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		Sailing Terms you might want to know about! \| A \| B \| C \| D \| E \| F \| G \| H \| I \| J \| K \| L \| M \| N \| O \| \| P \| Q \| R \| S \| T \| U \| V \| W \| X \| Y \| Z \| A abaft the beam Behind a perpendicular line extending out from the middle of the boat abeam Off the beam or on the side of the boat aft Towards the stern of the boat; to move aft is to move back ahi yellowfin, ahi; a type of tuna Aladdin cleat a cleat that attaches to the backstay over the cockpit, usually used for hanging a lantern anchorage a place for anchoring astern in the direction of, or behind, the stern B backstay a wire mast support leading aft to the deck or another mast backwinded when the wind hits the leeward side of the sails bar a shoal batten a short piece of wood or plastic inserted in a sail to keep it taut beam the greatest width of the boat, usually in the middle bearing direction according to compass berth sleeping bunk aboard the boat bight a bend in the shoreline binnacle compass stand bitter end the final inboard end of chain or line block pulley bluewater sailing open ocean sailing, as opposed to being in a lake or sound bone in her teeth sailing well underway such that spray is thrown out at the stem of the boat boot stripe a different color strip of paint at the waterline bow forward end of a boat bright work varnished woodwork or polished metal broach a turning or swinging of the boat that puts the beam of the boat against the waves, creating a danger of swamping or capsizing bulkhead a partition below decks that separates one part of the vessel from another bulwarks rail around the deck buoy floating marker used for navigation C cabin sole the bottom surface of the enclosed space under the deck of a boat canvas slang for sail. Originally sails were made of canvas. catamaran twin hulled boat celestial navigation to calculate your position using time, the position of celestial bodies, and mathematical tables chafe gear gear used to prevent damage by rubbing chocks a heavy metal fitting fixed to the deck of a ship through which a line for mooring, towing, or anchor rode is passed ciguatera a severe type of food poisoning caused by eating contaminated fish cleat a two-horned fitting for securing a line clear the decks remove unnecessary things from the decks clew the lower aft corner of the fore and aft sails close hauled sails and boom pulled in tight, enabling the boat to point as high as possible to the direction the wind is coming from clove hitch two half hitches coaming the raised border around the cockpit, or a hatch to keep out water companionway staircase that leads to the cabin course compass heading or the angle of the boat in sailing against the wind crabbing going sideways due to set (also catching crabs!) D D signal safety signal, "Keep clear of me. I am maneuvering with difficulty." deadhead a floating log deck plate a metal plate fitting on the deck that can be opened to take on fuel or water DR dead reckoning, deduced reckoning; your position based on speed, direction, and time dorado a dolphinfish (misnomer), same as mahi mahi double ender boat with a pointed bow and stern dinghy a small open boat, usually carried aboard a yacht for going ashore draft water depth required to float the boat E ebb tide passing from high to low, with the current going out to sea El Niño a warm inshore current annually flowing south along the coast of Ecuador. About every seven to ten years it extends down the coast of Peru , where it has a devastating effect. F fall off to pay off to leeward or away from the wind fathom nautical measurement equivalent to a depth of six feet fiddle strip around a table to prevent items from falling off when the boat is at a heel fishhook slang sailing expression for a piece of metal or shroud that cuts or stabs you, the injury usually not discovered until later fix the determined boat's position fluke the digging end of the anchor; also wind irregularity flood incoming tidal current flotsam floating items of a ship or its cargo at sea, floating debris fo'c'sle separate crew quarters before the mast Force 8 gale force wind on the Beaufort Wind Scale foredeck the forward part of a boat's main deck foresail forward sail fouled caught or twisted up futzing meddling or fooling around G Genoa also known as genny, usually the biggest jib on the boat GMT Greenwich Meridian Time, also known as Universal Time GPS global positioning system; uses satellites in fixed orbits going to weather to sail against the prevailing wind and seas gooseneck fitting that secures the boom to the mast Great Circle a course plotted on the surface of the globe that is the shortest distance between two points ground tackle anchor and anchor gear gunnels also gunwhale; the boat railing H halyard also halliard; the cordage used to haul the head of a sail up the mast hanks metal hooks used to secure a sail to a stay; to hank on