Glossary Archive

A unit of speed used in maritime navigation, equivalent to one nautical mile per hour. A knot is a crucial measurement in marine navigation, used to express the speed of vessels through water. One knot is defined as one nautical mile per hour, where a nautical mile is approximately 1.1508 statute miles or exactly 1,852...

A deliberate intertwining of rope or line designed to bind, secure, or attach objects. Knots are essential in marine environments for various tasks, including securing boats to docks, fastening sails, and joining two lines together. A knot's effectiveness depends on its ability to hold under tension, its ease of untying after being loaded, and its...

A local wind that blows from the land towards the sea, typically during the night, caused by the differential cooling rates of land and water. A land breeze is a coastal meteorological phenomenon that occurs when the land cools more quickly than the adjacent sea after sunset. As the land loses heat rapidly during the...

The event of a vessel sighting or reaching land after a voyage at sea. Landfall is a term used in the maritime world to describe the moment when a ship or boat first sights land after being at sea, or when it arrives at a specific coastal destination. This term is significant in navigation, as...

A short length of line used to secure an object such as a knife

Securing gear firmly so it cannot move around the vessel. This is done with rope, webbing, shock cord or purpose-made straps to keep equipment in place while the vessel is under way. Loose gear can slide, fall, block access, damage fittings or distract crew when the boat heels, pitches or rolls. Items on deck need...

The lowest level that sea tides can reach under normal meteorological conditions, based on astronomical influences such as the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. Lowest Astronomical Tide (LAT) is a tidal datum used as a reference point for charting and navigation. It represents the lowest predicted tide level that can occur due to...

Buoy, or post used to mark Port and Starboard sides of a channel

The angular distance of a location on Earth's surface, measured in degrees(°), minutes('), and seconds('') north or south of the equator which is defined as 00° (degrees). Latitude is one of the two primary coordinates used in navigation and cartography to pinpoint a specific location on the Earth's surface. It is expressed in degrees (°),...

A storage compartment located in the stern (aft) of a boat, typically used for stowing gear, equipment, or provisions. A lazarette is a compartment found in the aft section of a boat or ship, often beneath the deck. It is primarily used for storage and can hold a variety of items, such as ropes, fenders,...