R.
R. In the muster-book means run, and is placed against those who have deserted, or missed three musters.
R.A. See Right Ascension.
RABANET, or Rabinet. A small slender piece of ordnance, formerly used for ships’ barricadoes. It had a one-inch bore, which carried about a half-pound ball.
RABBET, or Rebate. An angular incision cut longitudinally in a piece of timber, to receive the ends of a number of planks, to be securely fastened therein. Thus the ends of the lower planks of a ship’s bottom terminate upon the stem afore, and on the stern-post abaft. The surface of the garboard streak, whose edge is let into the keel, is in the same manner level with the side of the keel at the extremities of the vessel. They are therefore termed stem, stern, or keel rabbets.
RACE. Strong currents producing overfalls, dangerous to small craft. They may be produced by narrow channels, crossing of tides, or uneven bottoms. Such are the races of Portland, Alderney, &c. Also, a mill-race, or tail-course.
RACE, To. Applies to marking timber with the race-tool.
RACE-HORSE. (Alca?) A duck of the South Seas; thus named, says Cook, for “the great swiftness with which they run on the water.” Now called a steamer.
RACK. The superior stratum of clouds, or that moving rapidly above the scud. The line in which the clouds are driven by the wind, is called the rack of the weather. In Shakspeare’s beautiful thirty-third sonnet the sun rises in splendour, but—
“Anon permits the basest clouds to ride
With ugly rack on his celestial face,
And from the forlorn world his visage hide,
Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace.”
Also, a frame of timber containing several sheaves, as a fair leader. Also, various rails for belaying pins.—To rack. To seize two ropes together, with racking or cross-turns.
RACK-BAR. A billet of wood used for twisting the bight of a swifter round, in order to bind a raft firmly together.
RACK-BLOCK. A range of sheaves cut in one piece of wood, for running ropes to lead through.
RACK-HURRY. The tram-way on which coal-waggons run to a hurry.
RACKING. Spun-yarn or other stuff used to rack two parts of a rope together.
RACKING A TACKLE OR LANIARD. The fastening two running parts together with a seizing, so as to prevent it from rendering through the blocks.
RACKING-TURNS. See Nippering.
RACK-RIDER. The name of the samlet in northern fisheries, so called because it generally appears in bad weather.
RADDLE, To. To interlace; as in making boats’ gripes and flat gaskets.
RADE [Fr.] An old spelling of the sea-term road. (See Road.)
RADIUS. The semi-diameter of a circle, limb of a sextant, &c.
RADIUS-BAR of Parallel Motion. An intervening lever for guiding the side-rods of a steam-engine.
RADIUS-VECTOR. An imaginary line joining the centres of the sun and a planet or comet in any point of its orbit.
RADUS. A term used for the constellation Eridanus.
RAFT. A sort of float formed by an assemblage of casks, planks, or pieces of timber, fastened together with swifters and raft-dogs side by side, as well as tier upon tier. The timber and plank with which merchant ships are laden in the different ports of the Baltic, are attached together in this manner, in order to float them off to the shipping; but the rafts of North America are the most gigantic in the world. Also, a kind of floating bridge of easy construction for the passage of rivers by troops, &c.
RAFT-DOG. A broad flat piece of iron, having a sharp point at each end, with the extremities bent at right angles. There are also dog-hooks, having the shoulder bent into a hook, by which the raft-chains are secured, or suddenly thrown off and released.
RAFTING. Conveying goods by floating, as by raft-chains, lashings, &c.
RAFT-PORT. A large square hole, framed and cut through the buttocks of some ships, immediately under the counter—or forward between the breast-hooks of the bow—to load or unload timber.
RAG-BOLTS. Those which are jagged or barbed, to prevent working in their holes, and to make them hold more securely. The same as barb-bolts.
RAILS. Narrow pieces of wood, with mouldings as ornaments, mortised into the heads of stanchions, or nailed for ornament on several parts of a ship’s upper works.
RAILS OF THE HEAD. Curved pieces of timber extending from the bows on each side to the continuation of the ship’s stem, to support the knee of the head, &c.