Glossary

The disturbed flow and wave pattern left behind a vessel or other body moving through water.

A vessel's wake can include divergent and...

A line used to move or secure a vessel by hauling from a fixed point or another vessel.

Warping can move a vessel along a quay, through a...

Removable boards or panels fitted in a companionway opening to limit water entry into the accommodation.

They normally stack or slide into...

Waves or turbulent water generated by a vessel's hull or propulsion system.

Hull-generated wash forms part of the wake, while propeller and...

A scheduled period of duty during which assigned personnel maintain specified responsibility for a vessel and its operations.

A navigational...

The formal transfer of responsibility and operational information from one watchkeeper to the next.

The relieving person must be fit, informed...

The organised maintenance of continuous navigational, engineering, radio, security or safety duties aboard a vessel.

A watchkeeper monitors...

The vertical distance from the water surface to the seabed or another underwater feature at a stated time and position.

Actual water depth...

Unwanted entry of water into a vessel, compartment or piece of equipment.

Sources include hull damage, leaking fittings, failed hoses,...

Constructed to prevent water passing through in either direction under the pressure for which the structure is designed.

Watertight bulkheads,...

The vessel's path through the water after allowing for leeway but before applying tidal or other current.

In traditional chartwork, compass...

A defined geographic position used as a reference in navigation or route planning.

A waypoint is normally stored as latitude and longitude and...

A vessel's movement or momentum through the water.

Headway is forward motion and sternway is astern motion. 'Steerage way' describes...

An International Code of Signals flag whose single-letter meaning is “I require medical assistance.”.

The Whiskey flag may be displayed alone...

A deck exposed to the outside environment and capable of being subjected to rain, spray or boarding seas.

Openings, vents, fittings and...

A prediction of future atmospheric conditions for a specified area and period.

Marine forecasts commonly address wind direction and force, sea...

A sailing vessel's tendency to turn towards the wind unless opposed by helm or trim.

Weather helm arises from the relationship between...

Able to prevent water entering under the environmental conditions likely to be encountered, without necessarily resisting continuous...

The codes Wd and Wds identify weed or vegetation on the seabed.

The surrounding chart notation distinguishes it from other uses of the word weed.

To break an anchor free of the seabed and raise it until the vessel is no longer anchored by it.

The vessel is normally manoeuvred or hauled...