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A
abeam - to the side.
ahoy - greetings, attention.
alee - to the leeward.
all standing - fully equipped.
aloft - above.
anemometer - instrument for measuring wind velocity.
apparent wind - wind direction felt during sailing; the combination of true wind and the wind created by the motion of the boat.
astern - toward the back of the vessel.
auxiliary - an engine used for secondary propulsion.
aye - yes, affirmative.
B
bar - shoal, bank or reef.
bare poles - a sailing vessel without sails.
batten - a thin rigid strip to support a sail.
beam - width of a vessel.
beam reach - wind at right angle to keel.
bear down - to approach a vessel from windward.
bear off - to steer away.
bear up - to steer towards.
beat - to sail towards the wind.
becalmed - lifeless; without wind.
becket - a loop or eye.
bend - knot by which one rope is made fast to another.
bight - bend in a rope.
bilge - curve of hull between the gunwales, low spot.
bitter end - very end of a line.
boat hook - a pole with a hook on the end.
boatswain - person in charge of rigging.
bolt rope - rope sown into an edge of a sail.
boom - a horizontal spar supporting the foot of a sail.
broach - when the side of a vessel is exposed to waves; a dangerous condition.
broadside - side of a vessel above the waterline.
bulwarks - deck railing.
burgee - a type of flag used to identify affiliation with a yacht club or boating organization.
scuttlebutt - gossip.
by the lee - running with the wind on the same side as the boom.
C
cast off - to let go.
catamaran - twin-hulled boat.
cat rigged - boat with one sail.
centerboard - vertical plane on the bottom of the boat that works like a keel to prevent sideways slippage under sail.
chafe - damaged by rubbing, to wear thin.
chock - a fitting a line can pass through to be controlled.
claw off - to beat windward from a lee shore.
clear for running - ready to run without fouling.
cleat - a fitting to control or stop a line.
cling-on - an inexperienced newbie.
coil - to lay a line in a circular pattern.
companionway - opening from deck to cabin.
Corinthian - amateur sailor interested in the sport without compensation.
cow's tail - frayed rope end.
cringle - a fitting in a sail that allows a line to be fastened to it.
cut of the jib - general appearance of a boat or person.
cutter - single-masted sailboat with a mainsail and two headsails.
D
deep sixed - articles tossed overboard.
dinghy - open or partially decked vessel without a cabin.
doldrums - area of little wind.
douse - to lower.
draft - depth required to float a boat.
dry sail - to store on a trailer.
E
ease off - to slacken or release.
embark - to go aboard.
even keel - floating level.
eye of the wind - center of the wind.
F
fall off - to sail farther from the eye of the wind.
fast - to make fast is to secure; what you want to be in a race.
fenders - bumpers to reduce chafe between boat and dock.
figure-eight knot - a stopper not for end of line.
fluky wind - irregular of puffy.
foul - to jam; the opposite of clear.
freeboard - distance from waterline to deck.
furl - to make sails fast to a spar or rigging.
G
gather away - to pick up momentum.
glory hole - lazarette or stern compartment.
grommet - a ring or eyelet normally used to attach a line.
gudgeon - eye supports for a rudder.
guy - a steadying line or wire.
gybe - see "jibe."
H
hail - to call out.
halyard - line used to raise a sail.
hank - clips or rings on a jib.
hatch - an opening in a deck with a covering.
headstay - jib stay or forestay.
heel - to tip or incline.
I
in irons - dead in the water, head to wind.
in the wind - pointing too high into the wind, pinching.
J
jib - fore sail.
jibe or gybe - changing direction in a way that makes the stern of the boat pass through the eye of the wind and the boom changes sides.
jury rig - to make do, makeshift, temporary.
K
keel - backbone and fin of a vessel that prevents sideways slippage while sailing.
keep your luff - sailing closed wind without jib flutter.
ketch - two-masted vessel with the rudder aft of the masts.
knocked down - heeled so far that the boat doesn't recover.
knot - one nautical mile per hour; a bend in a line.
