=on soundings=—When a ship is in water shallow enough to permit the depth to be easily ascertained by means of the lead she is said to be _on soundings_. At sea the expression _to sound_ means to learn the depth of the water by means of the lead. =outboard=—Board means the side of a vessel; therefore _outboard_ means outside her or beyond the gunwale. =outrigger=—A type of small boat common in the East Indies is one made up of a narrow hull kept from overturning by a small timber floating in the water parallel to the hull and made fast to the hull by means of crossbars. This type is known as an _outrigger canoe_. The outrigger is the small float that keeps the canoe from capsizing. For illustration see page 17. =overboard=—Over the side of a ship. =packet=—A small passenger or mail boat. =paddle=—A kind of oar. In use, however, a paddle uses no leverage except what is offered by the hands of the operator. =paddle-wheel=—A large wheel sometimes used by steamboats and on which flat boards are so arranged that when the wheel turns the boards come in contact with the water, thus propelling the boat. =painter=—A rope attached to the bow of an open boat, by which the boat may be tied. =peak=—The upper end of a gaff. Also the uppermost corner of a sail carried by a gaff. =peak halyards=—The halyards or ropes by which the peak is elevated. =pier=—A long narrow structure of wood, steel, or masonry, built from the shore out into the water, and generally used for the transfer of passengers and goods to and from ships. =pilot=—A man qualified and licensed to direct ships in or out of a harbour or channel. He boards the outgoing ship as she sails and is taken off, once the ship is outside the restricted waters that he is licensed to take her through, by a pilot boat. Incoming ships take pilots from the pilot boat as they approach the restricted waters where pilots are needed. =Plimsoll mark=—A mark placed on the sides of ships by Lloyds or some other marine insurance firm, to show how deeply they may be laden. As a cargo comes aboard, a ship sinks in the water, but the insurance is void if the Plimsoll mark is sunk below the water line. =point=—The card of a mariner’s compass is generally divided into thirty-two parts. These are the points of the compass. Nowadays compasses are more and more being divided into degrees, but still the points are generally shown as well. _Reef points_—short ropes hanging in rows across sails to make it possible to tie a part of the sail into a restricted space so as to present less surface to the wind. =poop=—Properly, an extra deck on the after part of a vessel. =port=—The left-hand side of a vessel when one is facing the bow. =port tack=—A sailing vessel is on the port tack when under way with the wind blowing against her port side. =porthole=—An opening in the side of a vessel. The term generally refers to the round windows common on most ships.