trading areas (Fijian: vunivola ni waqa).

Before the late eighteenth century the tonnage of merchant ships was usually expressed as the weight of the cargo and stores carried (tons burden). For warships the weight of the ship was added to the total contents (tons displacement), as it still is. The tonnage of modern bulk-carrying ships is expressed by the weight of the cargo, fuel, and stores carried (tons deadweight). The tonnage of the general cargo and passenger ships is, at its basic, expressed as the gross tonnage (GT)—the volume of the total enclosed space of the ship in cubic meters, multiplied by a constant. (p.xiv)