:: Sailing Program
Sailing Glossary
- Aft: Toward the stern, or back, of the boat
- Apparent wind: The result of wind direction
modified by the boat's forward movement
- Batten: A plastic strip that fits into the following
edge of the sail (the leech) to stiffen the sail
- Beam reach: The point of sail at which the boat is
sailing at a 90 degree angle to the wind
- Bear Off: To alter the boat's course away from the
wind
- Bearing: The direction of an object from your boat
Beaufort Scale: A scale for measuring wind
strength
- Bow: The front of the sailboat
- Broad Reach: The point of sail at which the boat is
sailing away from the wind but not straight
downwind. The wind hits either of the stern
quarters.
- Buoy: A float that is attached by a line to the sea
bottom
- By the Lee: Sailing downwind with the wind
blowing over the leeward side of the sail,
creating an unexpected jibe
- Capsize: Accidental overturning of the boat
- Centerboard: A keel design that pivots into the<
water for lateral resistance and into the boat
when not needed
- Cleat: A fitting attached to a boat or a dock used to
secure a rope
- Close Hauled: The point of sail at which the boat
is sailing as close to the wind as possible
- Close Reach: The point of sail at which the boat is
sailing toward the wind but not close hauled
- Course: The direction you are sailing according to
compass or wind angle
- Crew: The person (or people) who assists the
helmsman by trimming the sails
- Downhaul: Attaches to the boom by the mast and
tightens the luff by pulling the boom down
- Draft: The depth of the boat, measured from the
waterline to the lowest point of the boat
- Ease: Let out, as in "ease the sheets or sails"
- Forward Toward: the front of the boat
- Jibing: Turning the stern of the boat through the
wind, the sail and boom changes sides
- Grounding: When the hull or keel is against the
sea floor
- Halyard: A line used to raise or lower sails by
connecting to the head of the sail
- Haul: To pull in, as in “haul in the mainsheet”
- Head Up: To alter course toward the wind
- Heel: The angle at which a boat leans over when
sailing
- Helm: A boat's steering apparatus; also a measure
of balance between hull and sails indicated by steering effort
- Helmsman: The person who steers the boat
- In "Irons" Stuck head to wind with sails luffing
and no steerage
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- Jib: The forward sail attached to the forestay
- Jibe: To shift from one side to the other when running before the wind, as a fore-and-aft sail or its boom
- Knot: A measure of wind or boat speed: one
nautical mile (6060.2 feet) per hour
- Leeward: The side of the boat that the wind does
not hit, the same side that the boom is on
- Luff: The forward edge of a sail
- Luffing: Sails flogging in the wind, the boat is
without sail power
- Mainsail: The primary sail attached to the mast
and boom; the "main"
- Mainsheet: The line attached to the mainsail, via
the boom, to control the trim (adjustment)
- Mooring: A fixed float with a permanent anchor,
used for overnight storage of a boat
- One design: Any boat built to conform to rules so
that it is identical to all others in the same racing
class
- Outhaul: Attaches to the clew of the main and
adjusts the main's foot tension
- Points of Sail: The direction in which the boat is
sailing relative to the wind
- Port side: The left side of the boat when you're
facing forward
- Port tack: When the wind blows over the port side
thus the boom is on the starboard side
- Port: To the left
- Rudder: An underwater blade used to steer the
boat, attached to the stern
- Run: The point of sail at which the wind is directly
behind the boat
- Reaching: The point of sail at which the wind on
the beam
- Sheet: A line used to trim or ease sails
- Shroud/Stay: Fixed wire rope that supports the
masts
- Spinnaker A large, light sail used for sailing
downwind
- Starboard side: The right side of the boat when
you're facing forward
- Starboard tack: When the wind blows over the
starboard side of the boat and the boom is on
the port side
- Starboard: To the right
- Stern: The back of the sailboat
- Tacking: Turning the bow of the boat through the
wind with the sails changing sides
- Tiller: attached to the rudder, used to steer the
sailboat
- Trim: Pull in, as in "trim the sails"
- True wind: The wind strength or direction felt when the boat is stationary
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>> Full details in UMass Boston online Sailing Booklet
