Pirate Dictionary S

SALMAGUNDI

A highly-seasoned pirate dish made from available meats or fish.

SAND GLASS

Time aboard ship was measured by a sand glass (ampoletta in Spanish). The ship's boy turned the glass every half-hour in order to measure the time until his watch ended. Because the sand glass was not an accurate measurement of time, it was checked at regular intervals against sunrise, sunset, or midnight.

SCURVY

Many sailors on long trips got scurvy, which debilitates and then kills its victims. When the cause of scurvy was determined to be caused by a dietary deficiency in vitamin C, limes which are high in the vitamin were brought along for long voyages. After which, the British sailors who were forced to drink the lime juice in prevention of scurvy became known "limeys."

SCUTTLE

To sink one's own ship on purpose.

SEXTANT

Used in navigation, the sextant replaced the astrolabe in determining a ship's latitude. The word sextant comes from the Latin word meaning "one sixth."

SHILLING

A New England coin.

SHIP, PARTS OF

Here is a diagram of a ship showing the principal ropes, spars, and sails.

SHROUDS

Rope ladders were used to reach the sails, mastheads, yardarms, rigging and the crow's nest on sailing vessels. The large vertical ropes were called shrouds, and the smaller side-to-side ropes were called ratlines.

SLOOP

A fast vessel with a single mast, the sloop maneuvered well in channels making it an excellent choice for pirates seeking less nimble ships to attack and plunder. It weighed 100 tons, could carry 75 pirates and 14 cannons.

SOUNDING

Sounding is a method of measuring the depth of a body of water by dropping a weight attached to the end of a rope overboard and letting it hit the bottom.

SOUTH POLE

The south pole is the southernmost point on the Earth; it is located on the continent of Antarctica.

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

The Southern Hemisphere is the half of the Earth that is south of the equator.

SPANISH MAIN

This referred to the Spanish-held mainland of Central America and northern South America and the nearby waters and islands of the Caribbean. The Spanish called the land Terra Firma (the Mainland). In English it was known as the Spanish Mainland or Spanish Main.

SPAR

A wooden pole used for supporting sails.

STARBOARD

When facing the front (bow) of the ship, the right side is called starboard (the left side is port).

STERN

The back of a ship (the front is the bow).

STRAIT

A strait is a narrow channel of water that connects two larger bodies of water.

SWABBIE

A swab is type of mop made out of rope-yarns or threads. A person who mopped the decks using the swab was called a swabbie.