| TERM | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
| Bow | The forward part of the boat |
| Stern | The back of the boat (aft part of the boat) |
| Starboard | When looking from the stern to the bow, the RIGHT side is called starboard |
| Port | When looking from the stern to the bow, the LEFT side is called starboard |
| Forward | Towards the bow of the boat (Pronounced as Forrad – sailor terms) |
| Aft | Towards the stern of the boat |
| Three As | Ahead Abeam Astern |
| Beam | Width of the boat at its widest point |
| Quarter | The side of the boat aft of the beam. There are 2 quarters in a boat – port quarter and starboard quarter |
| Mast | The highest spar (Vertical pole) in the center of the boat |
| Boom | The horizontal spar that is attached to the mast to support the bottom part of the main sail |
| 4 parts of the hull | 1. Deck 2. Bottom 3. Topsides (Free board) 4. Buoyancy tanks |
| Topsides a.k.a. Freeboard | The area of the boat between the waterline and the deck |
| Buoyancy tanks | water tight compartments designed to reduce the possibility of the boat sinking |
| 4 main parts of the boat | 1. Hull 2. Sails 3. Rudder 4. Keel |
| Cockpit | The area in the deck where the steering controls (Tiller or wheel) are located |
| Transom | The vertical part of the stern |
| Tiller | Steering rod that controls the rudder |
| Tiller movement | Move the tiller to the left (port) and the boat moves to the right (starboard) |
| Three Ts | Tiller Towards Trouble should keep you out of trouble |
| Winch | A device used to tighten a line |
| Keel | weighted fin shaped appendage at the bottom of the boat |
| Gooseneck | Special hinge that connects the boom to the mast |
| Boom topping lift | A line that connects the top of the mast to the end of the boom (to prevent the boom from falling when the mainsail is down) |
| Types of Rigging | 1. Standing Rigging 2. Running Rigging |
| Types of standing rigging | 1. Backstay 2. Forestay 3. Shrouds 4. Spreaders |
| Backstay | A wire between the top of the mast to the stern |
| Backstay Bridle | On some boats a V-shaped bridle is attached to the backstay, allowing the backstay to split |
| Headstay | A wire that runs between the bow to the top of the mast |
| Forestay | When the forward stay (head stay) doesn’t reach the top of the mast, it is called the forestay |
| Shrouds | Wires from the mast to the sides of the boat (both port and starboard sides) to provide lateral stability |
| Spreader | Horizontal spars on the mast that spread the shrouds (present on both port and starboard sides) |
| Chainplates | A metal plate bolted to the side of the boat to which shrouds are attached. (each side has one) |
| Running rigging | Lines that control the sails of the boat |
| Types of Running rigging | 1. Halyard 2. Sheets 3. Boomvang 4. Outhaul 5. Reefing line |
| Halyard | The line used to raise the sail |
| Sheet | The line used to adjust the sail against the force of the wind |
| No of sheets | The mainsail has one sheet The jib has 2 sheets – windward and leeward sheets |
| Boomvang | A line which places downward tension on the boom |
| Outhaul | A line that places backward tension on the clew of the main sail |
| Reefing line | A line used to shorten the sail |
| Mainsheet | A line that trims the mainsail |
| Block | A block is a nautical term used for a pulley |
| 3 common devices used to secure lines | 1. Cam Cleat 2. Deck Cleat 3. Rope clutch |
| Types of sails | 1. Main sail 2. jib sail (Foresail) 3. Genoa (Foresail) |
| Hank | These are clips that fasten the sail to the stay |
| Jib sheet | The line that controls the jib |
| Types of foresails | 1. Jib 2. Genoa |
| Genoa | Triangular sail attached to the forestay that overlaps the mainsail |
| Parts of a sail | 1. Luff 2. Leach 3. Foot |
| Luff | The edge of the sail that is closer to the bow of the boat (forward edge) |
| Leech | It is the back edge of the sail |
| Roach | Curved portion at the edge of the sail |
| Battens | Plastic or wooden strips that stabilize the roach |
| Corners of the sail | 1. Head 2. Clew 3. Tack |
| WHere is the clew | The clew is by the crew |
| 6 terms that universally describe the direction of wind during sailing | 1. In Irons 2. Close haul 3. Close reaching 4. Beam reaching 5. Broad reaching 6. Running |
| Terms that describe heading up into the wind | 1. In Irons 2. Close haul 3. Close reaching |
| Term that describes wind coming at right angle or over the beam of the boat | Beam reaching |
| Terms that describe sailing down wind | 1. Broad reaching 2. Running |
| In Irons | Sailing into the wind |
| Close haul | Sailing close to the direction of the wind |
| Reaching | Sailing with the wind coming across the boat |
| Close reaching | Of the 3 reachings, close reach is the only one sailing up wind. |
| Beam reaching | Wind coming across the beam |
| Broad reaching | Sailing downwind |
| Running | Sailing with the wind directly behind the boat |
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