The Sailor's Word-Book / An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc.

by W. H. Smyth

CAPE FLY-AWAY. A cloud-bank on the horizon, mistaken for land, which disappears as the ship advances. (See [Fog].)

CAPE-HEN. See [Molly-mawk].

CAPELLA. The lucida of Auriga, and a nautical star.

CAPE-MERCHANT [capo]. An old name for super-cargo in early voyages, as also the head merchant in a factory.

CAPE-PIGEON, or Cape-petrel. A sea-bird which follows a ship in her passage round the cape; the Procellaria capensis. (See [Pintados].)

CAPER. A light-armed vessel of the 17th century, used by the Dutch for privateering.

CAPER CORNER-WAY. Diagonally.

CAPFUL OF WIND. A light flaw, which suddenly careens a vessel and passes off.

CAPITAL of a Work. In fortification, an imaginary line bisecting its most prominent salient angle.

CAPITANA. Formerly the principal galley in a Mediterranean fleet: the admiral's ship.