B
BACK of the post to BALANCE of the mizen
BALANCE of the boom sail to BARK
BARNACLE to BEAMS
BEAMS to BED of a river
BED of a cannon to BIGHT
BILANDER to BLACK-STRAKES
BLADE to Trim the BOAT!
To bale the BOAT to BOLT-ROPE
BOMB to BOTTOM
BOTTOM to BOX-HAULING
BOTTOM
BOTTOMRY
BOW
BOWER
BOWLINE
To check the BOWLINE
To BOWSE
BOWSPRIT
BOXES of the pump
BOX-HAULING
BOXING to To BREAK-UP
BREAK-WATER to BRIDLES of the bowline
BRIG, or BRIGANTINE to Ship-BUILDING
Ship-BUILDING to BUNTINE
BUNTLINES to BUTTONS
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BOW
BOW, (epaule, Fr.) in ship-building, the rounding part of a ship's side forward, beginning at the place where the planks arch inwards, and terminating where they close at the stem or prow. See the article HEAD, where the bow of a ship is represented at large. It is proved by a varicty of experiments, that a ship with a narrow bow is much better calculated for sailing swiftly, than one with a broad bow; but is not so well fitted for a high sea, into which she always pitches, or plunges, her fore-part very deep, for want of sufficient breadth to repel the volume of water, which the so easily divides in her fall. The former of these is called by seamen a kan, and the latter a bluff bow." The bow which meets with the least resistance, in a direct course, not only meets with the least resistance in oblique courses, but also has the additional property of driving the least to leeward; which is a double advantage gained by forming the bow so as to give it that figure which will be the least opposed in moving through any medium. "Bouguer's Traité du Navire.
On the Bow, in navigation, an arch of the horizon, comprehended between some distant object and that point of the compass which is right ahead, or to which the ship's stem is directed. This phrase is equally applicable, when the object is beheld from the ship, or discovered by trigonometrical calculation: as, we saw a fleet at day-break bearing three points on the starboard bow; that is, three points from that part of the horizon which is right ahead, towards the right hand. See also the article BEARING.
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© Derived from Thomas Cadell's new corrected edition, London: 1780, page 45, 2003
Prepared by Paul Turnbull
http://southseas.nla.gov.au/refs/falc/0186.html