When used in a nautical sense, a cutter is:
- a small single-masted vessel, fore-and-aft rigged, with two or more headsails, a bowsprit, and a mast set further back than in a sloop
- a ship's boat, powered by oars, sails or motor, used to carry passengers or light stores
- a small or medium sized armed vessel used by various marine or naval services such as the U.S. Coast Guard. Crabs are decapod Crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (βραχύ / brachy Neuharlingersiel is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany. A fore-and-aft rig is a Sailing rig consisting mainly of Sails that are set along the line of the Keel rather than perpendicular to it A headsail of a Sailing vessel is any Sail set forward of the foremost mast. The bowsprit, or boltsprit, of a Sailing vessel is a pole extending forward from the vessel's prow For the military definition of sloop see Sloop-of-war. For the open learning project see SLOOP Project.
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Sailing
Traditionally the sloop rig was a rig with a single mast located forward of 70% of the length of the sailplan. In this traditional definition a sloop could have multiple jibs on a fixed bowsprit. Cutters had a rig with a single mast more centrally located, which could vary from 50% to 70% of the length of the sailplan, with multiple headsails and a reeving bowsprit. A mast located aft of 50% would be considered a mast aft rig. A mast aft rig is a Sailboat Sail-plan that uses a single Mast set in the aft half of the hull to support a Jib or multiple Staysails
Somewhere in the 1950s or 1960s there was a shift in these definitions such that a sloop only flew one headsail and a cutter had multiple headsails and mast position became irrelevant. In this modern idiom, then, a cutter is a sailing vessel with more than one head sail and one mast. Sailing is the art of controlling a Sailing vessel. By changing the Rigging, Rudder and dagger or centre board a Sailor manages the force A headsail of a Sailing vessel is any Sail set forward of the foremost mast. The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical or near vertical Spar, or arrangement of Spars which supports the Sails Large ships have several masts In a traditional vessel there would normally be also, a bowsprit to carry a jib set flying from the bowsprit end via a traveller (to preserve the ability to reef the bowsprit), while in modern vessels the jib is set from a topmast forestay permanently fixed to the end of a fixed (non-reeving) bowsprit, or directly to the stem fitting of the bow itself. The bowsprit, or boltsprit, of a Sailing vessel is a pole extending forward from the vessel's prow (The sloop carries only one head sail, properly called a foresail though nowadays usually called a jib. For the military definition of sloop see Sloop-of-war. For the open learning project see SLOOP Project. ) Correctly speaking, a jib is set on the topmast forestay.
The term is English in origin and refers to a specific type of vessel, namely, "a small, decked ship with one mast and bowsprit, traditionally with a gaff mainsail, though not invariably so. The foot of the mainsail would normally be laced to a boom and the head to a gaff above which a gaff topsail would be set in suitable conditions. There would also be a foresail and jib and possibly a flying jib set above the jib. "
Rowing
The open cutter carried aboard naval vessels in the 18th Century was rowed by pairs of men sitting side-by-side on benches. The cutter, with its transom, was broader in proportion compared to the longboat, which had finer lines. Not to be confused with Vikings ' Longships In the days of sailing ships a vessel would carry several boats for various uses
The Watermen of London used similar boats in the 18th Century often decorated as depicted in historical prints and pictures of the River Thames in the 17th & 18th Centuries. Watermen are river workers who transfer passengers across and along city centre rivers and estuaries in Britain and its colonies London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. The modern Waterman’s Cutter is based on drawings of these boats. They are 34 feet long with a beam of 4ft 6ins. They can have up to six oarsmen either rowing or sculling and can carry a cox and passengers. The organisers of the Great River Race developed the modern version in the 1980’s and now many of the fleet of 24 compete annually in this "Marathon of the River". The Great River Race is an annual competition held on the River Thames for any traditional-style coxed boat propelled by Oars or Paddles The Watermen’s Cutters also compete annually in the Port of London Challenge, and the Port Admirals’ Challenge. The Port of London lies along the banks of the River Thames from London, England to the North Sea. Cutter races are also to be found at various town rowing and skiffing regattas. Skiffing refers to the sporting and leisure activity of rowing (or more correctly Sculling) a Thames skiff. A regatta is a term used to describe either a Boat race or series of boat races In addition the cutters perform the role of ceremonial Livery Barges with the canopies and armorial flags flying on special occasions. [1]
In the past ten years Cutters have successfully broken the record times for sculling the English Channel (2hrs 42mins) and sculling non-stop from London to Paris (4days 15minutes). Scull redirects here The head bone is spelled " Skull "
Pulling
A pulling cutter was a boat carried by sailing ships for work in fairly sheltered water in which load-carrying capacity was needed, for example in laying a kedge. An anchor is an object often made out of metal that is used to attach a ship to the bottom of a body of water at a specific point This operation was the placing a relatively light anchor at a distance from the ship so as to be able to haul her off in its direction. The oars were double-banked. That is, there were two oarsmen on each thwart. In a seaway, the longboat was preferred to the cutter as the finer lines of the stern of the former meant that it was less likely to broach to in a following sea. In the Royal Navy the cutters were replaced by 25 and 32 foot motor cutters. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) However, the cutters' traditional work had grown beyond the capacity of a boat as ships became larger. Though primarily a pulling boat, this cutter could also be rigged for sailing.
Concerning the use of a kedge, see also:
Customs Services
Historically, a cutter is any seaworthy vessel used in the law enforcement duties of Great Britain's HM Customs and Excise, the United States Department of the Treasury's Revenue Cutter Service or the customs services of other countries. Sources Service History Between 1797 and 1805, the Sirius was engaged in maintaining the blockade of Napoleonic Europe. The United States Department of the Treasury is a Cabinet department and the Treasury of the United States government. The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in 1790 as an armed Maritime law enforcement
In America, customs cutters were commonly schooners or brigs. In Britain, they were usually rigged as defined under Sailing (above). The British Board of Customs also used other vessels as hulks, which were moored in places such as tidal creeks. A hulk is a Ship that is afloat but incapable of going to sea A tidal creek is the portion of a Stream that is affected by ebb and flow of ocean Tides in the case that the subject stream discharges to an ocean sea or strait Customs officers worked from the hulks in smaller boats.
In the UK, Customs currently operate a fleet of 42m Corvette-type vessels throughout UK territorial waters as customs cutters, inspecting vessels for illicit cargoes. A corvette is a small maneuverable lightly armed Warship, originally smaller than a Frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft, although many
United States Coast Guard
- See also: United States Coast Guard Cutter
After a merger in 1915, the U. A United States Coast Guard cutter is any vessel operated by the United States Coast Guard that is over 65 feet in length S. Revenue Cutter Service became the United States Coast Guard.
Today the Coast Guard officially uses the term cutter for any vessel which has a permanently assigned crew and accommodations for the extended support of that crew, although informally this is held to mean any vessel of 65 feet or more in length. [2]
Larger cutters, over 180 feet (55 m) in length, are under control of area commands (Atlantic area or Pacific area). Cutters at or under 180 feet in length come under control of district commands. Cutters usually have a motor surf boat and/or a rigid hull inflatable boat on board. Polar Class icebreakers also carry an Arctic survey boat (ASB) and landing craft.
References
- ^ http://www.traditionalrowing.com/ Thames Traditional Rowing Association
- ^ USCG Regulations. Chapter 10. Accessed November 25, 2007. Events 1034 - Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots dies Donnchad, the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
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