A
Aback - a boat is taken aback when the wind hits what was the leeward side. It may stop and drift backwards
Abaft - to move aft of the present position
Abeam - at right angles to a boat
About - to go about, or tack/turn
Adrift - when a boat is unfastened, floating in the water
Aft - the rear of a boat
Aground - when the hull of a boat hits the bottom
Ahull - when a boat us without sail or engine power
Alee - towards the leeward or shelterd side. A call made when tacking a boat
All hands - all the crew on board
Aloft - up above, in the rigging or sails
Amidships - the center of a boat and drifts beam onto the wind - used to see out a storm
Anchor - a metal hook that holds a boat to the sea bed
Anchor Warp - a rope used to hold an anchor
Anemometer - a device to measure wind speed
Anti-Cyclone - a high weather system, slow moving
Apparent Wind - the direction and speed of the wind as experienced from the boat
Aspect Ratio - an expression of the ratio between the length of the luff and the foot of a sail
B
Backing a sail - to hold a sail windward to catch the wind so that the dinghy slows or is made to tack
Backing - an anticlockwise shift in wind direction
Backstay - a wire fixed to the mast running to the stern
Backwind - one sail backwinds another when the airflow of the former goes onto the leeside of the latter
Bail - to remove water using a scoop
Balance - When a boat is in perfect balance there is no pull on the tiller
Ballast - additional weight to help balance a boat
Barber Hauler - the sheet used to move a jib in or outboard
Bare Poles - sitting out a storm with all sails away
Batten - a strip of fibre glass or wood used to hold a sail in shape
Batten Pockets - a pocket in a sail to place battens
Beam - the width of a boat
Beam Reach - sailing with the straight to one side
Bear Away - to sail away from the wind
Bearing - a horizontal angle measured from a compass
Beat / Beating - sailing as close to the wind
Beaufort Scale - a scale measurement of the wind from 1-10
Belay - to make fast, secure or stop doing something
Bend - to attach two ropes by means of a know
Bend on - to attach a sail to a spar
Bermudan Rig - a style of rig which includes a mainsail and jib
Bight - a loop of rope
Bilge - the bottom part of a boat where water may collect
Bitter end - the last few inches of a rope or chain
Blade - the part of the rudder that projects into the water
Blanketing - blocking the wind from getting to another boats sail. The leeward boat is said to have been blanketed
Block - the housing of a pulley
Boat hook - a pole with a hook on the end designed to pick up on moorings
Bolt Rope - a thick rope attached to the front edge of the mainsail that slides up the mast
Boom - a pole attached to the foot of the mainsail
Boomcrutch - a support for the boom to rest upon when a sail is lowered
Bow - the front of the boat
Bowline - a knot which makes a loop that will not slip
Bowsprit - a pole projecting from the front of a boat
Broach - a point when a boat sailing down wind loses control and spins broadside onto the wind
Bouyancy Jacket - a life saving device aimed at giving a sailor extra bouyancy. Should not be confused with a life jacket that gives complete bouyancy
Burgee - an indicator at the top of a mast showing wind direction
By The Lee - sailing down wind with the wind coming from the leeward side
C
Cable - a measurement of distance, 10 cables = 1 NM
Camber - amount of belly in a sail
Cam cleat - a cleat that holds a rope between two rotating sets of toothed cams
Capsize - when a boat finds itself on its side and requires righting
Carvel - a method of wooden boat construction where the planks meet flush with each other
Cast off - to let go of the securing ropes
Catamaran - a boat with two hulls
Catboat rig - a rig with a single unstayed mast and no jib
Catspaw - ruffling of the waters surface by the wind
Centre Board - a fin under the boat that can be extended or retracted used to prevent the boat from being pushed sideways with the wind
Centre of Effort - an imaginary point on the sail where the wind is concentrated
Centre of Gravity - an imaginary point on the boat where the weight is centered
Center of Lateral Resistance - an imaginary point where the boat will rotate about its centre board
Chandlery - store selling sailing equipment
Chine - a line on the boat where the bottom and sides meet
