| ABSINTHE | Matelots in the drink (8) |
| SEAFARER | A seasoned word for a mariner or matelot, living a life on the salty main (8) |
| SAILOR | A "canvas-climber" in the works of the Bard, but a mariner, matelot, salty sea dog or shipmate elsewhere (6) |
| AURIC | Georges, French composer of the 1925 ballet Les Matelots (5) |
| SAILORS | Matelots close to feckless so 12, one gathered (7) |
| TOLET | Some matelots turned up for hire |
| MATE | The matelot's senior officer? (4) |
| RUEDU | Street in Quebec City, ___ ___ Saultau-Matelot |
| PORT | A fortified wine left for the matelot (4) |
| CREW | From "grow, increase", a band, force, gang, group, team or essentially "grown-together" unit/piece, whether armed soldiers, astronauts, boaters, break-dancers, friends, matelots or police (4) |
| MER | Matelot's milieu |
| ALTO | In part of Le Pauvre Matelot Lanza turned counter-tenor (4) |
| LOTI | Pierre -; pen name of the French novelist who wrote Pecheur d'Islande and Matelot (4) |
| SEAMAN | Roughly means to restrain a matelot (6) |
| LOT | Matelot losing friend but finding destiny |
| ASSAULT | A matelot, reportedly offensive |
| OLDTESTAMENT | Drunken matelot tends to read a good book |
| ABALONE | Matelot with no mates finding mollusc |
| RATING | Sailor: a matelot ultimately saved by lifebelt say? (6) |
| TAR | Matelot |
