Y.
YACHT, a vessel of state, usually employed to convey princes, ambassadors, or other great personages from one kingdom to another.
As the principal design of a yacht is to accommodate the passengers, it is usually fitted with a variety of convenient apartments, with suitable furniture, according to the quality or number of the persons contained therein.
The royal yachts are commonly rigged as ketches, except the principal one reserved for the sovereign, which is equipped with three masts like a ship. They are in general elegantly furnished, and richly ornamented with sculpture; and always commanded by captains in his majesty’s navy.
Besides these, there are many other yachts of a smaller kind, employed by the commissioners of the excise, navy, and customs; or used as pleasure-boats by private gentlemen.
YARD, vergue, a long piece of timber suspended upon the masts of a ship, to extend the sails to the wind. See Mast and Sail.
All yards are either square or lateen; the former of which are suspended across the mast at right angles, and the latter obliquely.
The square-yards, fig. 1. plate [IX]. are nearly of a cylindrical surface. They taper from the middle, which is called the slings, towards the extremities which are termed the yard-arms; and the distance between the slings and the yard-arms on each side, is, by the artificers, divided into quarters, which are distinguished into the first, second, third quarters, and yard-arms. The middle quarters are formed into eight squares, and each of the end parts is figured like the frustrum of a cone. All the yards of a ship are square except that of the mizen.
The proportions for the length of yards, according to the different classes of ships in the British navy, are as follows:
| Guns. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 : gun-deck :: | 560 : | main yard expressed by d, fig. 1. plate [IX]. Note, the figure represents the yards and sails of a ship of 74 guns. | 100 |
| 559 : | 90 80 | ||
| 570 : | 70 | ||
| 576 : | 60 | ||
| 575 : | 50 | ||
| 561 : | 44 | ||
| 1000 : main-yard :: | 880 : | fore-yard | 100 90 80 |
| 874 : | all the rest. | ||
| To apply this rule to practice, suppose the gun-deck 144 feet. The proportion for this length is as 1000 is to 575, so is 144 to 83; which will be the length of the main-yard in feet, and so of all the rest. | |||
| 1000 : main-yard :: | 820 : | mizen-yard | 100 90 80 60 44 |
| 847 : | 70 | ||
| 840 : | 24 | ||
| 1000 : main-yard :: | 726 : | main topsail-yard e, fig. 1. plate [IX] | 24 |
| 720 : | all the rest. | ||
| 1000 : fore-yard :: | 719 : | fore topsail-yard | 70 |
| 726 : | 24 | ||
| 715 : | all the rest. | ||
| 1000 : main topsail-yd. :: | 690 : | main top-gall. yard | all the rates. |
| 1000 : fore topsail-yd. :: | 696 : | fore top-gall. yard f, fig. 1. plate [IX]. | 70 |
| 690 : | all the rest. | ||
| 1000 : fore topsail-yd. :: | 768 : | mizen topsail-yard | 70 |
| 750 : | all the rest. | ||
Cross-jack and sprit-sail yards equal to the fore topsail yard.
Sprit topsail yard equal to the fore top-gallant-yard.
The diameters of yards are in the following proportions to their length.
The main and fore yard five sevenths of an inch to a yard. The topsail, cross-jack, and sprit-sail yards, nine fourteenths of an inch to one yard. The top-gallant, mizen topsail, and sprit-sail topsail yards eight thirteenths of an inch to one yard.
The mizen yard five ninths of an inch to one yard.
All studding-sail booms and yards half an inch to one yard in length.
The lifts of the main-yard are exhibited in the above figure, by g; the horses and their stirrups, by h, i; the reef-tackles and their pendants, by k, l; and the braces and brace-pendants, by m, n.
The lateen-yards evidently derive their names from having been peculiar to the ancient Romans. They are usually composed of several pieces fastened together by wooldings, which also serve as steps whereby the sailors climb to the peek, or upper extremity, in order to furl or cast loose the sail.
The mizen-yard of a ship, and the main-yard of a bilander, are hung obliquely on the mast, almost in the same manner as the lateen-yard of a xebec, settee, or polacre. See those articles.
To brace the Yards, brasser, is to traverse them about the masts, so as to form greater or lesser angles with the ship’s length. See Brace.
To square the Yards. See Lift and Square.
Dock-Yard. See the article Dock-yard.
YAW, a name given by seamen to the movement by which a ship deviates from the line of her course towards the right or left in steering.
YAWL, a small ship’s boat, usually rowed by four or six oars. See Boat.
YEOMAN, an officer under the boatswain or gunner of a ship of war, usually charged with the stowage, account, and distribution of their respective stores.
YOKE, a name formerly given to the tiller, when communicating with two blocks or sheaves affixed to the inner end of the tiller. It is now applied to a small board or bar which crosses the upper end of a boat’s rudder at right angles, and having two small cords extending from its opposite extremities to the stern-sheets of the boat, whereby she is steered as with a tiller.
THE END.
SUPPLEMENT and ERRATA.
A.
In the article Aback, line 19. for fig. 1. read fig. 14. and in line 22, read fig. 13.
After the Anchor is a cock bill, read à la veille.
An-end, debout, the situation of any mast or boom, when erected perpendicularly on the plane of the deck, tops, &c. The top-masts are also said to be an-end when they are hoisted up to their usual station, at the head of the lower masts, as in fig. 3. plate [VI].
In line 24. page 2. of Naval Architecture, dele see the article Elevation, and line 21. under this in the same page, for plate [V]. fig. 4. read plate [IV]. fig. 11.
In the explanation of the pieces of the Hull, page 6. of Naval Architecture, line 31. for sternpost, read dead-wood, and two lines lower, for sleepers, read knees.
