Ripples in the Sand (The Sea Witch Voyages) (39 page)

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Authors: Helen Hollick

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On the Account
– or the Sweet Trade; a man who went ‘on the account’ was turning pirate.

Ope
– an opening or passageway between buildings.

Painter
– a rope attached to a boat’s bow for securing or towing.

Piece of Eight
– a Spanish silver coin worth one peso or eight reales. It was sometimes literally cut into eight pieces, each worth one real. In the 1700s a piece of eight was worth a little under five shillings sterling, or 25p – this would be about £15 today. One side usually had the Spanish coat of arms, the other two lines symbolising the limits of the old world at the Straits of Gibraltar, the exit into the Atlantic Ocean from the Mediterranean. In later designs two hemispheres were added between the lines representing the Old and New Worlds. Pieces of eight were so widely used that eventually this sign was turned into the dollar sign – $.

Privateer
– an armed vessel bearing letters of marque, or one of her crew, or her captain. A privateer is theoretically a law-abiding combatant.

Quarterdeck
– the highest deck at the rear of a ship where the officers stood and where the helm is usually situated.

Quartermaster
– usually the second in command on a pirate ship. In the Royal Navy, the man in charge of the provisions.

Rail
– timber plank along the top of the gunwale above the sides of the vessel.

Rake
– when a ship sweeps another with a broadside of cannon.

Ratlines
– pronounced ratlins; ropes beneath the yards on which sailors would stand while adjusting the sails.

Reef
– (1) an underwater obstruction of rock or coral. (2) to reduce the size of the sails by tying them partially up, either to slow the ship or to keep a strong wind from putting too much strain on the masts.

Rigging
– the ropes which support the spars (standing rigging) and allow the sails to be controlled (running rigging).

Round shot
– iron cannonballs.

Rudder
– blade at the stern which is angled to steer the vessel.

Run
– sail directly away from the wind.

Sails
– in general each mast had three sails. See diagram at the front.

Sail ho!
– ‘I see a ship!’ The sail is the first part visible over the horizon.

Scuppers
– openings along the edges of a ship’s deck to allow water to drain back to the sea rather than collecting in the bilges.

Scuttle: 1
– a porthole or small hatch in the deck for lighting and ventilation, covered by the ‘scuttle hatch’. Can be used as a narrow entrance to the deck below.

Scuttle: 2
– or scupper – to deliberately sink a ship.

Shank-painter
– the stopper (a short rope) that secures the shank and fluke of the anchor to the cathead.

Sheet
– a rope made fast to the lower corners of a sail to control its position.

Sheet home
– to haul on a sheet until the foot of the sail is as straight and taut as possible.

Ship’s Biscuit
– hard bread. Very dry, can be eaten a year after baked. Also called hard tack.

Ship of the Line
– a warship carrying at least fifty guns.

Shrouds
– ropes forming part of the standing rigging and supporting the mast or topmast.

Sloop
– a small, single-masted vessel, ideal for shallow water.

Spanker
– a square sail wide at bottom and narrow at top attached to a boom that projects straight back from the mizzenmast along the axis of the ship.

Spar
– a stout wooden pole used as a mast or yard of a sailing vessel.

Spritsail
– pronounced sprit’sl; a sail attached to a yard which hangs under the bowsprit.

Square-rigged
– the principal sails set at right angles to the length of a ship and extended by horizontal yards slung to the mast.

Starboard
– pronounced starb’d. The right side of a vessel when you are facing toward the bow.

Stay
– strong rope supporting the masts.

Stem
– timber at very front of bow.

Stern
– the back end of a ship.

Swab
– a disrespectful term for a seaman, or to clean the decks.

Sweet Trade
– see ‘On the Account’.

Sweeps
– long oars used by large vessels.

Tack/tackin
g
– to change the direction of a vessel’s course by turning her bows into the wind until the wind blows on her other side. When a ship is sailing into an oncoming wind she will have to tack, make a zigzag line, in order to make progress forward against the oncoming wind.

Tackle
– (pronounced ‘taykle’) An arrangement of one or more ropes and pulley-blocks used to increase the power for raising or lowering heavy objects.

Taffrail
– upper rail along the ship’s stern.

Tompions
– muzzle-plugs to protect the bore from salt corrosion
etc.

Transom
– planking forming the stern.

Trim
– a term used for adjusting the sails as the wind changes.

Waist
– the middle part of the ship.

Wake
– the line of passage directly behind as marked by a track of white foam.

Warp
– to move a ship by hauling or pulling her along on warps (ropes); also the name of the ropes which secure a ship when moored (tied up) to a jetty or dock.

Weigh anchor
– to haul the anchor up; more generally, to leave port.

Widow maker
– term for the bowsprit.

Windward
– the side towards the wind as opposed to leeward.

Yard
– a long spar suspended from the mast of a vessel to extend the sails.

Yardarm
– either end of the yard.

Acknowledgements

As ever I have several wonderful people to thank for their help, support, guidance and advice: Jo Field my trusted confidante, mentor and ideas-bouncer; and Helen Hart, Sarah, and Joanna of SilverWood Books for their dedication and patience, especially at production stage.

Thank you to Michaela, Elisabeth, and Peter for their assistance with the translations into French and Spanish, and a huge hug of gratitude to James L. Nelson for guiding me out of my errors of nautical inaccuracy. He was only supposed to read and correct the sailing bits, but got sidetracked into reading most of the story, so I guess it must be a decent read.

My appreciation to my web designer and stalwart supporter, Mal; to Rachel and Kelly for reading through an early draft and giving me their honest opinion. Not an easy task – the reading bit, I mean, not the honest opinion! And my love to my husband Ron, and daughter Kathy for not complaining about the fact that I spend more time with my pirate than I do with them.

Finally, but not least, thank you to Cathy Helms of Avalon Graphics for her superb cover design work and for not saying a single rude word about the difficulties of designing the map. She is a dear, treasured friend, and to her,
Ripples in the Sand
is dedicated.

Helen Hollick

December 2012

About the Author

Helen Hollick lives in London but is moving to Devon in 2013 with her husband and adult daughter. Inbetween researching the background information for her historical novels, and her pirate series about Jesamiah Acorne, she spends most of her time helping with her daughter’s horses as chief groom and general runaround. She has a university diploma in early medieval history – and a passion for pirates.

For up-to-date information visit Helen’s website:
www.helenhollick.net
.

Praise for Helen Hollick’s novels

Hollick’s enormous cast and meticulous research combine to create a convincing account of the destructive reign of the hapless Edward and the internecine warfare that weakens England as William prepares to invade. Thanks to Hollick’s masterful storytelling, Harold’s nobility and heroism enthrall to the point of engendering hope for a different ending to the famous battle of 1066.

Publisher’s Weekly

Don’t miss Helen Hollick’s colourful recreation of the events leading up to the

Norman Conquest in Harold the King.

Daily Mail

An epic retelling of the Norman Conquest

The Lady

If only all historical fiction could be this good

Historical Novels Review

Hollick juggles a cast of characters and a bloody, tangled plot with great skill

Publishers Weekly

Most impressive

The Lady