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crowd sail

vb. (context nautical English) To carry an unusual amount of sail in an attempt to accelerate the speed of a vessel.

Usage examples of "crowd sail".

Jack could not read them, but he knew very well what they had to say, and shifting his glass to the horizon he saw the Shannon's consort bear up, crowd sail and run fast away east-southeast, right out into the Atlantic.

At this end what few ships there are that are fair prize crowd sail for the African coast the moment they see one of our cruisers, and once in with the land they are safe.