Fothering refers in nautical contexts to covering a leak in a ship with a sail containing rope fibres to prevent it from sinking after being damaged. This was the technique used to help to refloat HMS ''Endeavour'' after she went aground on the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

on 11 June 1770. Later, and more efficiently, a sail closely thrummed with yarns was used.''The

Oxford Companion ''Oxford Companions'' is a book series published by Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates ...

to Ships and the Sea'', edited by Peter Kemp

References

{{reflist Nautical terminology