FOTHERING, a peculiar method of endeavouring to stop a leak in the bottom of a ship while she is afloat, either under sail or at anchor. It is usually performed in the following manner: a basket is filled with ashes, cinders, and chopped rope-yarns, bonette lardeé, and loosely covered with a piece of canvas; to this is fastened a long pole, by which it is plunged repeatedly in the water, as close as possible to the place where the leak is conjectured to lie. The oakum, or chopped rope-yarns, being thus gradually shaken through the twigs, or over the top of the basket, are frequently sucked into the hole along with the water, so that the leak becomes immediately choaked, and the future entrance of the water is thereby prevented.
FOUL, empecheé, as a sea-term, is generally used in opposition to clear, and implies intangled, embarrassed, or contrary, in the following senses:
A ship ran foul of us in the river, i. e. entangled herself amongst our rigging.
Foul, when expressed of a ship’s bottom, denotes that it is very dirty; as being covered with grass, sea-weeds, shells, or other filth which gathers to it during the course of a long voyage. When understood of the ground or bottom of a road, bay, sea-coast, or harbour, mal sain, it signifies rocky, or abounding with shallows, or otherwise dangerous.
When spoken of the hawse, it means that the cables are turned round each other, by the winding or turning about of the ship while she rides at anchor. See Elbow and Hawse.
Foul, when applied to the wind, is used to express that it is unfavourable, or contrary to the ship’s course, as opposed to large or fair.
To FOUNDER, sancir, to sink at sea, as being rendered, by the violence and continuation of a storm, and the excess of the leaks, unable to keep the ship afloat above the water.
FOX, a sort of strand, formed by twisting several rope-yarns together, and used as a seizing, or to weave a mat or paunch, &c.
FRAME. See Timber.
FRAPPING, the act of crossing and drawing together the several parts of a tackle, or other complication of ropes, which had already been straitened to their utmost extent: in this sense it exactly resembles the operation of bracing up a drum, &c. The frapping always increases the tension, and of course adds to the security acquired by the purchase. Hence the cat-harpings are no other than frappings to the shrouds.