L
lash - to secure with a rope.
latitude - imaginary lines drawn around the world to measure distance north or south of the equator.
lazarette - aft storage compartment.
lazy sheet - line led to a sail but not currently in use.
leach - the aft edge of a sail.
league - a standard of measure equal to 3 nautical miles.
lee - the direction wind is blowing toward; direction sheltered from wind.
longitude - imaginary lines drawn around the north and south poles used to measure distance east or west of Greenwich, England.
luff - leading edge of a sail; term for when the air stalls around that sail edge.
M
maroon - to abandon, to set ashore.
mast - vertical spar.
monkey fist - a complex knot used to toss a heaving line.
N
nautical mile - 6067.12 feet as opposed to a statute mile of 5280 feet; a nautical mile equals one minute of latitude.
nun buoy - red tapered navigation marker, red on right when returning.
O
off the wind - downwind.
on the wind - close-hauled.
outhaul - trim adjustment on the clew of a sail.
outpoint - sailing closer to the wind than a competitor.
over-rigged - heavier rated gear than necessary.
P
painter - bow line.
pinch - sailing above close-hauled, slow and inefficient.
pitch poled - when the stern of a boat is thrown over the bow.
preventer - a line running forward from the boom to avoid accidental jibing.
pulpit - a sturdy rail around the bow deck.
purchase - use of a block and tackle to increase hauling power.
purser - the crew member in charge of provisions and exchange of money.
Q
quartermaster - the crew member in charge of signaling and communications.
R
rail - the edge of a boat's deck.
reaching - any point of sail where the wind comes from the side of the boat.
reef - a shallow; to shorten a sail by reducing the sail area.
rhumb line - a straight line on a nautical chart.
rigging - the wires and lines used to attach the spars or sails to the boat; the lines that don't need adjusting often are the "standing rigging"; lines that raise or trim the sails are "running rigging."
rode - the line or chain attached to the anchor.
roller reefing/furling - to shorten a sail on a rotating boom or wire.
rudder - a flat surface under the boat used to control the direction of travel.
S
sail - a piece of fabric attached to the spars used to catch the wind and move the boat.
sandbagger - crew member who is dead weight.
shackle - a "U" shaped bar with pin or boat used to make fast.
sheets - trimming lines.
shipshape - tight and right, a place for everything and everything in its place.
single-handed - to sail solo.
short-handed - not enough crew.
shrouds - part of the standing rigging that runs from the mast to the side of boat to support the mast.
slip - the space between docks where a boat can be moored.
sloop - single-masted vessel with a mainsail and jib.
spanking breeze - a strong wind coming over the stern or aft quarter.
spar - generic term for poles that serve as booms, gaffs, masts or yards.
stanchions - upright supports for lifelines mounted on the deck.
standing rigging - hardware supporting the spars.
starboard - the right side of a vessel when looking forward.
starboard tack - when the wind first passes over the starboard side.
stays - lines running fore and aft that support the mast and sometimes carry a sail.
stern - the aft end.
stopper knot - knot at the end of a line to keep it from running.
strike - to lower.
T
tabernacle - a fitting used to raise and lower a mast.
tackle - lines used with blocks to move heavy objects.
tangs - fitting on a mast to secure shrouds and stays.
thimble - a metal fitting used to strengthen an eye splice in a line or wire.
tiller - an arm attached to the rudder to steer a small boat.
trim - to haul in on a sheet to adjust sail tension; a properly balanced boat that floats level on its waterline.
U
underway - a moving vessel.
up helm - tiller to windward.
V
vang - a hydraulic ram or block and tackle used to hold down the end of the boom.
W
weather helm - tendency of a boat to head up toward the eye of the wind.
X
xtreme sailing - casting off with a cling-on and sandbagger when it's blowing a stink.
Y
yacht - a pleasure boat.
Z
Zulu - used to indicate times in Coordinated Universal Time (which used to be Greenwich Mean Time).
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