| NAVAL HOODS or HAWSE BOLSTERS | Plank above and below the hawse-holes. |
| NEAP TIDES | Low tides, coming at the middle of the moon's second and fourth quarters. (See SPRING TIDES.) |
| NEAPED or BENEAPED | The situation of a vessel when she is aground at the height of the spring tides. |
| NEAR | Close to wind. "Near!" the order to the helmsman when he is too near the wind. |
| NETTING | Network of rope or small lines. Used for stowing away sails or hammocks. |
| NETTLES | (See KNITTLES.) |
| NINEPIN BLOCK | A block in the form of a ninepin, used for a fair-leader in the rail. |
| NIP | A short turn in a rope. |
| NIPPERS | A number of yarns marled together, used to secure a cable to the messenger. |
| NOCK | The forward upper end of a sail that sets with a boom. |
| NUN-BUOY | A buoy tapering at each end. |
| NUT | Projections on each side of the shank of an anchor, to secure the stock to its place. |
Duncan Linklater © 2025