What is "foretopsail"

Usage examples of "foretopsail".

But the morning after, the wind changed, and the captain ordered the men to put up the foresail, and brigantine and foretopsail, which greatly lessened the rolling of the vessel.

I made my observation, I always took my meridian through the foretopsail and my horizon through the foresail.

The foremast was still standing, but the foretopsail was flying loose, and the headsails were streaming out in long, white pennons in front of her.

He tucked the pistols into the band of his breeches, after assuring himself they were at half cock, thanked Silkin and watched as the Calypso, foretopsail now drawing, wore round to head down towards the two anchored bomb ketches.

But there were a very great many Spaniards aboard and it was still nip and tuck until the Surprises managed to cut the bower cable, whereupon they loosed the foretopsail and with the boats towing the Hermione stood out to sea.

It was a tedious, job, but it meant a seaman who knew that his number was, for example, 16 could see from the bill that he was a foretopman in the larboard watch, and when going into action he was second captain of a particular gun, that under arms he would have a cutlass and a tomahawk, and for the rest of the evolutions the bill showed him precisely what he did on the foretopsail yard.

Mr Miller, shake out the reefs in the foretopsail: set fore topmast staysail half in.

And if there was north in the wind all four ships would be able to get away by drifting off the quay under foretopsails and then, with a bit of smart sail handling, wearing round to avoid drifting on to the shoal and then luffing up to get through the entrance.

They filled the foretopsails, gliding smoothly over the bar with a fathom to spare.

Both shots fulfilled their only function, piercing the foretopsail they were aimed at, dismaying the Alastors - few ships could fire so clean - and encouraging the Franklins, whose cheer could now be heard, though faint and thin.

The Master had decided the foretopsail had too many patches to withstand the brisk winds they would find off the coast of the Main, and Kenton was given a few men and orders to get the new one up from the sail room and stow the old.

The foretopsail and topgallant were being hoisted up from the sail room.

The bentincks holed like sieves, two staysails hanging limp, foretopsail in rags.

And so Hotspur came in under goosewinged foretopsail and storm mizzen staysail, round Berry Head, under the eyes of the Channel Fleet, to claw her way in towards Brixham pier and to roundto with her weary men furling the foretopsail and to drop her anchors while with a last effort they sent down the topmasts and Prowse and Hornblower took careful bearings to make sure she was not dragging.

On deck once more, and a surprisingly respectable deck, with the knotting and splicing almost finished, the swabbers of the afterguard washing the last pale smears from by the wheel, the davits righted, a new foretopsail bent: over the water the French boats were still removing prisoners from the Africaine, the Iphigenia's pumps were going hard, and from the look of the feverish activity among the parties inboard and outboard of her, she would be in no way to get under sail for some time.