saling terms

[gmerrill]

i am relatively new to the sailing world and have not had an experienced sailor explain the terms
used when sailing. i saw where a guy using the term reef the main.  i guess he meant bringing his
main sail down because the wind was blowing to hard.  but is there a glossary of terms and definitiions i can go to
to help me have a better understanding of sailing terms

thks
greg

[NateD]

Reefing is reducing the size of the sail. So he was making the main sail smaller due to the high wind.

While this site doesn't have "reef" it does have explanations for some of the more obscure terms.

http://www.history.navy.mil/trivia/trivia03.htm

[adifferentdrummer]

Greg,

Here's a few to get you started. If you need a more detailed explanation of specific terms, just post it on here and I'm sure someone will be happy to clarify.

Abeam - At right angles to , or beside, the boat

Aboard - On or in the boat

Aft - Toward the stern

Aground - When the hull or keel is against the ground

Aloft - overhead, above

Amidships - the middle of the boat

Anchor - An object designed to grip the ground, under a body of water, to hold the boat in a selected area

Apparent Wind - the direction of the wind as is relative to the speed and direction of the boat

Astern - behind the boat

Backstay - a support wire that runs from the top of the mast to the stern

Bail - to remove water from the boat

Ballast - weight in the lower portion of a boat, used to add stability

Battens - thin, stiff strips of plastic or wood, placed in pockets in the leech of a sail, to assist in keeping its form

Beam - the width of the boat at its widest

Beam reach - a point of sail where the boat is sailing at a right angle to the wind

Bearing - a compass direction from one point to another

Belay - to make secure

Bight - a loop of line or rope

Bilge - the lowest part of a boat, designed to collect water that enters the boat

Block - a pulley

Boat Hook - a device designed to catch a line when coming alongside a pier or mooring

Bolt Rope - a rope sewn into the luff of a sail for use in attaching to the standing rigging

Boom - the horizontal spar which the foot of a sail is attached to

Boom Vang - a line that adjusts downward tension on the boom

Bow - the front of the boat

Bowspirt - a spar extending forward from the bow

Breast line - a docking line going at approximately a right angle from the boat to the dock

Broach - to spin out of control, either causing or nearly causing a capsize.

Broad reach - a point of sail where the boat is sailing away from the wind, but not directly downwind

Buoy - an anchored float marking a position or for use as a mooring

By the Lee - sailing with the wind coming from behind, and slightly to the side, that the sails are on

Can - a kind of navigation buoy

Capsize - to turn a boat over

Cast Off - to release lines holding boat to shore or mooring, to release sheets

Catboat - a one sail sailboat

Centerboard - a fin shaped, often removable, board that extends from the bottom of the boat as a keel

Chafe - damage to a line caused by rubbing against another object

Chainplates - metal plates bolted to the boat which standing rigging is attached to

Chock - a guide for an anchor, mooring or docking line, attached to the deck

Cleat - a fitting used to secure a line to

Clew - the lower aft corner of a sail

Close hauled - a point of sail where the boat is sailing as close to the wind as possible

Close reach - a point of sail where the boat is sailing towards the wind but is not close hauled

Cockpit - the area, below deck level, that is somewhat more protected than the open deck, from which the tiller or wheel is handled

Displacement - the weight of the water displaced by the boat

Dock - the area a boat rests in when attached to a pier, also the act of taking the boat to the pier to secure it

Downhaul - a line, attached to the tack, that adjusts tension in the sail

Draft - the depth of the boat at its lowest point, also the depth or fullness of the sail

Drift - the leeway, or movement of the boat, when not under power, or when being pushed sideways while under power

Ease - to loosen or let out

Fairlead - a fitting used to change the direction of a line without chafing

Fathom - a measurement relating to the depth of water, one fathom is 6 feet

Foot - the bottom part of a sail

Forward - toward the bow to the boat

Foremast - the forward mast of a boat with more that one mast

Foresail - the jib

Fouled - entangled or clogged

Freeboard - the distance from the highest point of the hull to the water

Furl - to fold or roll a sail and secure it to its main support

Genoa - a large foresail that overlaps the mainsail

Gimball - a device that suspends a compass so that it remains level

Gooseneck - a device that connects the boom to the mast

Ground Tackle - the anchor, chain and rode

Gunwale - the railing of the boat at deck level

Halyard - the line used to raise and lower the sail

Hard Alee - the command given to inform the crew that the helm is being turned quickly to leeward, turning the boat windward

Head - top of the sail

Head to Wind - the bow turned into the wind, sails luffing

Headsail - a sail forward of the mast, a foresail

Headstay - a wire support line from the mast to the bow

Headway - forward motion

Heave To - to stop a boat and maintain position (with some leeway) by balancing rudder and sail to prevent forward movement, a boat stopped this way is "hove to"

Helm - the tiller or wheel, and surrounding area

Helmsman - the member of the crew responsible for steering

Heel - the leeward lean of the boat caused by the winds action on the sails

Hike - leaning out over the side of the boat to balance it

Hoist - to raise aloft

In Irons - having turned onto the wind or lost the wind, stuck and unable to make headway

