The sea-mans dictionary, or, An exposition and demonstration of all the parts and things belonging to a shippe together with an explanation of all the termes and phrases used in the practique of navigation / composed by Henry Manwaring ...

The Run.

Is that part of the ships hull under-water, which comes thinner, and lancker away by degrees from the floare-timber all along to the sterne-post: That is also called the ships way aft-ward-on, (for as she hath either, a good or bad Run, so the water doth passe away swiftly, or slowly alongst her, and the ship doth make more way) we say, a ship hath a good Run, when it is long, and comes off handsomely by degrees, and that her tack, doe not lie too low, which will hinder the water from comming strongly and swiftly to the Rudder,: And a bad Run, whenas it is short, and that the ship is too full below, so that the water comes slowly and weakely to the Rudder, the force of it be∣ing broken off by the bredth of the ship a-lowe, which will make as it were, an Eddy-water at the Rudder, and that we call a dead water: The Run is of much importance for the ships saileing; for if the water

come not swiftly to the Rudder, she will never steere well; and it is a ge∣nerall observation, that that ship which doth not steere well, cannot saile well, and then she cannot keep a good wind: for if a ship have not a fresh way through the sea, she must needs fall to Lee-ward with the sea, and therefore when ships will not steere well, they lengthen them aftward-on, or put to a false sterne-post: Merchant-men doe not give so much Run, as a man of War may doe, because the narrowing-in of the ships below, doth loose much stowage.