Nautical Dictionary

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Y

Yankee, in the International Code of Signals (ICS) it means: "I am dragging my anchor."

Y'S OF AN INSTRUMENT. The Y-shaped bearings for the telescope axis, on the precision of which the value of an astronomical observation much depends: similar to the bearings of steam-engines, &c.

YACHT CLUB, ROYAL. An institution embodied by a number of noblemen and gentlemen about the year 1820, to which certain privileges are attached. It was originally established at Cowes, but several ports, as well as the Thames, have their special clubs, and similar privileges.

YACHT CLUB. Association of yachtsmen to further the interests of yachting, to arrange races and to frame rules and regulations for the good order of the sport. Oldest is the Royal Cork Yacht Club, founded 1720.

YACHT. A vessel of state or pleasure: the former is usually employed to convey great personages. One of the designs of a yacht being accommodation, they are usually fitted up with great comfort; their propulsion is by sails or steam. Small yachts, rigged as sloops, were formerly used by the commissioners of the navy; they were originally royal yachts, and one at Chatham was renowned as the yacht of Queen Elizabeth, the same plate being in use in her up to a very late date. Private pleasure-boats, when sufficiently large for a sea voyage, are also termed yachts. (See ROYAL YACHT.)

YACHTSMAN. One who owns or sails a yacht.

YAM. The tubers of the Dioscorea sativa, and others; a valuable vegetable on long voyages. D. aculeata frequently produces tubers 3 feet long, and weighing 30 lbs. Also, the West India word for food; “Toko for yam,” the negro's punishment—blows but no food.

YANKEE JIB TOPSAIL. Balloon jib topsail cut very high in clew. Yanky. Dutch sailing vessel of small size, and clumsy in a sea way.

YANKEE. A fore-sail flying above and forward of the jib, usually seen on bowsprit vessels.

YANKEE. An appellation often erroneously given to North Americans in general, whereas it is strictly applicable to those of the New England states only; it is not used complimentarily in the back settlements.

YARAGE. Handiness and general manoeuvrability of a vessel.

YARD [Anglo-Saxon gyrde]. A long cylindrical timber suspended upon the mast of a vessel to spread a sail. They are termed square, lateen, or lug: the first are suspended across the masts at right angles, and the two latter obliquely. The square yards taper from the middle, which is called the slings, towards the extremities, which are termed the yard-arms; and the distance between is divided by the artificers into quarters, called the first, second, third quarters, and yard-arms. The middle quarters are formed into eight sides, and each of the end parts is figured like the frustum of a cone: on the alternate sides of the octagon, in large spars, oak battens are brought on and hooped, so as to strengthen, and yet not greatly increase, the weight.—To brace the yards. To traverse them about the masts, so as to form greater or lesser angles with the ship's length. (See BRACE.)—To square the yards. (See SQUARE.)

YARD AND STAY. Name sometimes given to 'union purchase' method of rigging two derricks for loading or discharging overside. Is a relic of sailing ship seamanship, when one tackle was put on a stay — over a hold — and other tackle was put at yard arm, so plumbing loading, or discharging, point.

YARD-ARM IRON. Boom iron fitted at yard arm to take a studding sail boom.

YARD-ARM AND YARD-ARM. The situation of two ships lying alongside one another, so near that their yard-arms nearly touch each other, or even cross. The term implies close action and no mistake.

YARD-ARM CLEATS. Wooden wedges fixed on the yards at those points where they support the lifts and braces, and where the head-earings are secured. The reef-cleats on the topsail-yards are beyond the lifts and braces.

YARD-ARM PIECE. An octagonal piece of timber supplied to replace a yard-arm if shot away. It is one-third the length of the main-yard.

YARD-ARM. That part of a yard outside the quarter, which is on either side of the mast beyond the battens, when it lies athwart the ship. It generally means the extremity of the yard, and it is fitted with sheave-holes for reeving sheets through.

YARD-ROPE. Is only used for temporary purposes; the most usual application of the term is that by which a yard is hoisted for crossing, or sent down. Also, rove for execution. The yard-rope of the lighter yards is the halliards, which, when the yard is crossed, is made into tie and halliards by a peculiar mode of toggling on the halliard purchase, as in the order, “Toggle the halliards!”

YARD-TACKLES. Tackles attached to the fore and main yards of a ship, whereby, with the assistance of the stay-tackles, the boats and other weights are hoisted in and out. Yard-tackles are sometimes hooked to a pendant, which is secured to the top-mast head, and hauled out to the yard-arm by means of a small tackle, until the yard-tackle plumbs the spot where it is wished to work.

YARD. A measure of length, consisting of 3 feet.

YARD. Spar fitted across a mast, primarily to extend the head of a sail and to extend the foot of a sail above it, if any. It can be angled so that sail can be trimmed to a prevailing wind. In modern vessels its main purpose is to carry signal halliards.

YARDS APEEK. When they are topped, so as to resemble St. Andrew's cross; it is done as a token of mourning, or for convenience when vessels lie alongside of each other, as in the docks.

YARDS. See DOCKYARDS.

YARE [Ang.-Sax. for dexterous or quick]. It was formerly a favourite nautical phrase, as “Be yare at the helm;” and is used by Shakspeare's boatswain in the Tempest.

YAREMLEK. A silver Turkish coin of 20 paras, or 9_d. sterling. YARMOUTH CAPON. A red herring; a bloater.

YARMOUTH HERRING-BOAT. A clincher-built vessel with lug-sails, similar to the drift or mackerel boats.

