Glossary Archive

Sea area of the Met Office Shipping Forecast. Located at the Firth of Forth, off eastern Scotland near Edinburgh. Named after the Firth of Forth (Gaelic “Fortrenn”), the Forth area experiences cyclonic winds veering from west to southwest at Force 4–6 and slight seas. Occasional winter gales can reach Force 8; the January 1927 “Forth...

Sea area of the Met Office Shipping Forecast. Covers the central North Sea, northeast of the UK mainland. Named for the Long Forties sandbank (soundings around 40 fathoms), Forties lies in the central North Sea. Exposed to frequent autumn and winter westerly gales, it experiences rough seas with swells up to 6 m. The Forties...

The section of a vessel that is located towards the bow, or front, of the ship. Forward refers to the area or direction towards the bow (front) of a vessel. This term is essential for navigation and orientation on board, as it helps crew members and passengers understand the layout of the ship. On a...

The opposite of clear; Adverse (wind or tide); Unsuitable

An anchor that has become entangled with its own chain, rope, or another obstruction, rendering it ineffective or difficult to retrieve. A foul anchor is a term used in maritime contexts to describe a situation where an anchor is compromised due to entanglement. This can occur when the anchor chain or rope wraps around the...

Pronounced: FOKS-trot The term for the letter F in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet.

The vertical distance between the waterline and the top of the deck

A method of encoding information in a carrier wave by varying its frequency, commonly used in marine radio communications. Frequency modulation (FM) is a technique used to transmit information over radio waves by varying the frequency of the carrier signal in proportion to the amplitude of the input signal, which typically contains voice or data....

A Fuel collar is designed to fit around a refuelling hose to prevent any spillage or backsplash. This protects your boat and the environment.

The maximum angle to which the rudder can be turned