Vocabulary Flashcards
aback
When the wind is on the wrong side of the sails.
abaft
Toward the stern.
aft
Toward the stern.
aground
When the hull or keel is touching the bottom.
aid to navigation
A buoy or other device deployed to mark a channel, a navigational feature, or a hazard.
aloft
Above the deck, usually in the rig.
amidships
At or toward the middle of the boat.
apparent wind
The combination of true wind and the wind effect of motion as felt aboard a moving boat.
astern
Behind the stern.
athwartships
Across the boat from side to side.
backing or backwinding
The act of setting a sail aback.
backstay
A wire support from the top of the mast to the stern.
ballast
Weight placed low in the boat to give it stability.
batten
A slat inserted in the leech of a sail to support the sailcloth.
batten pocket
A pocket sewn into the sail to hold a batten.
beacon
An aid to navigation that’s fixed in place.
beam
The width of a boat at its widest point, or the region of the boat’s sides halfway between bow and stern.
beam reach
The point of sail where the wind is abeam of the boat.
bear away
To turn the boat away from the wind, to fall off.
beat
To sail to windward close-hauled.
bend
A knot used to tie a line to another line or to an object.
bend on
To attach, as a sail to a spar.
blanketed
Hidden from the wind, as when one sail is blanketed by another.
block
A pulley.
boathook
A pole with a hook on one end useful for snagging a line or ring.
bolt rope
A rope sewn into the edge of a sail, often used to attach it to the mast or boom.
bottom
The seabed or bed under any body of water.
boom
The spar that supports the foot of the mainsail.
boom vang
An item of running rigging, often a block and tackle, used to hold down the boom.
bow
The forward part of the boat.
bowline
A knot that forms a loop in the end of a line.
bow line
A dock line tied between the bow of a boat and a dock.
broad reach
The point of sail between a beam reach and a run.
by the lee
Sailing on a run with the wind on the same side as the mainsail.
cabin
The interior of the boat.
cam cleat
A fitting with spring-loaded jaws used to secure a line.
can buoy
A cylindrical buoy used as an aid to navigation.
capsize
To turn over.
cast off
To undo completely a line that has been secured.
catamaran
A boat with two hulls.
centerboard
A board that pivots down from the bottom of the boat to provide sideways resistance.
chafe
Damage caused to a sail or line by rubbing.
chafing gear
Material used to prevent chafe.
chainplate
Metal fabrication attached to the hull and to which a stay or shroud is connected.
channel
A narrow passage; a deeper-water route often marked with aids to navigation.
chart
A nautical map.
chock
A fixed fairlead through which dock lines are fed.
cleat
A fitting used to secure a line under load.
clew
The aft lower corner of a sail.
close-hauled
The point of sail where a boat sails as close to the wind as possible.
cockpit
The area of the boat, usually recessed into the deck, from which the boat is steered and sailed.
coil
To make up a line into tidy loops, OR a line that has been coiled.
come about
To tack.
companionway
The entrance from the cockpit or deck to the cabin.
cringle
An eye formed by sewing a rope or metal ring into a sail.
cunningham
A line used to tension the luff of a sail.
daggerboard
A board that lowers vertically down from the bottom of the boat to provide sideways resistance.
deck
The generally horizontal surface that encloses the top of the hull.
dinghy
A small boat.
dock
A place where a vessel is berthed, but generally used to refer to the pier, quay, or pontoon to which it’s tied when in that berth, OR to bring a boat to its dock.
dock line
A line used to tie a boat in its dock.
docking
The process of bringing a boat into its dock.
downhaul
A line used to tension the luff of a sail by pulling down the boom at the gooseneck.
downwind
In the direction toward which the wind is blowing.
draft
The depth of a boat below the water, OR the curvature of a sail.
ease
To let out a line that has load on it.
eye of the wind
Directly to windward.
fair
Smooth, unobstructed.
fairlead
A fitting used to lead a line fair and at the correct angle to a winch, cleat, or other fitting.
fake or flake
To lay out a line in parallel lengths so it can run freely.
fall off
To turn away from the wind, bear away.
fender
A cushion, usually an inflated cylinder of rubber or similar material, placed between a boat and a dock.
fitting
A piece of hardware that is fixed to the boat or its spars.
flake
To lay in even loose folds, as a sail.
foot
The bottom edge of a sail.
fore-and-aft
The direction parallel with the centerline of a boat.
foredeck
The forward part of the deck, usually forward of the forwardmost mast.
foresail
A sail set forward of the mainsail, often a jib or headsail.
forestay
A stay that supports the mast from forward.
forward
Toward the bow.
fouled
Tangled, snagged.
freeboard
The height of the hull above the waterline.
full
About a sail, when it is not flapping or luffing.
furl
To stow a sail on a spar or stay.
gear
General term for equipment aboard a sailboat.
genoa
A large jib that extends aft of the mast.
give-way vessel
Under the Navigation Rules, the vessel that is obliged to adjust its course or speed to avoid collision with another vessel.
