When lost or unsure of their position in coastal waters, ships would release a caged crow. The crow would fly straight towards the nearest land thus giving the vessel some sort of a navigational fix. [..]

The weather side of a ship is the side from which the wind is blowing. The Lee side is the side of the ship sheltered from the wind. A lee shore is a shore that is downwind of a ship. If a ship does n [..]

A sudden unexpected rush of wind from a mountainous shore which allowed a ship more leeway.

The most common method of punishment aboard ship was flogging. The unfortunate sailor was tied to a grating, a mast or over the barrel of a deck cannon.

Thin and worn sails were often treated with oil or wax to renew their effectiveness. This was called "dressing down".   An officer or sailor who was reprimanded or scolded received a [..]

The bottom portion of a sail is called the foot. If it is not secured, it is footloose and it dances randomly in the wind.

Aboard ship, a booby hatch is a sliding cover or hatch that must be pushed away to allow access or passage.

Implies excellence. From the 16th century on until steam powered ships took over, british naval ships were rated as to the number of heavy cannon they carried. A ship of 100 or more guns was a First R [..]

Means stop talking and be quiet. The Pipe Down was the last signal from the Bosun's pipe each day which meant "lights out" and "silence".

Meaning something is filled to capacity or over loaded. If two blocks of rigging tackle were so hard together they couldn't be tightened further, it was said they were "Chock-a-Block& [..]