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Page 1047
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William Falconer's Dictionary of the MarineReference Works
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Table of Contents

R

RABBET to RAISING a purchase

RAKE to RATES

RATES to To REEVE
RATES
RATLINGS
REACH
REAR
REEF
REEFING
REEF-TACKLE
REEL of the log
To REEVE

RECKONING to RHOMB-LINE

RIBBANDS to RIGGING-OUT a boom

RIGHTING to ROBANDS, or ROPE BANDS

ROGUES-YARN to ROUND-HOUSE

ROUNDING to ROYAL

RUDDER to RUNNING-RIGGING


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RATLINGS

RATLINGS, (enflechures, Fr.) certain small lines which traverse the shrouds of a ship horizontally, at regular distances from the deck upwards, and forming a variety of ladders, whereby to climb to any of the mail-heads, or descend from them. Hence the term is apparently derived from rath, an obsolete word, signifying a hill.

In order to prevent the ratling from shipping down by the weight of the sailors, they are firmly attached by a knot, called a clove-bitch, to all the shrouds, except the foremost or aftmost; where one of the ends, being fitted with an eye-splice, is previously fastened with twine or packthread.


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© Derived from Thomas Cadell's new corrected edition, London: 1780, page 238, 2003
Prepared by Paul Turnbull
http://southseas.nla.gov.au/refs/falc/1047.html