abaft of midship toward the stern of midship.
agnostic a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably unknowable.
alder small birch trees that grow best in wet ground.
alder stick a branch from a tree in the birch family.
alidades surveying instruments used for determining direction.
ambergris used for perfume, these gray secretions come from whale intestines and are found floating on the ocean or the shore.
anteroom an outer room that leads to another usually more important room and is often used as a waiting area.
bacchanal drunken revelry.
backing net off his drum turning the metal cylinder around which the net is wound.
baishakunin a person who procured homeland brides for Japanese men who lived in the United States.
barnacles difficult-to-remove marine shellfish that attach to rocks, ship bottoms, and other surfaces.
Belleau Wood an area in northern France that was the site of a violent two-week battle during World War I; the area is now a memorial to soldiers in the United States armed forces who were war casualties.
Bendix a radio built by U.S. inventor Vincent Bendix.
binnacle a case that holds a boat's compass.
black mouth also called king salmon, desirable deep feeder fish best caught by trolling.
boilerplate unoriginal, standard.
bokken a curved wooden sword.
bow gunnel the boat's front, upper edge.
bowline a rope on the front of the boat used to keep the weather edge of a vessel's square sail forward when sailing.
bow-picker a small fishing boat.
bracken clump of ferns with stem and leaves up to four feet high and three feet wide.
brigands bandits.
bugeisha a person in military uniform.
cannery a processing station for fish.
casements windows with hinges that allow them to open from the inside.
chandlery a retail shop dealing in provisions, supplies, or equipment of a specified kind; in this context, probably a boating supply shop.
chop a stretch of choppy sea, usually with small waves.
chuck an inlet.
chums a type of salmon that is undesirable to fishermen because of its bitter taste.
coast guard military coastal patrol set up to enforce navigation laws and to protect life and property at sea.
cork line a float on the top of a gill net that keeps the net on the surface of the water.
coxswain a person who steers a small boat.
crabber a person who fishes for crabs.
creosote the liquid mixture obtained from the heating and cooling of wood tar.
creosoted timbers wood that has been treated with a brownish oily liquid in order to preserve the wood.
culling cutting and collecting.
