Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Offing \Off"ing\, n. [From {Off}.]
   That part of the sea at a good distance from the shore, or
   where there is deep water and no need of a pilot; also,
   distance from the shore; as, the ship had ten miles offing;
   we saw a ship in the offing.

Source : WordNet®

offing
     n 1: the near or foreseeable future; "there was a wedding in the
          offing"
     2: the part of the sea that can be seen from the shore and is
        beyond the anchoring area; "there was a ship in the
        offing"