es or is crippled by injudiciously setting up the rigging too taut.

BOWING THE SEA. Meeting a turbulent swell in coming to the wind.

BOWLINE. A rope leading forward which is fastened to a space connected
by bridles to cringles on the leech or perpendicular edge of the square
sails: it is used to keep the weather-edge of the sail tight forward and
steady when the ship is close hauled to the wind; and which, indeed,
being hauled taut, enables the ship to come nearer to the wind. Hence
the ship sails on a bowline, or stands on a taut bowline.--_To check or
come up a bowline_ is to slacken it when the wind becomes large or
free.--_To sharp or set taut a bowline_ is to pull it as taut as it can
well bear.

BOWLINE-BEND. The mode of bending warps or hawsers together by taking a
bowline in the end of one rope, and passing the end of the other through
the bight, and making a bowline upon it.

BOWLINE-BRIDLE. The span attached to the cringles on the leech of a
square sail to which the bowline is toggled or clinched.

BOWLINE-CRINGLE. An eye worked into the leech-rope of a sail; usually in
that of a fore-sail two, a main-sail three, and the fore-topsails three,
but the main-topsail four. By these the sails are found in the dark, by
feeling alone.

BOWLINE HAUL. A hearty and simultaneous bowse. (_See_ ONE! TWO!!
THREE!!!) In hauling the bowline it is customary for the leading man to
veer, and then haul, three times in succession, singing out one, two,
three--at the last the weight of all the men is thrown in together:
this is followed by "belay, oh!" When the bowlines are reported
"bowlines hauled, sir," by the officer in command of the fore-part of
the ship, the hands, or the watch, return to their duties.

BOWLINE-KNOT. That by which the bowline-bridles were fastened to the
cringles: the bowline-knot is made by an involution of the end and a
bight upon the standing part of a rope. A further involution makes what
is termed a bowline on a bight. It is very difficult to explain by
words:--holding the rope some distance from the end by the left hand,
the end held in the right is laid on the main part, and by a twist given
screw-fashion to the right, a loop or kink is formed inclosing this end,
which is then passed behind, and back in the same direction with the
former, and then jammed home. It is rapidly done, easily undone, and one
of the most seamanlike acts, exhibiting grace as well as power. It can
be made by a man with