a sail is to hook it on a stay using the hanks hard over turning the wheel as far as possible harden up to steer closer to the wind, usually by pulling in on the sheets hatch opening on deck with a cover haul around -- change from a run to a reach head currently the bathroom aboard a boat head (of a sail) upper corner of a sail headsail a sail forward of the mast heave to to stop forward movement by bringing the vessel's bow into the wind and keeping it there heaves upward displacing swells heel the lean of a sailboat when sailing; the extent of the tilt of the boat helm the wheel hike out climb to windward hook anchor hove to See heave to hull speed the fastest a sailboat will go, usually dependent on length of the hull at the waterline inverter -- electrical power converter; converts square-wave DC current to sine-wave AC current I iron spinnaker auxiliary engine J jack line a line run for safety purposes from the cockpit forward to the bow of the boat, inside the rail. Clipping on to the jack line with the lanyard of our safety harnesses we were able to minimize being lost overboard when going forward to crew in severe conditions Jack-Tar a sailor from the clipper ship days, so named because they would tar their hair to prevent infection and make it easy to cut jetsam debris, jettisoned items, floating at sea jib a foresail. On a cutter this is the forward most sail, as opposed to staysail located between the jib and the main jibe also gybe; to turn the boat downwind from one side of the wind to the other jig fishing technique of lowering a weighted lure until just above the bottom, then alternately jerking the rod upwards and lowering it to give action to the lure K kapu also tapu (Tahitian); to be taboo. In Polynesian society, in addition to forbidden locations there were also various culture taboos ketch two masted sailboat that has an after mast forward of the rudder knot a nautical mile (equivalent to 1.15 miles or 1.852km). Also, any of various tangles of line formed by methodically passing the free end through loops and drawing it tight L landfall first sight of land lanyard a short rope or cord that attaches to an item onboard a boat , usually for keeping it attached to the boat latitude an angular measurement or distance measured in degrees, north or south from the equator which is 0 . lazaret a storage space below the deck in the cockpit lee the side away from the direction of the wind, also used in context to refer to a sheltered place out of the wind, as in the lee of the island lee cloths a cloth hung on the lee side of a berth (the down side when the boat has heel to it) to keep one from rolling out of their bunk lee shore a shore that wind blows onto; it is best to stay well off a lee shore in a storm leeward downwind Lin Pardie contemporary sailor and author (70s and 80s) recognized for her accomplishments lifeline stout line around the deck of the boat to keep crew from falling overboard list inclination of a boat due to excess weight on one side or the other longitude distance in degrees east or west of Greenwich, England, meridian which is 0 . M mahi mahi a powerful fish with a large head, found in tropical and subtropical waters mainsail the main sail of the sail boat set off the mast and main boom marlinespike a pointed metal tool for separating the strands of a rope in splicing meat hook slang expression for a large fishing hook midships the middle of the boat mooring a float providing a tie off for a boat, usually set to a permanent anchor Mother Carey's Chickens storm petrels motor-sailing sailing with the motor on and in gear motu -- moku (Hawaiian) small island usually at the reef O offing seaward, a safe distance from shore old salt a very experienced and/or old sailor onboard on the boat orcas killer whales P P flag signal flag known as the "Blue Peter" [blue square in a white the vessel is about to proceed to sea." pahua giant clam found in tropical waters pareau (traditional Polynesian one-piece wrap) also lava lava [Samoan and Hawaiian]; part fray or break pay out to slacken on a line pedestal columnar support for the wheel in the cockpit phosphorescence luminescence plumeria a fragrant blossoming tree found in the tropics and subtropics pooped having a wave wash over the stern of the boat port the left side of the boat; also a harbor pull in rowing, to row an oar, putting your back into it put in to enter a port or harbor pitch plunging of a vessel fore and aft Polaris the North Star, the star that is located over the north pole and is the center of revolution for the Earth pulpit platform over the sprit of the boat enclosed in a metal framework preventer line and tackle which limits the movement of the boom, usually for the purpose of preventing accidents quarter the side of a boat aft of beam and forward of the stern Q Q flag all yellow signal flag meaning "My vessel is healthy and I request free pratique." quay wharf used to discharge cargo