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902 THOMPSON'S COAST PILOT. Splice, to make two ends of ropes fast together by untwisting them, and then putting the strands of one piece with the strands of the other. Split, the state of a sail rent by the violence of the wind. -- . Spoon-drift, a sort of showery sprinkling of the sea water swept from the surface of the waves in a tempest, and flying like a vapor before the wind. , Spray, the sprinkling of a sea, driven occastonally from the top of a wave, and not continual as a spoon-drift. To spring a@ mast, yard, etc., to crack a mast, yard, etc. , by means of straining in blowing weather, p that it is rendered initio for use.--To spring a leak. When a leak first commences, a ship is said to spring a leak.--To spring the luff, A ship is said. to spring her luff, when she yields to the effort of the helm, by sailing nearer to the wind than before. Spring-stays are rather smaller than the stays, and placed above them, and intended to answer the purpose of the 'stay, if it should be shot away, etc, Spring-tides. are the tides at new.and full moon, which flow highest and ebb lowest. Spurling-line is a line that goes round a small barrel abaft the barrel of the-wheel, and, coming to the front beam of the poop-deck, moves the tell-tale with the turning of the wheel, and keeps it always in such posi- tion, as to show the position of the tiller. 'Spur-shoes are large pieces of timber which. come, abaft the pump- well. Squall, a sudden, violent blast of wind. Square. This term is applied to yards that are very long, as taunt, is to high masts. To square the yards, to brace the ayards so that they may hang at right angles with the keel. To stand on, to continue advancing.--TZo stand in, to advance to- wards the antes Gb stand off, to recede from the shore, Starboard, the right-hand side of a ship, when looking forward.--Star- board tack. A ship is said to be on the starboard tack when sailing with the wind blowing upon her starboard side. " Starboard the helm!" an order to push the helm to the starboard side, To stay a ship, to arrange the sails and move the rudder so as to bring the ship's head to the direction of the wind, in order to get her on the other tack. Stays, large ropes coming from the mast-heads down before the masts, to prevent them from springing, when the ship is sending deep. "Steady /" the order to the helmsman to keep the ship in the direction she is going at.that instant. Steering, the art of dir acting the ship's way by the movement of the helm. Steerage=way, inch: degree of progressive motion of a ship as will give effect to the motion of the helm. Stem, a circular piece of timber, into which the two sides of a ship