Sailing glossary
Find the meaning of common sailing terms...
Before you jump aboard a vessel for the first time, it is going to be handy to know some of the lingo! We've put together a list of the most commonly used sailing technology so you won't be left stranded at sea!
A
Abeam - At a right angle to the boat; as in: That buoy lies abeam of us.
Aboard - On the yacht
Aft and after - Direction; as in: Go aft to the stern of the boat.
Aground - When the yacht is in contact with the sea bed
Ahead - In front of the yacht
Aloft - Up or on the rig / mast(s)
Anchor - A hook to secure the yacht to the sea bed
Anchor light - A white light displayed in all directions to let other vessels know that you are at anchor.
Apparent wind - This is the wind direction and speed that is felt onboard
Astern - Behind the yacht.
Autopilot - A mechanism to steer the yacht instead of a person
Auxiliary engine - An engine used instead of the sails in light winds or close maneuvering
B
Back - A counter-clockwise shift in wind direction. Also a sail that is sheeted on the wrong side of the wind
Backstay - A wire support (rigging) at the back of the yacht to the top of the mast
Bail - To remove unwanted water from a yacht or dinghy
Ballast - Weight used to prevent a yacht from capsizing, usually in a keel
Batten - A rigid plastic extrusion used to stiffen the sail and help it retain it’s shape
Batten pocket - A slot in the sail to house the batten
Beam - The widest part of the yacht
Beam reach - The point of sail when the wind is coming across the beam
Bear away - Steer the yacht away from the wind direction
Bearing - The compass direction to an object
Beat - Sailing close hauled
Below - Below the deck - downstairs
Berth - A bed on board a yacht. Also a yachts parking place
Bilge - The lowest part of a yachts hull
Bimini - A removable cockpit cover to protect crew from the Sun
Binnacle - A structure to mount the Compass and typically the wheel
Block - A pulley to change the direction or a rope or line
Board - To step on a yacht
Boat hook - A pole used as a handle with a hook at the end to pick up a mooring buoy or similar
Bolt rope - A rope stitched into the Luff of a sail to strengthen it and also attached the sail to the rigging
Boom -A spar used to support and trim the Main Sail
Bosun's chair - A collapsible canvas chair to sit in whilst working aloft on the rigging
Bow - The pointy end of the yacht
Bow line - A mooring line that prevents the bow from moving away from the pontoon
Bowline - A knot that creates a non slipping loop
Broad reach - Point of Sail where the wind is between a Beam Reach and Dead Run
C
Cabin - A bedroom
Cardinal points - North, South, East, and West
Cast off - Releasing the mooring lines for departure
Catamaran - A vessel with two hulls
Chafe - Wearing of a rope or sail through friction
Chart - A map of the sea used for navigation
Charter - To hire or rent a yacht
Cleat - An object that is fixed to secure a line
Clew - The corner of a sail where the Leech meets the Foot
Close hauled - The point of sail where you are sailing as close to the wind as possible
Cockpit - An area usually at the Stern of a yacht where crew sit and sail the boat from
Cockpit locker - A cupboard space in the Cockpit
COLREGS - Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
Companionway - The entrance from the Cockpit to the main part of the yacht
Compass - A device used to display the direction of magnetic North.
Compass rose - Printed on a chart to show Variation and the direction of Magnetic North
Course - A heading usually provided in degrees
Crew - People engaged in operating the yacht
Cringle - A metal eye in a sail to attach a line
Cunningham - A line used to tension the Luff of a Main Sail
Current - The speed and direction that the sea is moving in
D
Dead reckoning - An approximate position derived from the direction and distance sailed
Depth sounder - An electronic device to measure and display the depth of water
Deviation - Any error that the compass is giving due to influences onboard
Displacement - The weight of water a boat displaces
Dodger - A cloth attached to the guard wires to protect the cockpit crew from the weather
Downwind - Travelling in the same direction as the wind
Draft - The depth of water that the yacht requires to float
E
Ease - To controllably and slowly release a line
Ebbing - When the tide is going out
Emergency tiller - A backup steering mechanism to be used in a steering failure
Estimated position (EP) - A position derived from tidal influences, heading and distance
f
Fairway - A safe navigation channel
Fend off - To carefully push away another vessel or hazard to prevent damage
Fender - An inflatable buoy to protect the yacht from damage when moored
Fix - A confirmed position on a chart
Foot - The bottom edge of a sail
Foresail - A sail that is forward of the mast, usually attached to the Forestay
Forestay - A piece of rigging that is attached to the Bow and the front of the mast
Front - The leading edge of a high or low pressure system
Full sail - When a yacht is sailing with Main and Head Sail without being reefed
Furl - To wrap a sail around itself when not in use or partly used (reefed)
g
Galley - The kitchen
Genoa - A large Head Sail which has a Clew that overlaps the mast
Gimbal - A way of hinging a cooker to keep it level at sea
Give-way vessel - A vessel that should take action to avoid a collision
Gooseneck - A fitting used to attach the Boom to the Mast
Gybe - To turn the stern of the boat through the direction of the wind
H
Halyard - A line that is used to raise and lower sails
Hand bearing compass - A compass used to take a bearing whilst holding it up to your eye
Haul out - To take a lift a yacht out of the water usually for maintenance
