Put the tacks and sheets in the Beckets! the order to hang up the weather main and fore-sheet, and the lee main and fore-tack, to a little knot and eye-becket on the foremost main and fore-shrouds, when the ship is close-hauled, to prevent them from hanging in the water.
BED, a flat thick piece of timber, usually formed of the rough staves of casks, or such like materials, to be lodged under the quarters of casks containing any liquid, and stowed in a ship’s hold. The use of the beds is to support the cask, and keep the bilge, or middle-part of it, from bearing against the ship’s floor, or against the body upon which it rests, lest the staves should give way and break in the place where they are weakest: or lie in a wet place, so as to rot in the course of the voyage. See the article Stowing.
Bed of a river, lit., the bottom of the channel in which the stream or current usually flows.
Bed of a cannon. See Carriage.
To BELAY, amarrer, (from beleygen, Belg.) to fasten a rope, by winding it several times round a cleat, belaying-pin, or kevel: this term is peculiar to small ropes, and chiefly the running-rigging, there being several other expressions used for large ropes, as bitting, bending, making fast, stoppering, &c. See those articles.
BEND, avuste, (probably from bindan, Sax. to bind) the knot by which one rope is fastened to another, hence
To Bend, is to fasten one rope to another, of which there are several methods.
BENDING the cable, the operation of clinching, or tying the cable to the ring of its anchor.
Bending a sail, fastening it to its yard or stay. See the articles Sail, Stay, and Yard.
BENDS, the thickest and strongest planks in a ship’s side. See Wales, by which name they are more properly called.