peak—The upper end of a gaff. Also the uppermost corner of a sail carried by a gaff.
peak halyards—The halyards or ropes by which the peak is elevated.
pier—A long narrow structure of wood, steel, or masonry, built from the shore out into the water, and generally used for the transfer of passengers and goods to and from ships.
pilot—A man qualified and licensed to direct ships in or out of a harbour or channel. He boards the outgoing ship as she sails and is taken off, once the ship is outside the restricted waters that he is licensed to take her through, by a pilot boat. Incoming ships take pilots from the pilot boat as they approach the restricted waters where pilots are needed.
Plimsoll mark—A mark placed on the sides of ships by Lloyds or some other marine insurance firm, to show how deeply they may be laden. As a cargo comes aboard, a ship sinks in the water, but the insurance is void if the Plimsoll mark is sunk below the water line.
point—The card of a mariner’s compass is generally divided into thirty-two parts. These are the points of the compass. Nowadays compasses are more and more being divided into degrees, but still the points are generally shown as well. Reef points—short ropes hanging in rows across sails to make it possible to tie a part of the sail into a restricted space so as to present less surface to the wind.
poop—Properly, an extra deck on the after part of a vessel.
port—The left-hand side of a vessel when one is facing the bow.
port tack—A sailing vessel is on the port tack when under way with the wind blowing against her port side.
porthole—An opening in the side of a vessel. The term generally refers to the round windows common on most ships.