Page 1047 |
William Falconer's Dictionary of the Marine |
|||
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 Search Contact us |
RATLINGSRATLINGS, (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.
© 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 |