Terminology / Glossary Flashcards
Beam 2
halfway between stern and bow
Helmsman
Person at the helm
Locker
storage compartment
Luff 1
forward edge of sail
Working
of a sheet, the one that is currently being used to trim a sail (versus lazy)
Batten pocket
batten holder
Stand-on vessel
when two vessels converge, the vessel that must maintain its course and speed
Hull
Watertight structural shell of a boat
Sailboard
Essentially a surfboard with a sail
Bow
forward part of boat
Beacon
aid to naviation fixed in place
Lay
of a rope’s strands, the direction they are twisted, as in right hand or left-hand
Boathook
pole useful for many things
Puff
like gust, only less strength
Backing
act of setting a sail aback
Helm
tiller or wheel
Off the wind
Any point of sail where the wind is abaft the beam
Sailcloth
Material of sails
Standing rigging
Shrouds and stays that remain in place when a boat is not sailing (versus running rigging)
Knot 1
fastening made by entwining a rope
Spinnaker
A large, lightweight, rounded sail used when sailing downwind
Aback
of a sail, when wind is on the wrong side
Lee
Sheltered are to leeward of something (boat, building, land) providing protection from the wind
Mast
fixed vertical spar
Bottom
seabed or bed under water
Block
pulley
Windward side
toward the wind
Run
Point of sail on which the wind is aft
Point of sail
direction sailing relative to the wind
Beam 1
width of a boat
Reef 2
To reduce the area of a sail exposed to wind
Vang
a piece of running rigging user to restrain a spar e.g., boom vang
Steaming light
bow to 22.5 degrees abaft the beam, used by sailboat while under power
Hiking stick
An extension to the tiller that allows the helmsman more freedom of movement
Inboard
toward centerline of boat; inside the hull
Leeward
away from the wind
Winging the jib
sailing wing on wing
Starboard tack
Any course where wind is blowing from the starboard side of the boat
Backwinding
similar to backing
Pontoon
moored floating structure to which a boat can be tied.
Rudder
moveable appendage which can be steered
“Jibe-ho”
announcement that helmsman about to steer the boat through a jibe
Boom
spar that supports foot of mainsail
Shroud
Wire that provides athwartships support to the mast
Tail 1
the end of a working line after the winch or snubber that is taking the load
Jibe
to turn the boat so that its stern passes through the wind
Rigging
Wires and lines used to support spars and to control sails
Vessel
any ship, boat or craft capable of being navigate
Lifeline
wire supported by stanchions around perimeter of deck to prevent crew from going overboard
Hoist
to haul aloft
Headway
motion forward
Masthead fly
wind vane fitted at the mast head
Trimaran
three hulls
Outboard 2
Portable motor attached to stern of boat / dinghy
Keel
main structure along bottom of a boat’s hull; fin shaped structure containing ballast
Mooring buoy
buoy attached to a mooring
Stay
A piece of standing rigging that supports a mast in the fore- and aft- directions
Bend
a knot used to tie a line to another line or object
Zephyr
Gentle breeze, perfect for quiet even sail
Weather helm
Tendency of a boat to head up into the wind
Roller furling
furling around a stay
Tack 2
To change course by turning bow of boat through the wind
Slip
a berth
Apparent Wind
combination of true wind and wind effect of motion of the boat
Knot 2
unit of speed; one nautical mile (6,076 feet) per hour
Heave-to
To hold a boat almost stationary by setting the sails and rudder in opposition
Windage
the resistance of a boat’s hull, rig and superstructure presented to the wind
Nautical mile
6,076 feet; 1.15x a land mile; equal to one minute of arc on the earth. Earth = 360 degrees, each degree having 60 minutes.
