Sailors boasted (4)
I believe the answer is:
crew
This clue is a double definition.
'sailors' is the first definition.
(I've seen this before)
'boasted' is the second definition.
('crew' is past tense of 'crow', meaning to boast)
(Other definitions for crew that I've seen before include "Provided a wake-up call" , "Company working together" , "Ship's operators" , "Ship's sailors" , "Ship or aircraft staff" .)