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by
Steven R. Van Hook
HowToSail.us
 Learning
to sail takes mastering a second language; a collection of salty
words cobbled from tongues ancient and scattered, and rarely
seems to describe what a part actually does.
Here's a
sampling of a work in progress:
Ropes,
lines sheets: a rope is a rope on the dock, a line
once you bring it aboard your boat, and a sheet once you attached it to a
sail.
Windward: Toward the
wind
Leeward / Lee: Away
from the wind
Beam:
Width of a boat at its widest point
Port: the
left side of the boat (think both have four letters)
Starboard: the
right side of the boat (notices all the r's in starboard)
Stern:
the rear of the boat
Bow:
the front of the boat
Knot: 6,076 feet or one
nautical mile per hour
Displacement: Weight of water displaced by a
boat
Points of Sail
Close Hauled: Most windward point of
sailing, about 45 degrees; sails in tight
Close Reach: between close hauled and beam
reach; sails at 25%
Beam Reach: wind across the beam, sails at 50%
degrees
Broad Reach: wind from behind, sails at 75%
Running: lee wind, sails full, sailing on
the lee
Heading Up: turn towards the wind (windward)
Falling Off / Backing Away: turn away from the wind
(leeward)
Sail Terms
Mainsail
Jib (Headsail)
Genoa (Headsail)
Spinnaker (Chute)
Head: Top of a sail (also the onboard
potty)
Tack: Forward lower corner of a sail,
where luff and foot meet
Clew: Outer corner of a sail
Luff: Forward vertical edge of a sail
Foot: Bottom length of sail
Leech: After edge of a sail
Battens: Pocket strips in leech of
sail to help hold its form
Draft: Depth or fullness of a sail
Heave to: backwind jib on close reach
Lying to: beam to wind with sails luffing
Headstay
Backstay
Shrouds (Sidestays)
Running Rigging
Halyards
Mainsheet
Jib Sheets
Topping Lift
Downhaul
Outhaul
Cunningham
Sheave
Block (Pulley)
Internal & External Halyards
Main Halyard
Jib Halyard
Turning Blocks
Padeyes
Wenches
Wench Handle
Boom Topping Lift
Toe Rail / Jib Track
Jib Fairlead
Boom Vang
Boom Vang Preventer
Right of way:
Starboard tack stands on while port tack
pouts (gives way)
Downwind tack stands on while upwind tack
gives way
Overtaking vessel gives way to passed vessel
Coming to or jibing vessel gives way to tack
vessel
Steven
R. Van Hook
has cruised California waters since 1976,
starting with a 19-foot Glen-L powerboat in Santa
Barbara Harbor,
and currently sails a Hunter 326 out of
Channel Islands Harbor.
sailor@wwmr.us
http://howtosail.us
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