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What every new skipper should know
Know your boat. Sail with confidence.
Before you trim a sail or take the helm, learn the language of the boat. This visual guide makes the essential parts easy to recognize, remember, and use on the water.
Know where things are located on the boat.
Learn what supports the mast and controls the sails.
Recognize the main sails, edges, and corners.
Understand how the crew handles the boat.
Step one · Orientation
Find your way from bow to stern.
Sailors use the same directional words no matter which way a person is facing. Once you know these four, instructions aboard become much clearer.
Bow
The forward end of the boat. Moving toward it means going forward.
Stern
The rear or after end of the boat. Moving toward it means going aft.
Port
The boat’s left side when you are facing forward toward the bow.
Starboard
The boat’s right side when you are facing forward toward the bow.
Navigation lights reinforce it too: port is red, starboard is green.
Interactive boat-parts guide
Explore the essential vocabulary.
Search for a term, choose a category, or open any card for a simple definition and an onboard tip.
HullBody & direction
BowBody & direction
SternBody & direction
PortBody & direction
StarboardBody & direction
BeamBody & direction
DeckBody & direction
CockpitBody & direction
TransomBody & direction
CompanionwayBody & direction
KeelBody & direction
MastRigging
BoomRigging
GooseneckRigging
Standing riggingRigging
Forestay / headstayRigging
BackstayRigging
ShroudsRigging
SpreadersRigging
Running riggingRigging
MainsailSails
JibSails
GenoaSails
LuffSails
LeechSails
FootSails
Head · Tack · ClewSails
Battens & roachSails
RudderSteering & controls
HelmSteering & controls
Tiller / wheelSteering & controls
HalyardSteering & controls
SheetSteering & controls
Winch · block · cleatSteering & controls
Boom vangSteering & controls
Outhaul & reefing lineSteering & controls
Connect words to shapes
Read the numbered sailboat diagram.
Use the list to locate the major sails, hull, steering surface, spars, and rigging. This is a small centerboard boat, so some details differ from the cruising keelboats used in ASA classes—but the core language is transferable.
Language in action
What these words sound like on the water.
Vocabulary becomes useful when you can connect it to an action. These are common instructions you may hear while crewing.
“Ease the mainsheet.”
Let the mainsheet out gradually so the mainsail can move farther away from the boat’s centerline.
“Trim the jib.”
Pull in the working jib sheet to bring the headsail closer to the boat’s centerline.
“Move forward to the bow.”
Move carefully toward the front of the boat while maintaining secure handholds.
“Fender on starboard.”
Place a fender along the right side of the boat when facing forward.
“Ready about.”
The skipper is preparing to tack—turning the bow through the wind—and the crew should prepare the jib sheets.
“Secure it to the cleat.”
Fasten the line properly to the designated cleat so it will hold under load.
Know the words. Protect the crew.
Clear terminology is more than tradition. It helps the crew respond quickly, prevents confusion, and makes every maneuver safer.
The boom can swing rapidly during a tack or jibe. Keep heads low and listen for the skipper’s call.
Keep fingers away from winches, blocks, cleats, and lines under tension. Never wrap a line around your hand.
Use secure handholds and move deliberately, especially when going forward on deck.
A short verbal confirmation tells the skipper that the message was heard and understood.
From vocabulary to capability
Learn the boat by sailing the boat.
Take the next step with hands-on American Sailing instruction on Lake St. Clair. Learn rigging, steering, sail trim, safety, docking, and seamanship with a certified instructor.
