The Sailor's Word-Book Part 196

R.

R. In the muster-book means _run_, and is placed against those who have deserted, or missed three musters.

R.A. _See_ RIGHT ASCENSION.

RABANET, OR RABINET. A small slender piece of ordnance, formerly used for ships' barricadoes. It had a one-inch bore, which carried about a half-pound ball.

RABBET, OR REBATE. An angular incision cut longitudinally in a piece of timber, to receive the ends of a number of planks, to be securely fastened therein. Thus the ends of the lower planks of a ship's bottom terminate upon the stem afore, and on the stern-post abaft. The surface of the garboard streak, whose edge is let into the keel, is in the same manner level with the side of the keel at the extremities of the vessel.

They are therefore termed stem, stern, or keel rabbets.

RACE. Strong currents producing overfalls, dangerous to small craft.

They may be produced by narrow channels, crossing of tides, or uneven bottoms. Such are the races of Portland, Alderney, &c. Also, a mill-race, or tail-course.

RACE, TO. Applies to marking timber with the race-tool.

RACE-HORSE. (_Alca?_) A duck of the South Seas; thus named, says Cook, for "the great swiftness with which they run on the water." Now called a steamer.

RACK. The superior stratum of clouds, or that moving rapidly above the scud. The line in which the clouds are driven by the wind, is called the rack of the weather. In Shakspeare's beautiful thirty-third sonnet the sun rises in splendour, but--

"Anon permits the basest clouds to ride With ugly rack on his celestial face, And from the forlorn world his visage hide, Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace."

Also, a frame of timber containing several sheaves, as a fair leader.

Also, various rails for belaying pins.--_To rack._ To seize two ropes together, with racking or cross-turns.

RACK-BAR. A billet of wood used for twisting the bight of a swifter round, in order to bind a raft firmly together.

RACK-BLOCK. A range of sheaves cut in one piece of wood, for running ropes to lead through.

RACK-HURRY. The tram-way on which coal-waggons run to a _hurry_.

RACKING. Spun-yarn or other stuff used to rack two parts of a rope together.

RACKING A TACKLE OR LANIARD. The fastening two running parts together with a seizing, so as to prevent it from rendering through the blocks.

RACKING-TURNS. _See_ NIPPERING.

RACK-RIDER. The name of the samlet in northern fisheries, so called because it generally appears in bad weather.

RADDLE, TO. To interlace; as in making boats' gripes and flat gaskets.

RADE [Fr.] An old spelling of the sea-term _road_. (_See_ ROAD.)

RADIUS. The semi-diameter of a circle, limb of a s.e.xtant, &c.

RADIUS-BAR OF PARALLEL MOTION. An intervening lever for guiding the side-rods of a steam-engine.

RADIUS-VECTOR. An imaginary line joining the centres of the sun and a planet or comet in any point of its...o...b..t.

RADUS. A term used for the constellation Erida.n.u.s.

RAFT. A sort of float formed by an a.s.semblage of casks, planks, or pieces of timber, fastened together with swifters and raft-dogs side by side, as well as tier upon tier. The timber and plank with which merchant ships are laden in the different ports of the Baltic, are attached together in this manner, in order to float them off to the shipping; but the rafts of North America are the most gigantic in the world. Also, a kind of floating bridge of easy construction for the pa.s.sage of rivers by troops, &c.

RAFT-DOG. A broad flat piece of iron, having a sharp point at each end, with the extremities bent at right angles. There are also _dog-hooks_, having the shoulder bent into a hook, by which the raft-chains are secured, or suddenly thrown off and released.

RAFTING. Conveying goods by floating, as by raft-chains, lashings, &c.

RAFT-PORT. A large square hole, framed and cut through the b.u.t.tocks of some ships, immediately under the counter--or forward between the breast-hooks of the bow--to load or unload timber.

RAG-BOLTS. Those which are jagged or barbed, to prevent working in their holes, and to make them hold more securely. The same as _barb-bolts_.

RAILS. Narrow pieces of wood, with mouldings as ornaments, mortised into the heads of stanchions, or nailed for ornament on several parts of a ship's upper works.

RAILS OF THE HEAD. Curved pieces of timber extending from the bows on each side to the continuation of the ship's stem, to support the knee of the head, &c.

RAILS OF THE STERN. (_See_ STERN-RAILS.)

RAINBOW.

"A rainbow towards night, Fair weather in sight.

Rainbow at night, Sailor's delight; Rainbow in morning, Sailors, take warning."

RAIN-CLOUD. _See_ NIMBUS.

RAINS. Belts or zones of calms, where heavy rain prevails; they exist between the north-east and south-east trade-winds, changing their lat.i.tude several degrees, depending on the sun's declination. In India "the rains" come in with the S.W. monsoon.

RAISE, TO. To make an object subtend a larger angle by approaching it, which is the foundation of perspective, and an effect increased by the sphericity of our globe: the opposite of _laying_ (which see).

RAISE A SIEGE, TO. To abandon or cause the abandonment of a siege.

RAISED UPON. When a vessel is heightened in her upper works.

RAISE-NET. A kind of staked net on our northern sh.o.r.es, so called from rising and falling with the tide.

RAISE OR RISE TACKS AND SHEETS. The lifting the clues of the courses, previously to bracing round the yards in tacking or wearing.

RAISE THE METAL TO. To elevate the breech, and depress thereby the muzzle of a gun.

RAISE THE WIND, TO. To make an exertion; to cast about for funds.

RAISING A MOUSE. The process of making a lump on a stay. (_See_ MOUSE.)

RAISING A PURCHASE. The act of disposing certain machines, so that, by their mutual effects, they may produce sufficient force to overcome the weight or resistance of the object to which this machinery is applied.

RAKE. The projection of the upper parts of a ship, at both ends, beyond the extremities of the keel. Also, the deviation of the masts from the _vertical line of position_, reckoned from the keel forward or aft.

RAKING. Cannonading a ship, so that the shot shall range in the direction of her whole length between decks, called a raking fire; and is similar to military enfilading.