YARN-SPINNING. A figurative expression for telling a story.

YARN. One of the threads of which ropes are composed. A number of these are twisted together to form a strand, in proportion to the size of the proposed rope. Three strands are then twisted into one another, which completes the process of ordinary rope-making; but cables, hawsers, and other ground tackling, are composed of three strands, each of which is formed of three lesser ones. (See CABLE, HAWSER, &c.)—A tough yarn. A long story, or tale, hard to be believed.

YARROW BOILER. Water-tube boiler consisting of two lower water drums and an upper steam drum, these being connected by water tubes. In the triangle thus formed is the furnace, which heats the water drums, tubes, and lower side of steam drum. Water level is about halfway up steam drum.

YATAGHAN. A crooked sabre used in the Levant. Also, the knife-swords of India.

YAUGH. An archaic term for a little bark, pinnace, or yacht.

YAW-SIGHTED. A nautical term for those who squint. YAW-YAW. A nickname for the seamen of the shores of the Baltic.

YAW. The quick movement by which a ship deviates from the direct line of her course towards the right or left, from unsteady steering.

YAWL. A man-of-war's boat, resembling the pinnace, but rather smaller; it is carvel- built, and generally rowed with twelve oars. The yawl in the Customs Act is a carvel- built vessel of the cutter class, but having a jigger or mizen lug, the boom-mainsail being curtailed, so that its boom traverses clear of the mizen-mast: used also by yachts. Also, a small fishing-vessel.

YAWL. Decked sailing boat having main mast and a small mizen mast that is abaft tiller. Sheet of mizen sail is led to block at end of a bumpkin clamped in fore and aft line at transom. Smaller powered boat used to provide steerage-way when not under sail. Original name of jolly boat of Royal Navy.

YEAR. The duration of the earth's revolution round the sun, or of the apparent revolution of the sun in the ecliptic. Unit of time based on one revolution of Earth around Sun. It has varying values depending on point of definition used, and on mode employed. See Anomalistic, Bissextile, Civil, Equinoctial, Leap, Mean Solar, Sidereal, Solar, and Tropical years. The year in common use is the Civil Year.

YELL. An old sea-term to express a rolling motion.

YELLOW ADMIRAL. A retired post-captain, who, not having served his time in that rank, is not entitled to his promotion to the active flag.

YELLOW FEVER. A cant term for drunkenness at Greenwich Hospital; the sailors when punished wearing a parti-coloured coat, in which yellow predominates.

YELLOW JACK. Originally meant 'yellow fever'. Later, applied to the yellow flag flown by a vessel when in quarantine. Yeoman. Raling in Royal Navy who assists a store-keeping officer, ov navigating officer. A yeoman of signals

YELLOW-BELLY. A name given to a person born in the fens along our eastern shores: also occasionally to half-castes, &c.

YELLOW-FLAG. The signal of quarantine.

YELLOW-TAIL. A well-known tropical fish, often in company with whip-rays; it is about 4 feet long, with a great head, large eyes, and many fins. Leiostomas.

YELLOWING. The passing over of captains at a flag promotion.

YEO-HEAVE-YEOING. The chant or noise made at the windlass and purchase-falls in a merchantman, to cheer and lighten labour, but not permitted in a man-of-war.

YEOMAN OF SIGNALS. Petty officer in Signals and Communications branch of Royal Navy.

YEOMAN. An experienced hand placed in charge of a store-room, who should be able to keep the accounts of supply and expenditure.

YESTY [from the Anglo-Saxon gist]. A foaming breaking sea. Shakspeare in Macbeth gives great power to this state of the waters:—“Though the yesty waves Confound, and swallow navigation up.”

YOKE LINES. Lines leading to extremities of a yoke and with ends in slern sheets. Used for controlling rudder except when under sail.

YOKE-LINES. The ropes by which the boat's steerage is managed.

YOKE. A transverse board or metal bar, a substitute for the tiller, which crosses the head of a boat's rudder, and having two lines extending from its opposite extremities to the stern-sheets of the boat, whereby she is steered.

YOKE. Brass or wooden fitting placed transversely on head of rudder of a boat. Forms lever when steering with yoke lines. Lower cap of an upper mast.

YORK ANTWERP RULES. Codified rules for the adjustment of claims under General Average. First issued 1890, revised and extended 1924 and 1974. Name derives from the cities in which the conferences were held.

YOU, SIR! The irritating mode in which some officers address the seamen. The late Lord Collingwood never permitted it.

YOUNG FLOOD. See FLOOD.

YOUNG FLOOD. The beginning of flood tide, or of the current due to it.

YOUNG GENTLEMAN. Name sometimes given, customarily, to midship- man in Royal Navy.

YOUNG ICE. Nearly the same as bay-ice, except that it is only applied to ice very recently formed, or of the present season.

YOUNG PERSON. Legally, one who is not less than 14 years of age, and not more than 18 years of age.

YOUNG WIND. The commencement of the land or sea breeze.

YOUNG. A word often used for uninitiated.—Young gentlemen, a general designation for midshipmen, whatever their age.

YOUNGSTER, OR YOUNKER [an old term; from the Anglo-Saxon junker ]. A volunteer of the first-class, and a general epithet for a stripling in the service. Young person.

YOURKEVITCH FORM. Hull form designed for fast vessels, and used in construction of 'Normandie'. Fore body lines are narrowed, and hollowed at a wateriine position that depends on vessel's designed speed. Stern sections are somewhat flat and wide.

YOW-YOW. A smaller kind of Chinese sampan.