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 ...

Chase.

When a man of Warre, doth follow any ship out of his course: or else when any other ship doth alter her course, so as to use all the meanes they can to fetch up and speake with the other ship; we call that chaseing: And the ship so followed, we call the chase: (as meaning by her,) we say, the chase stands thus, or the chase hath taken in her top-sailes, or the chase is strooke a hull, &c. There is great expe∣rience and judgement to be used in chaseing; For though two men be equally Mariners, and know how to saile and direct his ship, yet if one be a practique man of war, and the other not, the man of war will doe much better: The pretence in any chasing, is to make the shortest way of it that they can; which is by judging of the chases course so to shape yours, that you may meet in the neerest angles: There is no certaine rule for chasing; for we must many times be ruled by the condition of our ship: As if the chase clap close by a wind (it being a head-sea) and the man of wars ship, be a short ship, that beates much into the sea, and a lee-ward-ship, then if he clap close by a-wind, his ship will make no way, and therefore he must give a little more large, though he chase

under the lee of the other: In chasing, we alwayes connet to get to wind-ward, in respect that it is advantage in fight: And for that we cannot boord a ship, being too lee-ward, but sometimes (as if it be towards night) to keep sight of the ship, or the like, we must be con∣tent to come under his lee, and get as neere as we can: The sterne chase, that is, when we follow her right a-sterne, and she and we goe right upon one point of the Compasse: To lee with her fore-foot, is the neerest and shortest, that is (as you would say) to lie just a crosse her way, so that both keeping on their courses, they shall meet all at a cer∣taine point. Chase peeces, are those, which lie right forward one, when we say that a ship hath a good chase, indefinitely, it is meant of her chase for-ward, and that is, when she is so contrived, that she can carry many Peeces, to shoote right forward, for to the other, I use to adde the word sterne-case; The peeces of Ordnance, which lie right fore∣ward-on, are called chase-Peeces.