Jib - a foresail, a triangle shaped sail forward of the mast

Jibe - a change of tack while going downwind

Keel - a fin down the centerline of the bottom of the hull

Ketch - a two-masted ship with a small mast mounted forward of the rudder post

Knot - a unit of speed, one knot=6,076 feet per hour

Lanyard - a line attached to any small object for the purpose of securing the object

Lazarette - spaces below the deck that are designed for storage

Leech - the back edge of a sail

Leeward - downwind

Lifeline - a cable fence that surrounds the deck to assist in the prevention of crew falling overboard

Line - rope or cordage

List - the leaning of a boat to the side because of excess weight on that side

Luff - the front edge of a sail, and the flapping in the wind of the front of the sail (luffing)

Mainsheet - the line that controls the boom

Mizzen - the shorter mast behind the main mast on a ketch or yawl

Mooring - an anchor or weight, permanently attached to the sea floor, with a buoy going to the surface, used to hold the boat in a certain area

Nun - a kind of navigational buoy

Outhaul - the line that adjust tension along the foot of the sail along the boom

Painter - a line tied to the bow of a small boat for the purpose of securing it to a dock or to the shore

Pennant - a triangular flag

Pinch - to sail as close as possible towards the wind

Point - to turn closer towards the wind (point up)

Port - the left side of the boat

Port tack - sailing with the wind coming from the port side, with the boom on the starboard side

Privileged vessel - the ship with the right of way

Reach - sailing with a beam wind

Ready about - prepare to come about

Reef - to reduce the size of a sail

Rhumb line - a straight line compass course between two points

Rigging - the standing rigging is the mast and support lines, running rigging is the lines with which you adjust the sails

Rode - the line and chain that connect the anchor to the boat

Rudder - a fin under the stern of the boat used in steering

Running - a point of sail, going directly downwind

Scull - moving the rudder back and forth in an attempt to move the boat forward

Shake out - to release a reefed sail and hoist the sail aloft

Sheave - the wheel of a block pulley

Sheet - a line used to control the sail

Shrouds - support wires for the mast

Spinnaker - a large, light sail used in downwind sailing

Spreaders - struts used to hold the shrouds away from the mast

Spring line - docking lines that keep the boat from drifting forward and back

Starboard - the right side of the boat

Starboard tack - a course with the wind coming from starboard and the boom on the port side

Step - the frame that the bottom of the mast ends into

Stern - the back of the boat

Stow - to put away

Tack - the front, lower corner of the sail, also course with the wind coming from the side of the boat, also to change course by turning into the wind so that the wind comes from the other side of the boat

Tender - a small boat used to transport crew and equipment from shore to a larger boat

Tiller - controls the rudder and is used for steering

Topping lift - a line that holds up the boom when it is not being used, also the line that controls the height of a spinnaker pole

Transom - the back, outer part of the stern

Traveler - a device that the mainsheet may be attached to which allows its position to be adjusted

Trim - to adjust the sails, also the position of the sails

Tuning - the adjustment of the standing rigging, the sails and the hull to balance the boat for optimum performance

Wake - the swell caused by a boat passing through water

Whisker pole - a light spar which holds the jib out when sailing downwind

Winch - a metal drum shaped device used to assist in trimming sails

Windward - upwind
-----------------------
http://www.andrews.com/kysc/terms.html
http://thedailynews.com/boats/nauticalterms.htm
http://www.bosunsmate.org/glossary/
http://www.marineinstitute.org/nautical%20terms.htm

[nies]

Don't worry about it , just sail, the "line /rope" doesn't know if is a jib sheet or a main sheet....after sailing a while the terms have meaning........old timers like to showoff using terms your not up to speed on.....Phil

[gmerrill]

thanks for the help guys i guess i really don't need to know many terms since i mostly sail alone. i guess i'll practice
on myself

greg
07 legacy

[Craig Weis]

Did not read 'Charley Noble' on this list.

skip.

[HideAway]

Wow that's quite a list - and there is a lot more - books of them.

What I teach my beginning adult students is the importance of boat operations and that everyone know them.  For instance we always teach the tacking command as Ready About and require the crew to respond when they are ready and to hold this position until the Capt gives the Hard Alee command or stand down.   Same thing with the gybe.   Ready to Jibe and the action command Jibe Ho.   The next thing on the list is to know the difference between Port and Starboard and why that is important.  After that comes wind awareness, steerage, and sail trim.    The rest comes with time and interest.

Posh for instance means Port Out Starboard Home and refers to  ships sailing from England to Africa  never left sight of land so on the out bound trip the land is on the port but homeward bound its starboard- you had it made when you're going home.

In the days when boats were steered from a board over one side an easy way to remember which side of the boat to put on the dock was the port side vs the steering board side - later known as starboard

And after the loss of the Mary Celeste new rules were enforced concerning how to load alcohol kegs to prevent explosion.  Store High In Transit became the law.  And since it was bad duty it acquired a bad connotation and since each pallet was labeled with those letters a new word came into our culture ----  Matt

[adifferentdrummer]

Did not read 'Charley Noble' on this list.

skip.

Did I leave old Charley Noble off the list? How thoughtless of me! I did have the pleasure to make his acquaintance once on a long voyage. After being sent to search all about the ship for him, I found him sitting up on deck above the galley having a smoke. What a joke on me, and what a smoker was he!;-)

Milt

[Craig Weis]

You got it Toyota!

skip.