Chute - either the spinnaker itself or a long sock in which the spinnaker is stored
Clam cleat - a cleat with grooves on the inner faces to grip a rope
Cleat - a fitting on which to attach ropes
Clew - a hole at the bottom rear of the sail to which the boom and sheets are attached to
Clinker - a method of boat construction where planks of wood are laid over on another
Clipper - a fast sailing ship of the 19th century
Close Hauled - sailing close to the wind
Close Reach - sailing with the wind blowing across the boat from the bow
Clove hitch - a knot used to fasten a rope around a spar
Coaming - the ridge around a cockpit
Cockpit - where the crew sits
Come about - see about
Committee boat - a boat from which sailing races are started
Compass - a device for indicating direction
Cover tacking - a tactic in racing to copy the movement of an opponent's stern so as to keep between the opponent and a mark or wind
Cringle - a metal eye in the sail
Cross trees - a spar on the mast perpendicular to the mast
Cunningham - a control used to alter the tension in the luff of the mainsail
D
Daggerboard - another term for a center board
Deck - surface of a boat
Dinghy - small sailing boat without a fixed keel
Displacement - sailing through the water
Dolly - a trolley to move and launch boats
Downhaul - control used to alter the luff of a sail
Downwind - a)sailing with the wind astern; b) to the leeward of a boat or object
Draft - depth of a curve in a sail
Draught - the depth of a boat beneath the water
Draw - a sail that draws well is well trimmed or filled.
E
Ebb - when the tide is receeding
Eye of the wind - where the wind is coming from
F
Fairlead - a piece of hardware that leads a rope in suitable for pulling
Fathom - a measurement of depth (1 fathom = 6ft (183cm)
Fend off - to prevent another boat from making contact
Fender - a plastic device used to protect the hull of a boat
Fetch - sailing a course upwind. The length of a fetch is the distance the wind blows over uninterrupted. To fetch a mark is to reach it without further tacking
Figure eight - a knot used at the end of a sheet as a stopper
Fine reach - a point of sailing between a beam reach and a beat
Flat - setting a sail with little curve as possible
Flood an incomming tide
Fluke - the protruding arm of an anchor which digs into the sea bed
Foot - the bottom of a sail
Footstraps - a strap attached to the cockpit of the dinghy to put feet under when hiking
Foredeck - front of a dinghy
Foresail - any sail in front of the mainsail
Forestay - a wire at the front of a boat that holds the mast up
Forward - towards the front of the boat
Free - the point at which the wind direction changes towards the back of the boat allowing the bow to point higher
Freeboard - the side of a boat that between the water and deck
Full - setting up a sail with a lot of belly for sailing in lighter winds
Furl - to roll a sail in
G
Gaskets - small ropes used to secure a sail that has been furled
Gelcoat - a protective layer of resin on fibreglass
Gennaker - large front sail used when sailing off the wind
Genoa - a big sail at the front of a boat which overlaps the shrouds on either side of the boat
Gimbals - a device used to allow a table to remain level when a boat heels
Go about - to turn (or tack around)
Gooseneck - a hinge connected to the foot of the mast
Goosewinged - sailing down wind with the mainsail and foresail out over opposite sides of the boat
Granny knot - an incorrectly tied reef knot
Grommet - an eyelet in a sail
Ground tackle - a collective name for all mooring equipment
Gudgeon - ring part of a rudder fitting into which pintle fits
Gulwale - the outermost edge of a dinghy
Guy - a sheet (rope) attached to the tack of a spinnaker
Gybe - to go about with the wind behind the boat
H
Half hitch - a type of knot formed by crossing a rope over a pole then pulling back through the loop
Halyard - a rope used to hoist the mainsail
Halyard rack - a rack with toothed arrangement which allows the halyard to be tensioned, thus controlling the luff of a sail
Hanks - a fitting attached to the jib to hold it to the forestay
Harden up - see head up
Head - the top corner of a sail
Heading - direction you are sailing
Head to wind - when the bow of a dinghy is pointing directly into the wind. Boat is said to be 'at irons'
Head up - steering towards the wind
Header - a change in the wind direction towards the forward of the boat