Head - The top corner of a sail and also the toilet on a yacht
Head to wind - Steering a yacht into the wind direction
Head up - Steer the yacht towards the wind direction
Heading - The course that is being steered
Headsail - The sail that is attached to the Head of the yacht
Heave to - A maneuver to stop the yacht
Heel - The angle the yacht is tilting whilst sailing
Helm - The tiller or wheel used to steer a yacht
Helmsman - The person helming (steering)
Hull - The main body of a yacht
i
in irons - When a yacht is stuck pointing towards the wind
inboard - Inside the boat
j
Jib - A small Head Sail which does not reach the Mast
Jury rig - A temporary rig used in the event of a dismasting
k
Keel - The ballast on a yacht that adds stability and reduces heel and leeway
Knot - One nautical mile per hour
L
Lanyard - A line used to secure something to the yacht or crew
Lash - To securely tie down
Latitude - Angular distance in degrees from the Equator
Lazy bag - A zipped bag attached to the Boom to cover the Main Sail when not in use
Lazy jacks - Safety lines from the Bow to Stern used to attach crew in case they fall overboard
Lead line - A weighted line used to measure the depth of water
Leech - The back edge of a sail
Leech line - A line used to tension the Leech
Life jacket - Inflatable jacket used to provide buoyancy to a man overboard
Life raft - An inflatable raft used in the event of an evacuation
Lifeline - A safety wire that acts like a fence around a yacht to prevent falling overboard
List - When a boat heels with no outside forces being applied
Longitude - The angular distance in degrees east or west of the prime meridian
Luff - The front edge of a sail
m
Mainsail - The sail that is hoisted up the mast and controlled by the boom
Mainsheet - A line used to trim the angle of the sail to the wind
Man overboard - Someone who has fallen off the yacht
Mast - A main spar that supports the sails and rigging
Mizzen - The aft most sail on a ketch or yawl
Monohull - A boat with a single hull
Multihull - A boat with two or three hulls
N
Nautical mile - One minute of latitude or about 1.15 statute miles
Neap tide - Tides that occur during quarter phases of the moon and not as strong as spring tides
O
Offshore - Out of sight of land
Outhaul - A line that is used to tension the Clew of the Mainsail
P
Painter - A bow line for the Dinghy
Port tack - This is when you are under sail and the wind is coming from the Port side of the yacht
Preventer - A rope that is used to prevent to Boom from swinging across the cockpit during an accidental Gybe
Pulpit - A stainless steel frame around the bow of the yacht
P
Reef - The method used to reduce sail area
Rig - The Mast
Rigging - The Mast, Boom, Spars and Stays that support the rig
Right of way - The stand-on vessel that has the obligation to maintain course and speed to avoid collision
Running - The point of sail where you are steering same direction as the wind
Running rigging - The ropes used to control and trim sails
s
Safety harness - A harness stop used to attach crew to the yacht to prevent falling overboard
Sail tie - A rope or strap to wrap around and secure a sail when not in use
Saloon - The lounge area inside a yacht
Seacock - A valve or tap to prevent sea water from entering the hull
Sheet - A rope that is used to control and trim a sail
Ship - A large vessel that carries smaller boats as life rafts
Shroud - A wire stay that supports the mast
Sounding - The depth of water. Soundings are displayed on a chart
Spinnaker - A large colourful downwind sail often used when racing
Spreader - A horizontal support on the mast to lead the shrouds through
Spring tide - The tide at the new and full moon which is higher than the neap tides
Stanchion - A vertical metal pole used to support the Guard wires around a yacht
Stand-on vessel - The vessel that has the priority in a collision situation
Standing rigging - The Shrouds and Stays (rigging) that support the mast
Starboard - When facing the bow, Starboard is the ‘right’ hand side
Starboard tack - When sailing and the wind is coming from the Starboard side of the yacht
Stay - A wire used to support the mast
Stern - The back end of a boat
Stern line - A rope used to secure the stern of the yacht to a pontoon
Stow - To put something away on a boat
Storm jib - A small heavy weight Head Sail used in heavy weather
Swell - Long waves caused by windy weather elsewhere
t
Tack - To steer the bow of a yacht through the wind, The corner of a sail where the Luff meets the Foot.
Telltale - A thin thread or ribbon attached to the sal to show how the wind is flowing over it.
Tender - A small boat or dinghy used to get crew ashore when at Anchor
Tide - Movement of the sea caused by the Moon and Sun
Tiller - A method of steering when a yacht doesn’t have a wheel
Topping lift - A rope used to support the Boom when the Main Sail is not in use.
Transit - Used in navigation to line up two or more objects
Transom - The back edge of a boat
True wind - The actual wind speed and direction
U
Under power - A yacht is under power when using her engine rather than sails
Underway - Moving through the water
Upwind - Towards the direction of the wind
V
Vang - A block and tackle used to adjust the angle of the Boom which flattens the Main Sail
Variation - The difference in degrees between Magnetic North and True North
Veer - The wind shift in a clockwise direction
VHF - Very High Frequency radio used for contact with other ships or the shore
W
Washboard - The door or board that secures the Companionway closed
Winch - Used to hold and control ropes that are otherwise too heavy to manage
Windward - Towards the wind direction
Windward boat - A yacht on the same Tack which is closer to the wind direction