| Brigantine: A brigantine (the shortened expression
is brig) is a small vessel equipped both for sailing and rowing, swifter
and more easily maneuvered than larger ships, and hence employed for purposes
of piracy, espionage, reconnoitering, etc., and as an attendant upon larger
ships for protection, landing purposes, etc. The earlier days the brig
was a vessel with two masts square-rigged like a ship's fore- and main-masts,
but carrying also on her main-mast a lower fore-and-aft sail with a gaff
and boom. In later times, while still having only two masts, it carried
square sails on her fore-mast, and, as to its after-mast, it was like that
of the main-mast of a schooner, that is to say, fore-and-aft-rigged.
Boom: "A long spar run out from different places
in the ship, to extend or boom out the foot of a particular sail; as jib-boom,
flying jib-boom, studding-sail booms." (Smyth Sailor's Word-bk,
1867.)
Gaff: A spar used in ships to extend the heads
of fore-and-aft sails which are not set on stays.
Spar: The general term for all masts, yards,
booms, gaffs, etc.' |
