baldric: A belt for a sword or other piece of equipment worn over one shoulder
ballet de cour: The name given to ballets performed at court in the 16th and 17th centuries
bar: A sandbank, usually lying at the entrance to a harbour formed by the surge of the sea
barque: A three masted sailing ship, square-rigged at the fore and main masts, and fore-and-aft rigged at the mizzen (rear mast)
bilge: The compartment at the bottom of the hull of a ship or boat where water collects
booty: Pirate treasure, plunder or other ill-gotten gains
after-deck: All upper decks to the rear of the vessel (see ship parts)
aloft: In the rigging above the deck of of a sailing ship
ambuscade: An attack from an ambush
amidships: The middle section of a vessel
bosun / boatswain: A non-commissioned officer responsible for supervising the crew members when performing work on deck
bounty: Rewards or gain from raids or the capture of ships
bow: The front of a vessel (see ship parts)
bowsprit: A sturdy spar (wooden pole) projecting forward over the bow to support the foremast on which sails can be rigged (see ship parts)
brig: A two-masted square rigged vessel
brigantine: As brig but fore-and-aft-rigged on the mainmast
buccaneer: A pirate known for smoking and curing the meat of wild cattle (see boucan)
bulkhead: Any vertical partition in the hull of a vessel
bulwark: An extension of a ship's sides above the level of the deck
boucan: (Fr) A barbecue frame or oven used by buccaneers to cure meat
boules: A French game in which the objective is to roll heavy balls as close as possible to a small target ball
bridge: The command and navigation centre of a vessel, extending the full width of the the after-deck (see ship parts)
glossary A-B
A - B
C - D
E - G
H - K
L - M
N - Q
R - S
T - Z
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