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Waiting Time The period of time between the moment at which one is ready for an activity to start and the moment at which this activity can actually begin.
Waiver Clause Clause in a marine insurance policy stating that no acts of the insurer or insured in recovering, saving or preserving the property insured, shall be considered a dismissal from or acceptance of abandonment.
WAKE Moving waves, track or path that a boat leaves behind it, when moving across the waters.
Wake Waves generated in the water by a moving vessel.
Wake Trail left by a vessel, or other object, moving through the water.
War Risk Perils of war or warlike operations, such as capture, seizure, arrests, restraints of kings, princesses and people, hostilities, civil war, mines, torpedo's. War risks are not covered under a policy for marine perils
Wardoom Officer's mess.
Warehouse A building specially designed for receipt, storage and handling of goods.
Warehouse Keeper Party who takes responsibility for goods entered into a warehouse.
Warehouse Receipt Receipt for products deposited in a warehouse.
Warehousing Those activities of holding and handling goods in a warehouse (store).
Warming the Bell: Striking "eight bells' a little before time at the end of a watch.
Warp To warp is to move a vessel by lines
Warp To move the ship by other than sails.
Warp: The longitudinal threads in canvas and other textiles. 2. Hawser used when warping. Originally, was a rope smaller than a cable. 3. The line by which a boat rides to a sea anchor. 4. Mooring ropes.
Warrant Officers Officers who do not hold official commissions. They are given "warrants" by the Captain or local Naval admistration to define their authority. Examples are midshipmen and master's mates.
Warsaw Convention The Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air, signed at Warsaw, 12 October 1929, or that Convention as amended by the Hague Protocol, 1955
Wash: Broken water at bow of a vessel making way. 2. Disturbed water made by a propeller or paddle wheel. 3. Blade of an oar.
Washboards Boards used to close the companionway
Washing Down: Said of a vessel when she is shipping water on deck and it is running off through scuppers and freeing ports.
Waste Disposal Processing and or removal to final resting place or transfer to a place for re-use or recovering of waste.
Waste Logistics The collection of used, damaged, or outdated products and or packaging from designated users.
Watch (1) a division of crew into shifts. (2) The time each watch has duty.
WATCH The day at sea is divided into six four hour periods. Three groups of watchstanders are on duty for four hours and then off for eight, then back to duty. Seamen often work overtime during their off time.
Watch Bell: Bell used for striking the half hours of each watch.
Water Breaker: Small cask used for carrying drinking water in a boat.
WATERLINE A line painted on a hull which shows the point to which a boat sinks when it is properly trimmed (see BOOT TOP).
Waterlogged Completely filled with water.
Waterway A river, canal or other body of water that boats can travel on.
Wave (or chop) The condition of the surface caused by local wind and characterized by irregularity, short distance between crests, whitecaps/ and breaking motion
Waveson: Goods floating on surface of sea after a wreck.
WAY Movement of a vessel through the water such as headway, sternway or leeway.
Way The progress of a boat. If a boat is moving it is considered to be "making way."
Way Enough: Order given to a boat's crew when going alongside under oars. Denotes that boat has sufficient way, and that oars are to be placed inside the boat.
Waybill Non-negotiable document evidencing the contract for the transport of cargo.
Waypoint A charted feature or chosen position on a chart
Wear and Tear Loss or deterioration resulting from ordinary use.
Weather Board: Windward side of a vessel.
weather deck The uppermost deck of a ship; any deck that does not have overhead protection from the weather.
Weigh To raise, as in to weigh anchor.
Weigh anchor To raise the anchor from the bottom
Weight Charge The charge for carriage of goods based on their weight (air cargo).
Weight Ton A ton of 1000 kilos.
Weir: Or on rivers a Dam. A weir can run in the open or underground. It is to enable water from one pound to run down into the next if the upper one is too full.
Well Found: Said of a vessel that is adequately fitted, stored, and furnished.
WEND World Electronic Navigation Database
Wetted Surface: The whole of the external surface of a vessel's outer plating that is in contact with the water in which she is floating.
