foresheet

[ fawr-sheet, fohr- ]

/ ˈfɔrˌʃit, ˈfoʊr- /

the sheet of a headsail.

foresheets, (used with a plural verb) the space, in an open boat, in front of the foremost rower's seat.

Also called headsheet.

Origin of foresheet

First recorded in 1660–70; fore- + sheet²

Suddenly there was a lift in the rain, and between them and the land they saw another flare, 'Down with the foresheet!

Heroes of the Goodwin Sands |Thomas Stanley Treanor
"Fill the topsail, and haul aft the foresheet," were the quiet orders that proclaimed what he intended to do.

The Sea Lions |James Fenimore Cooper
“Haul down the tack, Jack, and get a pull of the foresheet,” he sang out.

Peter Trawl |W. H. G. Kingston
As a precautionary movement, to keep the mast from being jerked out, the foresheet was secured.

Petals Plucked from Sunny Climes |Sylvia Sunshine

We reefed the foresail and set him, we hauled aft the foresheet: the helm was hard-a-weather.

Gulliver's Travels |Jonathan Swift

foresheet

/ (ˈfɔːˌʃiːt) /

the sheet of a foresail

(plural) the part forward of the foremost thwart of a boat