AFLOAT LogoAfloat Xword 74

Compiled by John Gray

Afloat Xword 74Athwart

    1.    Merchant ship of imperial Rome massive in size carrying 400 tons of cargo, with large square sail on a mast amidships and small square sail on artemon mast over the bows (7)
    5.     Name given to the gun which was used to throw a line, in life-saving situations at sea (7)
    9.    What types of paints limit the spread of fires on board? (9)
    10.    Name given to the tail ends, of the shells, of standing blocks (5)
    11.    Please leave the centre of the coupling out to luff or bring the yacht closer to the wind (4)
    12.    A term used to describe an anchor when hanging by its ring at the cathead, or the hawsehole ready for letting go (1,8)
    14.    A game similar to a lottery played on H.M. ships it was also called ‘house’ (7)
    16.    The rail above the cap rail, the low, raised part, of the gunwale (7)
    18.    The gear that is used to support and adjust the sails, the type of sail that a yacht carries (7)
    20.    Craft that were used on inland waterways of the Netherlands, apple-shaped bows & sterns rounded bottoms, broad leeboards for use in shallow water (7)
    21.    A covering of thin copper plates on the bottom of ships to stop the Teredo wood-boring worm (9)
    22.    The part rotating houses several moorings that are attached to an anchored ground chain (4)
    25.    Oil almost covering the rib of this small antelope (5)
    26.    A heading of north with the masthead in an odd way is this executioner (9)
    27.    The name for the smooth ‘flow’ of air over a sail’s surface (7)
    28.    A light ornamental pleasure boat used in the canals of Venice (7)

Below

    1.    A senior rating in ships in charge of maintenance to all woodwork (9)
    2.    Maritime term for the ‘ranks’ which are held by seamen who stare lop-sided (5)
    3.    They are the leaders of the International Yacht Restoration School (4)
    4.    Name given an American Confederate cruiser, a three-masted schooner with auxiliary steam power (7)
    5.    A type of sailing boat of Cape Cod for fishing in shallows but often used for racing and cruising (7)
    6.    An implement (metal) used when unscrewing shackle pins (7,3)
    7.    Word to describe the ability of fish to survive dormant during heat or drought conditions usually covered in mud (9)
    8.    Naval remedied with a midship modification – and it’s on the nose (5)
    13.    A term for an amateur yachtsman who sails his own yacht without the aid of a professional (10)
    15.    A force produced by the motion of charged particles, which has great attraction (9)
    17.    A passenger ship of the Cunard Line sunk in 1915 by a German U-boat off southern Ireland whilst returning from New York (9)
    19.    A high powered pedestal winch, also the crewman who operates it, (he also likes coffee) (7)
    20.    Cosmic explosion that is hypothesized to have marked the origin of the universe (3,4)
    21.    A patch of low or shallow water – great for many fishes (5)
    23.    The matelot who loves this call sign for ‘R’ in the Phonetic Alphabet (5)
    24.    ‘Fish and chips’ helps conceal defects in wooden spars, caused by knots that contract and fall out (4)

Answers to Xword 74