Wharf A quay. A section parallel to the shore for docking and unloading vessels.
Wharf A place for berthing vessels to facilitate loading and discharging of cargo.
Wharfage The fee charged for the use of a wharf for mooring, loading or discharging a vessel or for storing goods.
Wharfinger: One who owns or manages a wharf.
wheel Slang for a ship's propeller.
Wheel One of two methods used to steer a boat. A wheel is turned in the direction that the helmsman wants the boat to go. On smaller boats, a tiller usually is used, and it steers in the opposite manner.
wheelhouse Where the steering wheel and engine controls are
wheelsman Another name for the helmsman; one who steers a ship via a wheel.
Where Away? : Esquire addressed to a look-out man, demanding precise direction of an object he has sighted and reported.
Whip To bind the strands of a line with a small cord.
Whipping Method of binding ropes
whisker pole A spar used to help hold the jib out when sailing off the wind.
Whisker pole a light spar which holds the jib out when sailing downwind
Whisker pole A pole used to boom out of the jib when running wing and wing
Whistling for Wind: Based on a very old tradition that whistling at sea will cause a wind to rise.
Whistling Psalms to the Taffrail: Nautical phrase that means giving good advice that will not be taken.
White Horses: Fast-running waves with white foam crests.
WHO World Health Organisation
Wholesaler An intermediary between manufacturers and retailers in various activities such as promotion, warehousing, and the arranging of transport and or distribution.
Wholesome: Said of craft that behaves well in bad weather.
winch A machine that has a drum on which to coil a rope, cable or chain for hauling, pulling or hoisting.
Wind current The water current generated by wind acting upon the surface of water over a period of time
Wind Dog: An incomplete rainbow, or part of a rainbow. It is supposed to indicate approach of a storm.
Wind scoop Funnel used to force wind in a hatch and ventilate the below decks area.
Windbugger The wind-driven electrical generator aboard New World.
Winding hole: The name given to the place an a canal where long boats/narrow boats are able to turn round. Known as 'Winded'
Winding: Turning a vessel end for end between buoys, or along-side a wharf or pier.
Windlass A mechanical device used to pull in cable or chain, such as an anchor rode.
Windlass A mechanical device used to pull in cable or chain, such as an anchor rode.
Windless: A cranked handle used to wind lock paddles gear up and down.
Winds back Wind direction changes counterclockwise.
Winds veer Wind direction changes clockwise.
Windvane A system of lines, pulleys, paddles and clamps that work together with the wind to hold a sailboat on course. New World is equipped with a Monitor windvane.
Windward Towards the wind
WINDWARD Toward the direction from which the wind is coming.
WIPERS Apprentice QMED. Cleans engine room. Assists officers and QMED's.
Without Prejudice: Words used when a statement, comment, or action is not to be taken as implying agreement or disagreement, or affecting in any way a matter in dispute, or under consideration.
WL water line
WMO World Meteorological Organisation
WMU World Maritime University
Work Load The quantity of work ahead assigned to a certain facility such as a work station, capacity group or a department respectively staff-member.
working sails The sails used on a particular sailboat in normal weather conditions.
working sheet The sheet that currently is taut and is in use to control a sail. The opposite of the lazy sheet
World Health Organization The global agency linked with the United Nations and co-operating with other technical agencies relating to health matters at sea and on land.
World Meteorological Organisation The United Nations agency dealing with meteorological issues.
WORLDSCALE An index representing the cost of time chartering a tanker for a specific voyage at a given time. The index is given at Worldscale 100, which represents the price in dollars per ton for carrying the oil at that rate. The negotiated rate will be some perce
worm gear A long, rotating gear in the form of a screw, which meshes with the teeth of another gear.
Wrack: To destroy by wave action. 2. Seaweed thrown ashore by sea.
WT radio telegraph (WIRELESS)
WT watertight
WWAKE - Moving waves, track or path that a boat leaves behind it, when moving across the waters.
WWW world wide web (Internet facility)