Head sail - any sail in front of the leading mast
Headway - forward progress through the water
Heave-to - to stop a boat so it only moves sideways
Heel - when a dinghy leans sidewards with the wind
Helm - the person steering a boat
Hike (Hiking) - leaning out over the side of a dinghy to balance it
Hiking stick - a tiller extension
Hounds - points at where rigging attaches to the mast
Hull - the floating part of the dinghy
I
Inboard - towards the centre of a boat
Inshore - sailing close to the shore
Inshore wind - a wind that is blowing onto the shore
Irons - when a boat is 'head to wind'
J
Jam cleat - see cam cleat
Jib - a small sail at the front of the boat
Jib sheets - two ropes used to control which side the jib is deployed
Jib snaps - devices used to attach jib to forestay
Jumper struts - small struts used to stop the mast bending backwards
Jury rig - a botched up rig to allow you to continue sailing after the mast or part of it had broken
K
Keel - a fin at the bottom of a boat which is weighted
Ketch - a type of rig where the aft sail is smaller than the mainsail
Kicking strap - a control line (sometimes more than one) connected between the mast and underside of the boom. Used to control the twist in the mainsail and position of the boom
Knots - nautical measurement of speed (nautical miles per hour)
L
Lacing - to tie sails ontp the spars
Laid rope - a rope that has been made by twisting a number of strands together
Land breeze - a wind that blows from the land out to sea
Lash - to make secure
Lay - to sail to a mark without needing to change course or lose speed
Lay up - to rest a boat ashore
Layline - a course to the next mark with out tacking
Lee - the side to which the wind is blowing onto
Lee-helm - when the rudder wants to make the boat bear away
Lee-shore - a shore line onto which the wind is blowing
Leech - the back edge of a sail
Leeward - the side of the boat the wind is blowing away from. Also known as the leeside
Leeway - when the dingy drifts sideways
Lee-oh - a call made by the helm to notify the crew when tacking
Lift - when the wind hits the leeward side of the sail and lifts the front par towards the helm
LOA (length overall - the entire length of a boat including all protruding fittings
Loose footed - a type of rig where the foot of the sail is unattached to the boom
Luff - the front edge of a sail
Luffing match - a racing tactic where a leeward boat attempts to prevent a windward boat from overtaking by luffing her, forcing the opponent to go head to wind
M
Mainmast - the principle mast
Mainsail - the largest sail of a dinghy
Mainsheet - a rope used to control the mainsail
Make fast - to secure
Mark - a bouy set out for racing
Marlinspike - a spiked device used for splicing and undoing difficult knots
Mast abeam - a racing term called by the helm of a windward boad during a luffing match to curtail the luff of a leeward boat when windward boat is abeam of the leeward boat's mast.
Masthead rig - a rig with the headsail luff extending all the way to the top of a mast
Mast heel - a metal housing which holds the base of the mast in position
Mast step - a position in the hull to which the mast locates
Monohull - a boat with a single hull
Multihull - a boat with more than one hull (a catamaran for instance)
N
Nauticle mile - a nauticle measurement of distance. 1nm = 1.852km
Neap tide - a time at which the tidal range is at its smallest
No-go zone - a point of sailing at which the boat will no longer make progress
O
Offshore - when sailing away from the shoreline
Offshore wind - when the wind is blowing away from the shoreline
Offwind - to sail away from the wind
Onshore wind - as inshore wind
Ooching - an illegal manover where crew members lunge forward to make forward progress
Outhaul - used to control the tension at the foot of the mainsail
Overstand - to stay to long on one tack when racing to a mark
P
Painter - a rope at the front of the boat
Pennant - a small triangular flag
Pinch - to point a boat so high into the wind that the sails lose power
Pintle - a pin on the leading edge of a rudder that slots into the gudgeon
Pitch - when the front and rear of the boat bounce around. Tends to happen when sailing windward in short waves
Pitchpole - when a boat is thrown end over end by a big wave
Plane - a boat is said to be on the plane when it skims across the surface of the water on its bow wave.
