Sentence:  The night was considerably clearer than anybody on board her desired when the schooner "Ventura" headed for the land. It rose in places, black and sharp against the velvety indigo, over her dipping bow, though most of the low <WSD>littoral</WSD> was wrapped in obscurity. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The zone of a coast between high tide and low tide levels.