Keel

The godmother wished the ship at the christening, among other things: "May there always be enough water beneath your keel!"

The sailor plumbed the shallow water with a weighted rope, and the ship's keel did not scrape the rocky sea-bed.

All hail the speech. We quit this other home, / and leaving here a handful on the shore, / spread sail and scour with hollow keel the foam.

"O Goddess-born, high auspices are thine, / and heaven's plain omens guide thee o'er the main. / Thus Jove, by lot unfolding his design, / assorts the chances, and the Fates ordain. / This much may I of many things explain, / how best o'er foreign seas to urge thy keel / in safety, and Ausonian ports attain, / the rest from Helenus the Fates conceal, / and Juno's envious power forbids me to reveal."

I am certain they never dreamt that a lovely little mermaid was standing down below, stretching up her white hands toward the keel.

At night, in the moonlight, when all were asleep, except the steersman who stood at the helm, she sat at the side of the ship trying to pierce the clear water with her eyes, and fancied she saw her father's palace, and above it her old grandmother with her silver crown on her head, looking up through the cross currents toward the keel of the ship.

I’m afraid she’ll keel over before she succeeds.

Does a long, shallow keel help?

During the vessel's first 8,000 kilometers, the catamaran moved somewhat sideways, a little bit like a land crab, because it was built without a keel.

Analysts say despite the differences that have dogged their ties and a history of mistrust following a brief border war in 1962, these meetings underline that the two neighbors and strategic rivals are keen for relations to remain on an even keel.