I forgot a sailing term... help, please!

[Elena]

What's the guy called that sits in the crow's nest/ fighting top and looks out, shouting they are seeing the land/ another ship?

[D B Couper]

If he can see the other ship first, he is a Lookout. If the other ship can see him first, he is a Target.

[Elena]

Thank you very much So, lookout is the word... (Sometimes it is frustrating to write in a foreign language!)

Edited November 3, 2012 by Elena

[Mission]

The term Crow's Nest didn't actually appear until the early 19th century, so that's the wrong term for the GAoP if you're going for accuracy. (Someone once told me it's proper name for our time period, but - going along with the title of this thread - I have long since forgotten it.)

Edit - ya' gotta love Google. They're called top castles, preceeded by the name of the mast they're on. So if it's atop the Main Mast, it's the Main Top Castle. If the Mizzen Mast, the MIzzen Top Castle. This actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

[Elena]

I know fighting top is more accurate, this was why I put that term too. But if you say Top Castle... I hadn;t heard about this until now. Time to learn something new! <3

And I was looking for LOOKOUT - glad that somebody told me.

Edited November 4, 2012 by Elena

[Silver]

john smith 1691 seaman's grammer uses fore or main top and if it is a without platform it is a cross trees.

[Elena]

Thank you very much.