A | B | C | D | E | F |
G | H | I | J | K | L |
M | N | O | P | Q | R |
S | T | U | V | W | X |
Y | Z
A
alee - adv. At or to the leeward side.
apparent wind - The combination of true wind
and wind caused by the motion of a vessel.
B
backstay - n. Part of the standing rigging,
a line or cable used to reinforce the mast by connecting the top of the mast to the stern
of a vessel.
beam - n. The width of of a vessel at its
widest point.
beam reach - Sailing with the wind approximately
90 degress off the vessel's centerline (abeam).
beating - v. Sailing almost into the wind.
before the wind - Sailing with the wind directly
behind the vessel. Also known as running.
bow - n. The front portion of a vessel.
C
clew - n. The aft bottom corner
of a sail.
COLREGS - (The International Regulations for
Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972) Rules of the road governing vessels operating on
the high seas.
D
E
F
foot - n. The bottom edge
of a sail.
G
H
"Hard a lee!" - Traditional command given by
skipper or helmsman to indicate the start of a tacking maneuver. Refers to the action
of pushing the tiller to the leeward side of the vessel which initiates the process.
head - n. 1) The top corner
of a sail. 2) Sometimes used to refer to the forward end of a vessel (eg. A vessel
that is trimmed poorly because it has taken on water or has too much weight forward, may
find itself "down by the head").
hull speed - Maximum speed a hull
can attain without planing. It is generally considered to be approximately equal to
the square root of the vessel's waterline length multplied by 1.34.
I
in irons - Used to refer to a sailboat which has lost
all speed because it is headed into (or close enough to) the wind.
J
"Jibe ho!" - Traditional command given by
skipper or helmsman to indicate the start of a jibe maneuver.
K
knot - A unit used to describe the speed
of boat or ship that is equivalent to one nautical mile per hour.
L
leach - n. The aft edge
of a sail.
leeward - (loo-ward) adj.
The side of a vessel, island, peninsula, etc. away from the wind.
line - General term for any rope or
cable that is used on a boat, particularly the standing or running rigging on board
a sailboat. (Remember: There are no "ropes" on a sailboat - only "lines"!)
luff - n. The forward edge
of a sail. - v. Condition of a vessel or sail where the forward edge of
the sail (luff) flaps and becomes less effective usually because the sail is
trimmed in too far.
M
N
nautical mile - A unit of distance equal
to 6080 feet used on boats, ships, and airplanes (compare to the statute mile).
O
P
planing - A situation in which a hull is supported
by the hydrodynamic forces while moving through the water in addition to displacement
buoyancy.
Q
R
riprap - n. Large slabs of stone
used as a protective barrier at the edge of a body of water.
running - Sailing with the wind directly
behind the vessel.
S
sheet - Line used to control the
angle of a sail with respect to apparent wind.
statute mile - A unit of distance equal
to 5280 feet used on land (compare to the nautical
mile).
T
tack - n. 1) The forward bottom corner
of a sail. 2) A heading with respect to wind direction maintained by a sailboat.
v. A turning maneuver where the bow of the vessel passes through the wind (also
refered to as "coming about").
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
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