Phrase understanding

[kahlua02]

Could anyone please help me understanding this phrase: "He threw himself up, grabbing at the other side of the ship as it curved away from the stem above him, getting his feet under him".
Many thanks

[bhaisahab]

Could anyone please help me understanding this phrase: "He threw himself up, grabbing at the other side of the ship as it curved away from the stem above him, getting his feet under him".
Many thanks

It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Where is it from?

[5jj]

The stem of a ship is the front , the vertical ( or nearly so ) bit that cuts through the water as the ship moves forward. The sides of the ship curve away as the ship becomes wider towards the middle. (I apologise to nautical colleagues for the landlubber's words there.)

[kahlua02]

It comes from a story set in ancient greece. There's a squall that breaches a ship, causing one of the passengers to loose his feet. The phrase I posted describes how he rise up again. But I'm at a total loss with the underlined part of the phrase!
Any suggestions?
Thank you very much for your quick answer

[kahlua02]

The stem of a ship is the front , the vertical ( or nearly so ) bit that cuts through the water as the ship moves forward. The sides of the ship curve away as the ship becomes wider towards the middle. (I apologise to nautical colleagues for the landlubber's words there.)

So that means the man is grabbing the side where it becomes larger? Doesn't "as it" means something like "when".
Thank you very much and forgive me for my bad english