Abeam –
positioned in the centre of the boat. Aft – a
part of the boat at or near the stern. Apparent
wind – the mean between real and created wind. Astern –
positioned behind the boat. Backwinding
– when caught in irons, pushing mainsail out in order to
catch the wind and
move back into a point of sailing. Battens –
thin strips of wood or fiberglass that fit in to help stiffen and give
shape to
sails. Beam – the
widest part of the boat, usually in about the centre. Bearing –
the point a sailor chooses to sail toward. Bearing
away – the action of steering the
boat’s bow away from the direction of the
wind. Also known as ‘coming down’. Beating –
sailing upwind, using the action of ‘Tacking’. Boom –
pole
at the bottom of the mainsail, attached to the mast. Boom vang
–
the control rope that runs from the underside of the boom down to the
bottom of
the mast. The boom vang is used to keep the boom down and under control. Bow – the
front of the boat (the ‘pointy end’). Bowline –
a
common sailing knot that doesn’t slip.Photo examples*
of tying a bowline1 and
2 Broad reach
– a direction or point-of-sail 135-degrees from the wind
source. Catamaran
–
a boat with two or more hulls. Cat –
catamaran. Capsize –
to overturn a boat.A
photo example of righting your boat after a capsize.
* Caught in
irons – then the bow is pointed upwind and the
boat cannot move or turn. Centreboard
– a stabilizing board located underneath the hull. Cleat – a
fitting used to secure lines. Cleat knot
– the knot used to secure lines to cleats.A
photo exampe of tying a cleat knot on a mainsail
halyard. * Clew – the
back corner of a sail. Close-hauled
– describes the direction or point of sail 45-degrees from
the wind source. Cockpit –
the area indented into the deck where the crew sit and from which they
sail the
boat. Created
wind – the wind created from forward movement. Cunningham
– the control rope that runs from the tack of the mainsail
down to the deck or
in the cockpit; used to adjust the tension of the luff of the mainsail. Daggerboard
– cf. ‘Centreboard’. Deck – the
flat area that covers the top surface of the boat. Downhaul –
the line that adjusts vertical tension in the mainsail. Downwind –
a direction with the wind, facing away from the wind source; Sailing
with the
wind coming from behind the boat. Figure of Eight knot
- useful for preventing a rope end from slipping through a block. A photo example
of tying a Figure of Eight knot. * Foot – the
bottom of a sail. Fore – a
part of a boat at or near the bow. Forestay –
the wire mast support attached to the bow. Forward –
towards the front (bow) of the boat, pronounced
“for’ard”. Gooseneck –
a flexible fitting connecting the mast and boom, which allows the boom
to
swing. Gunwales –
the top edges of the boat, at the upper outside edge of the topsides.
Pronounced
“gunnels”. Gybing –
changing direction when sailing downwind, so that the stern passes
through the
eye of the wind. Cf. ‘Jibing’.A
photo example. * Halyard –
the line that hauls up the sail and holds it there. Head – the
top corner of a sail. Headsail –
cf. ‘Jib’. Hull– the
body of the boat that sits in the water. Jib – the
smaller triangular sail attached to the bow. Jibing –
turning with the wind on a downwind course by pulling the tiller in or
away
from the sail(s). cf. ‘Gybing’.A
photo example. * Kicker –
cf. ‘Boom vang’. Knot – a
nautical unit of speed equaling 1.15 mph. Laser –
make of a small, single-sail dinghy known for its maneuverability. Leach –
the
trailing edge of a sail. Leeward –
The direction away from which the wind is blowing. Pronounced
‘loo-erd’. Luff –
leading edge of a sail. Also a verb – the flapping of
untrimmed sails. Luffing up
– the action of steering the boat’s bow up into or
towards the direction of the
wind to bring the boat onto an upwind course, or beyond it. Also known
as
‘coming up’. Mainsail –
the larger sail attached to the boom, flown aft of the mast. Mast – the
big pole holding up the sails. Monohull –
a boat with a single hull. Off the
wind – cf. ‘Downwind’. On the wind
– cf. ‘Upwind’. Outhaul –
the line that adjusts the horizontal tension along the foot or bottom
of the
mainsail. Point of
sail – the angle to the wind at which a boat is
sailing; a sailing direction
with specific trimming requirements. Port tack
–
when the wind blows over the port (left) side of the boat.An
illustration. * Port – on
the left
as a sailor faces forward toward the bow. Reach –
the
direction or point of sail 90-degrees from the wind source. Real wind
–
the true, natural wind direction as opposed to created or apparent wind. Rigging –
setting up a boat, making ready for sailing. Roll Tacking
- a form of tacking in light winds. View
a demonstration. * Rudder –
the turning blade in the water, at the stern (rear), attached to the
tiller. Rules -
there are some basic
rules that apply whilst underway on the water. Run;
Running – the direction or point of sail
180-degrees from the wind source (ie.
from behind). Sheet –
the
line used to control the sail. Shrouds –
the wire mast supports attached to the sides of the boat. Also known as
‘Stays’. Sloop – a
sailboat with a jib and a mainsail. Spinnaker –
a symmetrical, curved downwind sail, flown off its own boom, forward of
the
mast. Starboard
–
on the right as a sailor faces forward towards the bow. Starboard
tack – when the wind blows over the starboard
(right) side.An illustration.
* Stays –
see
‘Shrouds’. Stern –
the
back of the boat (the ‘blunt end’). Tack – the
forward corner of a sail. Tacking –
turning into the wind by zigzagging on an upwind course, by pushing the
tiller
away or towards the sail(s); changing direction when sailing upwind, so
that
the bow of the boat passes through the eye of the wind. Telltails
–
small pieces of material attached to sails or shrouds indicating wind
direction. Tiller –
the steering handle attached to the rudder. Tiller extension
– swiveling small length of pole attached to the tiller. Transom –
the flat, vertical area at the stern (back) of the boat, to which the
rudder is
attached. Also know as the “Tuck”. Trimming –
adjusting
sail tension by pulling in or letting out the sheets. Upwind – a
direction against the wind, facing towards the wind source; Sailing as
close to
the wind direction as possible. Vang – cf.
‘Boom vang’. White
horses – foaming crests of waves that are about
to break. Caused by winds
stronger than Force 3. Wind circle
– the circular diagram universally used to explain the points
of sail. Windward –
situated or moving towards the wind source; the direction from which
the wind
is blowing.An illustration.
* Sources Ell, S., Dinghy
Sailing, New Holland,
London, 2001. Werner,
D.,
Sailor’s Start-Up: A Beginner’s Guide to
Sailing, 2nd edn,
Tracks, California, 2001.
