Talk:taffrail

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taffrail

Third sense. Hekaheka 13:44, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

I agree; I've found no support for use of 'taffrail' to indicate the aft, uppermost deck. However, I also find no evidence supporting the first, restrictive, sense, in my nautical dictionaries:

• Taffrail, or taffarel. The upper part of a ship's stern, a curved railing, the ends of which unite to the quarter-pieces. (1867, The Sailor's Word Book, Admiral W.H. Smyth)
• Taffrail, or taffarel. The rail round a ship's stern. (1879, The Seaman's Friend, Richard Henry Dana, jr.)
• Taffrail. The rail across or round the stern. (1965, Cruising Under Sail, Eric C. Hiscock)

- Amgine/^talk 22:48, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

I'm sure I've seen this used (in the Aubrey novels) as the area near the taffrail. The OED has the quote "1823 SCORESBY Jrnl. Whale Fish. 39, I stood on the taffrail as the ship was turned before the wind." SemperBlotto 08:45, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

<nod> That may be the case. The taffrail could be a substantial piece of wood, often a moulded 12x12 in teak. (A nautical "rail" is not traditionally a "railing", but a structural member tying vertical members together.) Technically one would be standing on the cap, which would be wider than the taffrail, although I don't actually know what the construction of a dutch east indiaman would be. "Standing on the taffrail" was a poetic use, indicating the narrator or observed is focused on the point of departure, looking back, etc. - Amgine/^talk 15:14, 21 January 2008 (UTC)