GAINED DAY. The twenty-four hours, or day and night, gained by circumnavigating the globe to the eastward. It is the result of sailing in the same direction as the earth revolves, which shortens each day by four minutes for every degree sailed. In the Royal Navy this run gives an additional day's pay to a ship's crew.
GAIN THE WIND, To. To arrive on the weather-side of some other vessel in sight, when both are plying to windward.
GAIR-FISH. A name on our northern coasts for the porpoise.
GAIR-FOWL. A name of the great auk, Alca impennis. (See [Auk].)
GAIRG. A Gaelic name for the cormorant.
GALAXY. A name of the Milky Way. (See [Via Lactea].)
GALEAS. See [Gallias].
GALE OF WIND. Implies what on shore is called a storm, more particularly termed a hard gale or strong gale; number of force, 10.—A stiff gale is the diminutive of the preceding, but stronger than a breeze.—A fresh gale is a still further diminutive, and not too strong for a ship to carry single-reefed top-sails when close-hauled.—A top-gallant gale, if a ship can carry her top-gallant sails.—To gale away, to go free.
GALEOPIS. An ancient war-ship with a prow resembling the beak of a sword-fish.
GALITA. See [Guerite].