going astern
To be moving backwards.
gooseneck
An articulated fitting that connects a boom to a mast.
grommet
A metal ring set into a sail.
ground tackle
Collective term for a boat’s anchors and their rodes.
gunwale
The top edge of the deck where it joins the hull.
gust
An increase in wind speed that lasts just a short while.
halyard
A line used to raise and lower a sail.
hank
A metal clip or fabric tab used to attach a sail’s luff to a stay.
hard-a-lee
The announcement by the helmsman that he is about to tack the boat.
hatch
A covered opening in the deck.
head
The top of a sail.
head to wind
A boat’s position when its bow is pointing directly into the wind.
headboard
A reinforcement at the head of a sail.
head down
To steer away from the wind, bear away, fall off.
headfoil
A metal or plastic cover that fits over a forestay to accept the luff tape of a jib when it’s hoisted.
headsail
Any sail set forward of the forwardmost mast; a jib.
headstay
The stay between the top of the mast and the bow.
head up
To steer more toward the wind.
headway
Motion forward.
heave-to
To hold a boat almost stationary by setting the sails and rudder in opposition.
heel
The sideways leaning of a boat under the pressure of the wind on the sails.
helm
The tiller or wheel with which the boat is steered.
helmsman
The person at the helm steering the boat.
hiking stick
An extension to the tiller that allows the helmsman more freedom of movement.
hitch
A type of knot, used to attach a line to an object or to another line.
hoist
To haul aloft.
hull
The watertight structural shell of a boat.
inboard
Toward the centerline of the boat; inside the hull.
in irons
Of a boat that’s head to wind, having lost all headway.
jammer
A device that holds a line by an internal mechanism.
jib
A triangular sail set forward of the mainmast.
jibe
To turn the boat so that its stern passes through the wind.
jibe-ho
Announcement by the helmsman that he is about to steer the boat into a jibe; also a warning that an accidental jibe is imminent.
jibsheet
A line attached to the clew of a jib used to adjust its angle to the wind.
jump
When hoisting a sail, to haul on the halyard at the mast.
keel
The main structural member along the bottom of a boat’s hull; on a sailboat often an appended fin-shaped structure that contains ballast.
keelboat
A sailboat that has a keel and ballast, usually combined.
knot
A fastening made by entwining a rope, line, or cord with itself or with other ropes, lines, or cords. OR, a unit of speed, one nautical mile per hour.
lay
The direction a rope’s strands are twisted, as in right-hand or left-hand.
lazy
Of, for example, a jib sheet, the windward one that’s not under load.
leech
The after edge of a sail.
lee
Sheltered area to leeward of something (boat, building, island) that’s protected from the wind.
lee helm
The tendency of a sailboat when sailing to turn away from the wind.
lee side
The side away from the wind, or downwind side.
leeward
The direction, or side of the boat, away from the wind.
lifeline
A wire supported on stanchions around the perimeter of the deck to prevent the crew from falling overboard.
line
A length of rope that has been made up to serve a specific purpose on board.
locker
A storage compartment.
loose footed
Of a mainsail, for example, that is attached to its boom at its tack and clew but not along its foot.
luff
The forward edge of a sail OR the fluttering of a sail when the boat is too close to the wind for the sail’s trim OR to head up so that the sails luff.
luff tape
Tape with an integral bolt rope that is sewn to the luff of a sail.
main boom
The boom that supports the mainsail.
mainmast
The principal mast on a sailboat.
mainsail
The sail attached to the aft side of the mainmast.
mainsheet
The line used to control the main boom and thus also to trim the mainsail.
make fast
To secure, as when tying a line to a cleat.
mark
General term for an aid to navigation.
mast
A fixed vertical spar that holds up a sail or sails.
moor
To tie up a boat.
mooring
A permanently set anchor.
mooring buoy
A buoy attached to a mooring and to which a boat can be moored.
multihull
A boat with more than one hull.
navigation light
A light required under the Navigation Rules when a vessel is operating at night or in poor visibility.
Navigation Rules
Laws established to prevent collisions on the water.
no-sail zone
The zone in relation to the wind where the sails cannot generate power.
nun buoy
A buoy with a cone-shaped top used as an aid to navigation.
off the wind
Any point of sail where the wind is abaft the beam.
on the wind
Any point of sail where the wind is forward of the beam.
outboard
Away from the centerline of a boat; outside the gunwale, OR a portable motor that attaches to the stern of a boat.
outhaul
A line used to tension the foot of the mainsail.
pier
A structure built over the water on pilings.
pinch
To sail too close to the wind, so that the sails luff.
pontoon
A moored floating structure to which a boat can be tied.
point of sail
The direction a boat is sailing relative to the wind.
port
A harbor, OR the left-hand side of a boat when facing forward.
port tack
Any course where the wind is blowing on the port side of the boat.
puff
An increase of wind strength of short duration, usually with less strength than a gust.
pulpit
A guardrail at the bow or stern of a boat to which the lifelines are connected.
quarter
The sides of a boat between the beam and the stern.