R rail top of the bulwarks on the edge of the deck reaching sailing a course that is neither close hauled or downwind reef to shorten sail, usually by partially lowering it and tying it off with reefing lines rigging standing rigging refers to shrouds and stays, while running rigging refers to halyards and sheets that control the sails rode the line or chain attached to the anchor roller a wave rolling heap slang expression meaning ocean rudder hinged plate hinged to the stern of the vessel used to steer t the boat by turning the wheel running going with the wind, downwind sailing (to run downwind) running backs running backstays; temporary backstays used to stabilize the mast and prevent undue flexing in the pumping action of the sea over an extended voyage. Usually attached by tangs to the mast opposite to where the staysail stay is attached. rip current as in tide rip; water disturbance created by conflicting current and wind S safety harness a harness, usually made of webbing, worn over the shoulders and around the chest equipped with a lanyard for preventing being swept overboard in severe conditions sampan -- a small boat with a narrow design, originally found in Japan and China samson post also sampson post salon also saloon; main social cabin of a boat SAT NAV satellite navigation unit; uses satellites in moving orbits scope the length or extent of anchor rode scopolamine a drug prescribed for motion sickness sculling oar a large oar used for propelling a boat by moving from side to side; also used for an emergency rudder scuppers overboard drain holes on deck seized bound together self-tending tacks itself set the direction of the tide or current, the leeway course of the boat shackle a metal link which can be open and closed for joining chain to anchor, etc. sheet the lines leading from the clew of a sail with which you pull in or let it out ship in seas take in seas shroud a wire used to stay or hold a mast in position to which the sails may also be hanked single sideband a radio frequency used by boats equipped with shortwave radio skipjack bonito, aku; a type of tuna slats battens slatting flapping snubber a spring line tied from the boat to chain rode, usually near the water's surface. It helps disperse tension forces. It also prevents damage to the boat by ground tackle and can help in the retrieval of the ground tackle in heavy weather. (to reduce the snap of the rode when it stretched out) soggering being lazy and unassuming of responsibility sou'wester a wind coming from the southwest sounding diving spreaders small spars between the mast and shrouds spring line a line tied between two opposing forces that has a neutralizing effect on the force vectors, such as those creating by surge. At the dock with a bow line and stern line tied off, a spring line is often added to limit the working movements of a floating vessel even more. sprit a spar that extends the bow of the boat starboard right; on the right side of the boat staysail On a cutter this is the sail located between the jib and the main sail stern the rear of the boat stow to store onboard stores provisions stored onboard studding out a sail extending a sail using a whisker pole sump pump small pump for shower drainage surge rising and falling of the sea, usually due to wave action T tack change the sail course by bringing its bow across the wind, moving the boom to the other side of the boat when beating tack (of a sail) forward lower corner of a sail taffrail log Walker log; a propeller drawn through the water that operates an odometer on the boat registering the distance sailed tang a fitting on the mast for securing rigging tender dinghy the hard land tonnage the weight, in tons, of a boat. topping lift a line or wire for lifting the boom that runs from the top of the mast torch old sailing term for lantern that throws out a beam of light. Now it also can refer to a flashlight. trailing dragging, as in "dragging a line" trimaran a boat with three hulls U underway moving under power of sail or motor V victuals food vittles victuals v-berth usually the forward berth of the boat, located in the bow VHF very high frequency radio W watch working shift warp move a boat by hauling on lines attached to docks or anchors whip rope rove whisker pole a spar used to hold out the clew of the jib when running winch mechanical device for hauling in a line windlass winch for hauling in the anchor chain or line wind rose a diagram usually shown on pilot charts that indicates the frequency and intensity of wind from different directions for a particular place windward upwind wing on wing running before the wind with sails on opposite sides such as the main on one side of the boat and the genny on the other Y yar fit and beautiful (boat) yaw, yawing to turn from side to side in an uneven course Z zincs zinc plates attached to the hull to minimize electrolysis (and ultimate failure) of the metal in the rudder and other areas