In line 34. page 9. of the same article, for O K, read O k.
Top-ARMOUR. See the article Top.
Avast, the order to stop, or pause in any exercise.
In the article Aweigh, after the words perpendicular direction, read as in fig. 6. plate 1.
B.
To Bagpipe the Mizen, is to lay it aback, by bringing the sheet to the mizen shrouds.
Bill, the point or extremity of the fluke of an anchor.
Block and Block, the situation of a tackle when the two opposite blocks are drawn close together, so that the mechanical power becomes destroyed, till the tackle is again over-hauled by drawing the blocks asunder.
In the 2d page of the article Boat, line 13. from the bottom, for of framed iron, read framed of iron.
Bold, an epithet applied to the sea coast, signifying steep, or abrupt, so as to admit the approach of shipping without exposing them to the danger of being run a-ground, or stranded.
For the articles Bolt and Boom-iron, see Iron-work, as corrected below.
Bonnet, an additional part laced to the bottom of the main sail and fore sail of some small vessels, in moderate winds.
In the article Bream, the last line except one, read or by docking.
In-Bulk, see Laden.
Bum-boat, a small boat used to sell vegetables, &c. to ships lying at a distance from the shore.
C.
In the article Can-BUOYS, for fig. 8. read fig. 6. and in Nun-BUOYS, for fig. 9. read fig. 7.
In Can-HOOKS, dele and 9.
In the 4th page of the article Cannon, line 22. for fig. 17. read fig. 10. and in the 5th page of the same article, line 11. read the figures 8. and 10.
Line 14. of Capstern, for fig. 10. read fig. 11. and 12.
Cast-away, the state of a ship which is lost or wrecked on a lee-shore, bank, or shallow.
Coming-to. See the article Trying.
Complement, the limited number of men employed in any ship, either for navigation or battle.
Crowfoot, line 3. for 27. read 28.
D.
Davit, line 2. for 28. read 29.
In the explanation of Deck, plate [III]. for L the deck-transom, read L the wing-transom, and nine lines lower, read Q the wing-transom-knee.
In Division, line 7. after cannon, read each.
Double-banked, the situation of the oars of a boat when two opposite ones are managed by rowers seated on the same bench, or thwart. The oars are also said to be double-banked when two men row upon every single one.
Drawing, the state of a sail when it is inflated by the wind, so as to advance the vessel in her course.
E.
In the 12th page of the article Engagement, line 18. for have as many, read save as many.
F.
Fire-ship, line 10. after bulk-head, for I, read L.
Flaw, a sudden breeze, or gust of wind.
Flush. See the article Deck.
G.
Gammoning, line 4. for fig. 7. read fig. 6, 8, and 9.
Gripe, the same with Fore-foot. See that article.
Guy, line 1. read to keep steddy.
H.
Hauser, a large rope which holds the middle degree between the cable and tow-line, in any ship whereto it belongs, being a size smaller than the former, and as much larger than the latter.
In the 3d page of the article Head, line 26. after beams, read or; and six lines lower, read the head, and part, &c.
I.
In the article Iron-work, line 14. dele as in fig. 1. and 2. plate [II]. and two lines lower, for fig. 4. read fig. 1. plate [II]. and in the next line, for fig. 5, 6, and 39. read fig. 3, and 39. Seven lines below this, after barbs, read fig. 2. and in the 2d line from the bottom, for fig. 7. read fig. 5.
K.
To Keep-off for alargeer, read alarguer.
In line 9. of the article Ketch, after war, read see fig. 5. plate [VII].
L.
Lanch, the order to let go the top-rope, after any top mast is fidded.
Ledges, certain small pieces of timber placed athwart-ships, under the decks of a ship, in the intervals between the beams, as exhibited in the representation of the deck, plate [III].
Ledge, is also a long ridge of rocks, near the surface of the sea.
Line 10. of the article Line, for fig. 5. read fig. 6.
M.
Midshipman, line 4. for all other, read several other.
In page 2d of the article Mortar, line 9. after distance, read from the object, &c. and in page 3. of the same article, line 2. for fig. 14. plate [VII]. read fig. 5. and 20. plate [VII]. the former of which exhibits the transverse section of a bomb-vessel, with the mortar fixed in its place, at an elevation of forty-five degrees. See Range.
Q.
Quartering-wind. See the article Sailing.
R.
Rack, rasteau, a frame of timber, containing several sheaves, and usually fixed on the opposite sides of a ship’s bow-sprit, to direct the sailors to the respective ropes passing through it, all of which are attached to the sails on the bowsprit.
In page 4. of the article Rate, line 14. for without, read to avoid.
After the article Riding, read, a rope is said to ride, when one of the turns by which it is wound about the capstern or windlass lies over another, so as to interrupt the operation of heaving.
S.
Sally-port. See the article Fire-ship.
Scud, a name given by seamen to the lowest and lightest clouds, which are most swiftly wafted along the atmosphere by the winds.
Shallop, a sort of large boat with two masts, and usually rigged like a schooner.
Shivering, the state of a sail when it shakes or flutters in the wind, as being neither full nor aback, but in a middle degree, between both, as well with regard to its absolute position, as to its relative effect on the vessel.
In line 9. of the article Stern, for fig. 1. read fig 3. and thirteen lines lower, after third transoms, dele with l, m, n, o, four intermediate transoms, and read the 4th, 5th, and 6th transoms are placed immediately under these: and that which lies between the wing and deck-transoms, is called the filling-transom.
T.
Thick-stuff. See the articles Ship-BUILDING and Midship-frame.
In page 2. of the article Top, line 19. for fig. 2. plate [VI]. read fig. 1. plate [IX].