Stern
the aft part of a boat
Bear away
come off the wind, fall off
Hitch
a type of knot used to attach a line to an object or another line
Traveler
a car and track system allowing the mainsheet’s attachment point to the deck to be moved athwardship
Luff 3
to head up to that the sail luffs
Reef 1
rock or coral submerged, hazard to navigation
Broad reach
point of sail between beam reach and a run
Nun buoy
cone-shaped top
Lee side
side away from the wind
Spreader
An athwartships strut on a mast that holds the shrouds away from the mast
Head up
Steer more toward the wind
Tide
movement of water caused by gravitational affects of moon and sun
Headstay
Stay between the top of the mast and the bow
Abaft
toward the stern
Wing on wing
sailing on a run with the jib and mailsail on opposite sides of the boat
Bowline
knot
Mark
general name for aid to navigation
Bow line
dock line between bow and dock
Headsail
Any sail forward of the forwardmost mast; also, a jib
Batten
slat inserted to support sailcloth
Anchor
device to lower and secure
Topping lift
line supporting the boom when not being supported by the sail
Mooring
a permanently set anchor
Blanketed
Hidden from the wind, blocked
Rig 2
The total assembly of sails, spars, booms and rigging
Beam Reach
wind is abeam
Trim 1
to adjust a sail
Stripping arm
part of a self-tailor
Port 1
Left-side
Secure 2
to make safe
Shackle
closeable metal connector
Abeam
off the boat at right angles to its centerline
Trim 2
the position of a sail when set relative to the wind
Bend on
to attach, as a sail to a spar
Jib
sail set forward of the mainmast
Sheet
line used to control alignment of sail relative to the boat or wind
Loose footed
of a mainsail, attached to boom at tack and clew but not along its foot
Rigging
Wires and lines used to support spars and to control sails
Tackle
Line reeved through a series of blocks to gain mechanical advantage
Aground
hull or keel is touching bottom
Snub
To hold a line under tension by wrapping it around a cleat or winch
Pulpit
guardrail at the bow or stern to which lifelines are connected
Port 2
Harbor
Sail tie
Length of webbing used to secure sails
Secure 1
to make fast
Masthead fly
wind vane fitted at the mast head
In irons
boat that’s head to wind; lost all headway
“Ready about”
command used to signal crew to prepare for a tack
Tail 2
To pull on the tail of a line
Moor
to tie up (a boat)
Quay
pronounced “key”; solid structure to which vessels tie up to load / unload
Scope
ratio of the length of rode deployed to the vertical distance from the boat’s bow to the bottom
Lee helm
Tendency of a sailboat when sailing to turn away from the wind
Bolt rope
rope sewn into edge of sail, often used to attach to mast or boom
Rope
raw material for lines
Keelboat
sailboat with keel and ballast
On the wind
Any point of sail where the wind is forward of the beam
Stow
to put away
Waterline
line around the hull meeting the surface of the water
Weather side
side of boat from which the wind is blowing; windward side
Navigational chart
a map
Astern
Behind the stern
Round up
Of a boat, to spontaneously turn head to wind
True Wind
as observed by a stationary point
Line
rope
Spar
A pole used to support a sail e.g., mast, boom
Outhaul
Line used to tension the foot of the mainsail
Stern light
navigation light shines on both sides of the boat in an arch from the stern to 22.5 degrees abaft the beam
Winch
gear-driven drum providing mechanical advantage to a line
Self-tailer
device on a winch that enables it to grasp and gather the tail of a line as it winds around the winch
Lazy
Of, for example, a jibsheet, the windward one that’s not under load
Transom
flat portion of surface that closes the hull at the stern
Jammer
A device that holds a line by an internal mechanism
Windward
toward the wind
Shackle key
tool for tightening and loosening a shackle
Heel
lean sideways
Rig 1
To attach, as in a sail
Navigation Rules
laws established to prevent collisions on the water
Quarter
the sides of the boat between the beam and the stern
Navigation
act of navigating
Tack 1
The forward lower corner of a sail
Surge
To ease a loaded line while snubbing it to keep it under control
Navigational light
a light required under Navigation Rules when a vessel is operating at night or in poor visibility
Amidships
at or toward the middle of the boat
Leech
The after edge of a sail
Athwartships
across the boat from side to side
Make fast
to secure
Navigate
conduct a vessel over body of water
Luff 2
fluttering of a sail
Running rigging
Adjustable rigging (lines) used to raise, lower or trim the sails
Aloft
above the deck
Sidelight
Navigation light on side of boat shines from bow to 22.5 degrees abaft the beam
Port tack
Any course where the wind is blowing on the port side of the boat
Reach
point of sale between close-hauled and a run
Backstay
top of mast to stern
No-sail zone
zone in relations to the wind where sails cannot generate power
Tack 3
A course designation according to which side of the boat the wind is blowing onto
After
toward the stern
Sloop
Sailboat with one mast, a mainsail and a headsail
Rode
The line or chain that connects an anchor to a boat
Outboard 1
away from centerline of boat; outside the gunwale
Aft
toward the stern
Jibsheet
line attached to the clew of a jib to adjust angle to the wind
Aid to Navigation
buoy or other device to mark a channel, navigation feature or hazard
Jump
when hoisting a sail, to haul on the halyard at the mast
Ballast
weight low stability
Starboard
right-hand side
Upwind
direction from which the wind is blowing
Pinch
to sail too close to the wind so that the sail luffs
Luff tape
tape with an integral bolt rope that is sewn into the luff of a sail
Pier
structure built over water on pilings
Beat, beating
to sail to windward close-hauled
Stanchion
A metal post that supports the lifelines
Boom vang
running rigging, often a block and tackle, used to hold down the boom
