full and bye

Question

From Typee by  Herman Melville&gt; Chapter 1http://melville.thefreelibrary.com/Typee/1-2The old ship herself longs to look out upon the land from her hawse-holes once more, and Jack Lewis said right the other day when the captain found fault with his steering.'Why d'ye see, Captain Vangs,' says bold Jack, 'I'm as good a helmsman as ever put hand to spoke; but none of us can steer the old lady now. We can't keep her full and bye, sir; watch her ever so close, she will fall off and then, sir, when I put the helm down so gently, and try like to coax her to the work, she won't take it kindly, but will fall round off again; and it's all because she knows the land is under the lee, sir, and she won't go any more to windward.' Aye, and why should she, Jack? didn't every one of her stout timbers grow on shore, and hasn't she sensibilities; as well as we?What does '' bye '' mean? M-W's only definition is : the position of a participant in a tournament who advances to the next round without playing???Help, please!![:^)]

YoungCalifornian · Accepted Answer

Based on what I've read, "full and bye" is an old nautical expression meaning that a ship is both sailing close to the wind and has full sails.

Sunray Shower · Answer

Sorry, " bye '' as an adj

1 : being off the main route : SIDE
2 : INCIDENTAL

I still don't what it means there, therefor I still need your professional help.

Sunray Shower · Answer

Got it.

Thanks, Young Californian![Y]

CalifJim · Answer

Sunray ShowerWe can't keep her full and bye

You'll need to research nineteenth century nautical dictionaries for the exact meaning, but the general idea, which I'm just guessing from context, is We can't keep the ship's sails full of wind and the ship moving in the desired direction.
CJ

Anonymous · Answer

Full and bye is a sailing term, generally only applied to old style square rigged ship. It means the sails are set to allow the ship to sail as closely innto the wind as possible, and the helmsman is making such minor corrections as wind puffs, shifts, and hull motion may require to keep the sails full, when they are most efficient.

tigereye

Anonymous · Answer

Sails full and by the wind?

Anonymous · Answer

Full and bye is a nautical expression which in effect means "sailing optimally to windward". As it's an expression, you won't gain any useful insight by trying to analyze the meaning of its constituent words, any more than you with other expressions like "over the hill".

Anonymous · Answer

Sunray ShowerFrom Typee by Herman Melville > Chapter 1http://melville.thefreelibrary.com/Typee/1-2 The old ship herself longs to look out upon the land from her hawse-holes once more, and Jack Lewis said right the other day when the captain found fault with his steering.'Why d'ye see, Captain Vangs,' says bold Jack, 'I'm as good a helmsman as ever put hand to spoke; but none of us can steer the old lady now. We can't keep her full and bye, sir; watch her ever so close, she will fall off and then, sir, when I put the helm down so gently, and try like to coax her to the work, she won't take it kindly, but will fall round off again; and it's all because she knows the land is under the lee, sir, and she won't go any more to windward.' Aye, and why should she, Jack? didn't every one of her stout timbers grow on shore, and hasn't she sensibilities; as well as we?What does '' bye '' mean? M-W's only definition is : the position of a participant in a tournament who advances to the next round without playing???Help, please!![:^)]

Full & Bye : Full = all sails filled and pulling. Bye = running free and well balanced i.e. easy on the helm.

Anonymous · Answer

Bye is an old English spelling of by, over the years a lot of old English words have been changed.

Anonymous · Answer

Full n Bye means, " Sailing by the wind, not by compass or mark"

full and bye

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