DICTIONARY OF

Skin 315 Slice
Skin. Outside plating, or timbers, of a vessel. If there are two skins, it is the inner one. 2.
That part of a sail that is outside when it is furled.
Skinning a Sail. Making a smooth skin, with taut canvas, when furling a sail.
Skipper. Master of a fishing vessel. Colloquial name for any Master or commanding officer.
Skylight. Glazed opening in deck that allows light to pass to deck below. Glazed covering is
usually hinged, to allow air to pass in line weather.
Sky Pilot. Ship's chaplain. Often applied to any clergyman.
Skysail. Square sail set above royal yard.
Skyscraper. Triangular sail set above royal yard.
Slab. That part of a reefed square sail that hangs downwards.
Slabbed Knee. Beam knee made by removing bulb of beam and welding a triangular plate
to it.
Slab Hatch Covers. Several hatch covering planks held in a steel frame that can be lifted by
a derrick, thus speeding the uncovering and covering of hatches. First introduced by Captain
R. E. Thomas, 1909.
Slab Ice. Slob.
Slab Lines. Vertical ropes on fore side of square sail, from head to foot. Fastened to roping
at each end, and at intervals between. Used for hauling up sail when reefing.
Slab Reefing. Reefing with reef-points or ties, as opposed to roller-reefing.
Slack in Stays. Slow in going from one tack to the other when under sail.
Slack Water. State of a tidal stream when there is no lateral movement of the water.
Slamming. The striking of the sea surface, by the forward flat bottom, when a vessel is
pitching in a head sea and lifts her forepart out of the water.
Slant (of Wind). Favourable wind for sailing a desired course. 2. A temporary breeze during
a calm or period of light airs.
Slatting. The beating of a loose sail against a mast. 2. Slackening and tautening of luff of a
sail when too close to wind.
S1aver. Vessel engaged in transporting slaves.
Slave Ship. 'Slaver.' Colloquially used to denote a vessel in which the crew have to work
unusually hard.
Sleepers. Knees connecting transom to after timbers of a wooden ship. 2. Thwartship
timbers that rest on trestle trees to support a top.
Sleet. Precipitation of rain and snow, or snow and hail.
Slew. To turn on a pivot, and in a horizontal plane.
Slice. Wedge piece inserted between bilgeway and keel to lift a vessel ready for launching.
2. Long iron bar used for stirring up fires in furnaces of boilers, and for clearing spaces
between furnace bars. 3. Lever, with chisel end, used for removing planking or copper
sheathing.