Last updated: August 13, 2019

Horsed

A ship is said to be horsed when, in the absence of wind, she can still make good progress by taking advantage of the current (oceanic or tidal). By extension, the horse latitudes describe the band of subtropical high pressures, between 30 and 35 degrees north and south, where becalmed sailing ships were prone to be horsed about by oceanic currents.

First used: xviith century.

Featured image: Horse anatomy (1820), print from engraved copper plate