Plug - also known as a bunge, used to plug a hole in the bottom of the hull for draining
Point - heading as close to the wind as possible
Points of sailing - positions relative to the wind at which a sailing boat can make progress
Port - on the left
Port tack - the the port of the boat is on the windward side of the boat
Preventer - a control line from the boom to the toerail used to prevent unexpected gybes
Pumping - frequent rapid flapping of a sail in an attempt to make forward progress. An illegal move whilst racing
Purchase - an arrangement of ropes and pulleys to give mechanical advantage
R
Race - a strong tidal flow
Radial sail - a sail made with panels a odd angles
Rake - to move the tip of the mast forward or backwards
Reach - sailing with the wind across the boat, also known as reaching
Ready about - a call made by the helm to notify the crew of a change of direction
Reef - to reduce the size of a sail
Riding turn - a turn of a rope around a winch on top of a turn below. Likely to jam
Rig - a term to describe all of the components that make up the sail, mast etc.
Roach - the curved area of a sail between the clew and and head
Roll tack - a method of coming about quickly where the crew roll a boat across onto a new tack
Rubbing strip - long thin piece of rubber or wood running the length of the gunwale to protect the boat
Rudder - a vertical fin in the water at the aft of a boat used to control direction
Running - sailing with the wind behind the dinghy
Running rigging - rigging that can move such as halyards
S
Sailing by the luff - using the fluttering luff of the sail to indicate that you are sailing to close to the wind
Sailing to leeward - sailing away from the wind as in running
Sailing to windward - sailing toward the wind as in beating
Scull - to use an oar over the stern of a boat and propel it forward by moving it rapidly left to right. Can also use the rudder
Seabreeze - a thermal wind which blows onshore.
Shackle - a metal device used to attach sails to halyards
Sheave - a rotating wheel inside a pulley over which a rope passes
Sheet - a rope
Shrouds - tensioned wires used to hold the mast in postition
Sideslip - to ne blown sideways
Skirt - to skirt the jib is to pull the foot into place following a tack or gybe
Sleeve - some sails are attached to a mast by fitting over the top (like a laser)
Slot - a gap between the mainsail and headsail which helps to regulate airflow over the leeward side of the mainsail
Sounding - to take a depth measurement
Spar - a long thin pole such as a mast or boom
Spill - to allow the wind to escape from a sail as to depower it.
Spinnaker - a large parachute like sail at the front of the boat
Spinnaker pole - a spar at the front of a boat used to hold the windward clew of a spinnaker
Spreaders - metal struts used to hold the shrouds away from the mast
Squall - sudden strong wind, short in duration
Starboard - to the right
Starboard tack - when sailing with the starboard side of the boat on the windward side
Steerage way - enough forward motion to allow the rudder to turn a boat
Stern - the aft of the boat
Sweat up - to hoist up tightly
T
Tack - the side of the boat where the helm is sitting. Also the bottom front corner of a sail
Tacking - sailing a zigzag course against the wind
Tell tales - ribbons attached to the sail to indicate when a sail will luff (i.e. the boat is going head to wind)
Tiller - a handle connected to the rudder
Topping lift - a rope used to lift the boom
Transom - the flat area across the back of a boat where the rudder is usually fixed
Trapeze - a rope or wire used to allow a crew member to stand up and lean out of a dinghy
Traveller - a slider to allow the mainsheet to move across the cockpit
Trim - to adjust the angle of the sails with respect to the wind
True wind - the actual direction of the wind
Turnbuckle - a tensile attachment of the shrouds to the gunwale
U
Uphaul - a rope used to haul a sail upward
Unstayed - a boat which has not forestay or shrouds (a laser is a good example)
Upwind - sailing towards the wind
V
Vang - also known as a kicking strap
Veer - when the wind changes direction
W
Weather helm - when the rudder wants to steer the boat towards the wind
Weather mark - bouy of course reached by beating to it
Whisker pole - small spar used to boom out a jib when running
Whitecaps (whitehorses) - white, broken water on wave
Windshadow - an area with little or no wind
Wind shift - when the wind changes direction
Windward - the side of the boat to which the wind is blowing on
Wing and wing - running with the jib and mainsheets at opposite sides of the boat (also known as goose winged)
Acknowledgements
Sailing made simple - shirley H.M.Reekie - Leisure Press
Sailing. A practical handbook - Jeremy Evans - Hermes House
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