The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

THOMPSON'S OOAST PILOT. 149 Casting, the motion of falling off, so as to bring the direction of the wind on either side of the ship, after it has blown some time right ahead. It is particularly applied to a ship about to weigh anchor. Cat-heads, the timbers on a ship's bows, with sheaves in them, by which the anchor is hoisted, after it has been hove up by the cable. To cat the anchor, is to hook the cat-block to the ring of the anchor, and haul it up close to the cat-head. Cat's-paw, is a light air of wind perceived at a distance in a calm, sweep- ing the surface of the sea very lightly, and dying away before it reaches the ship. Caulking, is filling the seams of a ship with oakum. Center. This word is applied to that squadron of a fleet, in a line of battle, which occupies the middle of a line; and to that column, in the order of sailing, which is between the weather and lee columns. Chains, a place built on the sides of the ship, projecting out, and at which the shrouds are fastened, for the purpose of giving them a greater angle than they could have if fastened to the ship's side, an of course giv- - ing them a greater power to secure the mast. Chain-plates, are plates of iron fastened to the ship' s sides under the chains, and to these plates the dead-eyes are fastened. ; Chapeling, the act of turning a ship round in a light breeze of wind, when she is close-hauled, so that she willlie the same way she did before. This is usually occasioned by negligence in steering, or by a sud- den change of wind. Chase, a vessel pursued by some other.-- Chaser, the vessel pursuing. Cheerily, a phrase implying heartily, quickly, cheerfully. To claw off, to turn to windward from a lee shore, to escape shipwreck, etc. . / : Clear is variously applied. The weather is said to be clear when it is fair and open; the sea coast is clear when the navigation is not interrupted by rocks, etc. Itis applied to cordage, cables, etc., when they are disen- tangled, so as to be ready for immediate service. In all these senses, it is opposed to foul.--To clear the anchor, is to get the cable off the flukes, and to disencumber it of ropes, ready for dropping.--Clear hawse, when the cables are directed to their anchors without lying athwart the stem. To clear the hawse, is to untwist the cables when they are entangled by having either a cross, an elbow, or a round turn. | Clew-lines are ropes which come down from the yards to the lower cor- ners of the sails, and by which the corners or clews of the sails are hauled up. ) , Clew of a sail, the lower corners of square-sails, but the aftermost only of stay-sails, the lower corner being called the tack. To clew up, to haul up the clews of asail to its yard by means of the clew-lines, etc. 20)