Clewline. Rope for hauling up clew of an upper square sail when furling.
Clew to Earing. Said of a sail when clew has been hoisted to earing by clewline or clew
garnet.
Clew Up. To haul clew to earing when furling a square sail.
Climatic Zones. Eight zones of climate into which Earth's surface can be divided. They
comprise one of Tropical Rain; two of Steppe and Desert; two of Temperate Rain; in Northern hemisphere; one Boreal, with large annual range of temperature; two Polar caps of snow.
Clinch. To fasten two overlapping strakes by a fastening through the overlap. 2. Half
hitch stopped to its own part. 3. To chinse. 4. Old name for attachment of inboard end of rope cable to ship.
Clincher Build. Method of building wooden craft so that each
strake of side planking overlaps strake below it, and is clinched to it along the doubling.
Clinching Iron. Tool used when clinching nail over a washer.
Clinker. Fused ash, and other incombustible substances, that form when coal is burned in a
furnace.
Clinker Build. 'Clincher build.'
Clinker Pieces. Small doubling patches at peak and clew of gaff sails.
Clinometer. Instrument used for measuring the heel or inclination of a vessel. Clip. Jaw end of a boom or gaff. 2. Inglefield clip.
Clip Hooks. Two flat hooks, on one ring or thimble, that hook in opposite directions and
overlap.
Clipper. Name applied to fast sailing ships, particularly - at first - to the sharp-lined, raking
schooners of U.S.A. Hall mark of a clipper is generally taken to be a fine entrance with concave bow. First vessel of the type was 'Scottish Maid', a schooner built by Alexander Hall & Co., of Aberdeen, in 1839.
Clipper Bow. Name applied to a bow in which stem curves forward as it rises above
waterline.
Clipper Built. Said of a sailing vessel having fine lines and raked masts. Clock Calm. Absolutely calm weather with a perfectly smooth sea.
Clock Stars. Stars whose right ascensions and declinations are very accurately known, so
that they can be used for determining time. (Astronomers do not use Sun for this purpose.)
Close Aboard. Close alongside. Very near.
Close Butt. Joint, in wooden shipbuilding, that is so close that caulking is not necessary. Closed Stokehold. Stokehold that can be made airtight, and so allow air pressure to be
increased for more efficient combustion of fuel.
Close Fights 86 Clubbing
Close Fights. Barriers and obstructions erected to prevent capture of ship by boarding. In
some cases, but not in R.N., were strong bulkheads erected on upper deck, behind which ship's company could retreat when boarded; so commanding upper deck with musket fire through loopholes in the bulkhead.
Close Harbour.* Old name for a harbour made by engineering skill and excavation; to
distinguish it from a natural harbour.
Close Hauled. Said of a sailing vessel when she has the wind before the beam. In some
cases is applied to a vessel sailing as close to wind as possible. Collision Regulations assume a vessel to be 'Close hauled' when wind is between her closest point of sailing and one point free of it.
Close Jammed. So close hauled that any movement nearer the wind would put sails
aback.
Close Lined. Said of a vessel when ceiling on sides of hold is so close that there is no air
space between the planks.
Close Pack. Mass of ice-floes, mostly in contact, that impede or stop navigation.
Close Quarters. In close proximity. Yard arm to yard arm. 2. Close fights. 3. Close
fights fitted in slave ships to prevent uprising of slaves.
Close Reefed. Said of sails that have been reefed as much as possible. Close Stowing Anchor. Any anchor having its stock in line with arms. Close the Land. To approach the land from seaward.
Close Winded. Said of any vessel that can sail close to wind. Cloth. Piece of canvas forming part of a sail.
Clothe. To fit a vessel with her running rigging and sails.
Clothed. Said of a mast when all sail is set on it. Sometimes used as meaning that the foot
of a lower sail is so close to deck that no wind can pass beneath it.
Cloud. Water vapour condensed into minute particles and suspended in higher reaches of
atmosphere.
Cloudburst. Name often given to very heavy rain.
Clove Hitch. Manipulation of rope end for attaching it to a bar, taut wire, etc. End is
passed round, then over its own part, then round again—in same direction—and brought up under its own part.
Clove Hook.* Clip Hook.
Club. Spar at foot of jib, or other triangular sail. 2. Group of shipowners forming a mutual
insurance society. See 'Small Damage Club'. Clubbing. Dropping down with tide or current, with anchor at short stay, and sheering vessel as necessary with rudder. Usually termed 'dredging'.
Club Hauling 87 Coaster
Club Hauling. Method of putting a sailing vessel about when on a lee shore and there is no
room to tack or box haul. Necessitates use of, and loss of, an anchor, a length of cable and a spring from lee quarter to anchor. As vessel comes head to wind, and loses way, anchor is let go, yards are braced to new tack and cable is slipped. Spring is slipped as soon as after sails are filled.
Clue.* Old form of 'Clew'.
Clump Block. Thick wooden block built to take a rope whose circumference is half the
length of the block.
Clump Cathead. Small projection from ship's side just abaft hawse pipe. Used for
suspending an anchor when cable is disconnected and used for mooring to a buoy.
Clutter. Confused, unwanted echoes on a radar display from, e.g. waves or rain.
Clyde Lug. Standing lug with high peak, mast stepped well forward, sheet travelling on a
horse mounted on transom.
Co. Prefix meaning 'Complement of.