fore-course

The sails on the lower yards are the foresail, mainsail and crossjack, or, as they are often called, fore-course, main-course and mizzen-course -- the course being the sail, just as a sheet is a rope and not a piece of canvas.

Golden Days for Boys and Girls, Vol. XIII, Nov. 28, 1891 Various

She was square-rigged on the foremast, carrying fore-topsail and fore-course.

The Submarine Hunters A Story of the Naval Patrol Work in the Great War Edward S. [Illustrator] Hodgson 1917

Lord love your eyes, pal, Cap'n Adam seized him the vantage point by means of a fore-course towing under water, and kept it.

Martin Conisby's Vengeance Jeffery Farnol 1915

It was a brig under fore-course and topsails, and as the girl watched the vessel it sank to the tilted bowsprit, and a big gray and white sea foamed about the bows.

Masters of the Wheat-Lands Harold Bindloss 1905

It was a brig under fore-course and topsails, and as Agatha watched her she sank to her tilted bowsprit, and a big grey and white sea foamed about her bows.

Hawtrey's Deputy Harold Bindloss 1905

"If they will rig me a studding-sail, or an old fore-course for'ard, I will do the rest -- or _try_ to do it," said I. "Will you?" exclaimed Mendouca, in surprise.

The Pirate Slaver A Story of the West African Coast Harry Collingwood 1886

By mid-afternoon the tent -- consisting of the brigantine's fore-course, which I had salved -- was satisfactorily rigged up, a trench dug round it to carry off water in the event of rain, and a sufficiency of rude but efficient furniture stored within it; and, somewhat to my surprise, the pair who were to occupy it expressed themselves as quite satisfied.

The Strange Adventures of Eric Blackburn Harry Collingwood 1886

There was a thin, eddying coil of bluish smoke hurrying from the galley chimney under the high-arching foot of the fore-course and out over the port cat-head; and the watch, having no sail-trimming to attend to, were squatted upon their hams on the fore deck, playing cards.

The Castaways Harry Collingwood 1886

By eleven o'clock all was hushed throughout the ship: lights out, the captain turned in, nothing stirring forward save the flitting shape of the look-out under the yawn of the pale square of fore-course.

The Honour of the Flag 1877

On the 21st "a sea broke over the fore-course and split it;" and that night something more ominous occurred: "that night [the chronicle records] our cat ran crying from one side of the ship to the other, looking overboard, which made us to wonder, but we saw nothing."

Captain John Smith Charles Dudley Warner 1864