quay
A solid structure to which vessels tie up to load and unload.
reach
Any point of sail between close-hauled and a run.
ready about
The command used to signal the crew to prepare to tack.
reef
An area of rock or coral, usually submerged, that presents a hazard to navigation, OR to reduce the area of a sail that is exposed to the wind.
rig
To attach, as a sail, OR the total assembly of sails, spars, and rigging aboard a sailboat.
rigging
Wires and lines used to support spars and to control sails.
rode
The line and/or chain that connects an anchor to the boat.
roller furling
A mechanism for furling a sail by rolling it around its stay.
rope
Raw material for making up lines.
round up
To spontaneously turn a boat from head to wind.
rudder
The movable appendage attached to a boat under the water and with which it can be steered.
run
The point of sail on which the wind is aft.
running rigging
The adjustable rigging used to raise and lower or trim the sails.
sail tie
Length of webbing used to secure sails.
sailboard
A sailboat that is essentially a surfboard with a sail.
sailcloth
Material from which sails are made.
sailing by the lee
Sailing on a run with the wind on the same side of the boat as the mainsail.
scope
The ratio of the length of anchor rode deployed to the vertical distance from the boat’s bow to the bottom.
secure
To make fast (as a line), OR to make safe.
self-tailer
A device on a winch that enables it to grasp and gather the tail of a line as it is wound in on the winch.
shackle
A closable metal connector used in rigging.
shackle key
A tool for tightening and loosening a shackle.
sheet
A line used to control the alignment of a sail relative to the boat and wind.
shroud
A wire that provides athwartships support to the mast.
sidelight
A navigation light that shines on one side of the boat in an arc from the bow to 22.5 degrees abaft the beam.
slip
A berth where a boat docks between piers, pontoons, or pilings.
sloop
A sailboat with one mast, a mainsail, and one headsail.
snub
To hold a line under tension by wrapping it around a cleat or a winch.
spar
A pole used to support a sail, e.g. mast, boom.
spinnaker
A large, lightweight rounded sail used when sailing downwind.
spreader
An athwartships strut on a mast that holds a shroud away from the mast.
stanchion
A metal post that supports lifelines.
standing rigging
Rigging, e.g. shrouds and stays, that supports spars and that remains in place when a boat is not sailing.
stand-on vessel
In a situation where two vessels converge, the vessel that must maintain its course and speed.
starboard
The right-hand side of a boat when looking forward.
starboard tack
Any course where the wind is blowing on the starboard side of the boat.
stay
A piece of standing rigging that supports a mast in the fore-and-aft direction.
steaming light
A navigation light that shines on both sides of the boat in an arc from the bow to 22.5 degrees abaft the beam; used on a sailing vessel that is under power.
stern
The aft part of the boat.
stern light
A navigation light that shines on both sides of the boat in an arc from the stern to 22.5 degrees abaft the beam.
stow
To put away in a seamanlike manner.
stripping arm
Part of a self-tailer.
surge
To ease a loaded line while snubbing it to keep it under control.
tack
The forward lower corner of a sail OR to change course by turning the bow of the boat through the wind OR a course designation according to which side of the boat (port or starboard) the wind is blowing into.
tackle
A line reeved through a series of blocks to gain mechanical advantage.
tail
The end of a working line (e.g. halyard, sheet) after the winch or snubber that is taking the load, OR to pull on the tail of a line.
tail bag
A bag in which line tails are stowed to keep them tidy.
telltale
A short length of light yarn or similar material attached to a sail to indicate the flow of air across it and thus the state of the sail’s trim.
tiller
A lever used to control the angle of the rudder and thereby steer the boat.
topping lift
A line or wire that supports a boom when it is not being supported by its sail.
transom
The more or less flat surface that closes the hull at the stern.
traveler
A car-and-track system that allows the mainsheet’s attachment point to the deck to be moved athwartships.
trim
To adjust a sail by hauling in on the sheet, OR the position a sail is set relative to the wind.
trimaran
A vessel with three hulls.
true wind
The wind as observed at a stationary point.
upwind
In the direction from which the wind is blowing.
vang
A piece of running rigging used to restrain a spar, e.g. boom vang.
vessel
An all-inclusive term in the Navigation Rules used to describe any ship or boat or craft capable of being navigated.
waterline
The line around the interface between the hull and the surface of the water.
weather side
The side of a boat from which the wind is blowing; windward side.
weather helm
The tendency of a boat when sailing to head up into the wind.
winch
A device consisting of a gear-driven drum that is operated with a handle to provide mechanical advantage when hauling a line; also used to snub a line.
windage
The resistance a boat’s hull, rig, and superstructure present to the wind.
windward
Toward the wind.
windward side
The side upon which the wind is blowing.
wing on wing
Sailing on a run with the jib and mainsail set on opposite sides of the boat.
winging the jib
Sailing wing on wing.
working
Of a sheet, the one that is currently being used to trim the sail.
zephyr
A gentle breeze, perfect for a quiet evening sail.
