a rope used to confine the foremost lower corners of the courses and staysails in a fixed position, when the wind crosses the ship's course obliquely. The same name is also given to the rope employed to pull out the lower corner of a studding-fall or driver to the extremity of its boom.

The main-fall and fore-fall of a ship are furnished with a tack on each side, which is formed of a thick rope tapering to the end, and having a knot wrought upon the largest end, by which it is firmly retained in the clue of the fall. By this means one tack is always fastened to windward, at the same time that the sheet extends the fall to the leeward.

Tack, is also applied, by analogy, to that part of any fall to which the tack is usually fastened.

A ship is said to be on the starboard or larboard tack, when she is close-hauled, with the wind upon the starboard or larboard side; and in this sense the distance which the sails in that position is considered as the length of the tack; although this is more frequently called board. See that article.

To TACK, to change the course from one board to another, or turn the ship about from the starboard to the larboard tack, in a contrary wind. Thus a ship being close-hauled on the larboard tack, and turning her prow suddenly to windward, receives the impression of the wind on her head-falls, by which she falls off upon the line of the starboard-tack. Tacking is also used in a more enlarged sense, to imply that manœuvre in navigation by which a ship makes an oblique progression to the windward, in a zig-zag direction. This, however, is more usually called beating, or turning to windward. Tack ward. See Navigation, Sailing, and Naval Tactics, under War.

Scots Law. See Law, No clxvii.