Aast: Command to stop the current actions
Abaft: The direction towards the stern of the boat; back.
Abeam: In an angle of 90 degrees to the keel of the boat.
Above deck: On the deck of the boat, not aloft
Abreast: Side by side, normally referring to ships or boats that are aligned like that.
Adrift: Lose in the sense of not anchored or moored.
Aft: The direction towards the stern of the boat; backwards.
Ahead: Part of the domain name of the coolest website on sailing; in forward direction; front
Alee: Facing away from the wind
Aloft: Above the deck of the boat, not “above deck”
Anchorage: Not only a city in Alaska, but also the spot where you anchor your vessel; normally evaluated according to tides, wind and ground; sometimes used for the ground only
Anchor: Heavy device usually from metal with flukes that secure a boat by getting attached to the ground
Anchor Cable or Anchor Warp: Chain or rope that connects the anchor with the vessel
Anchor windlass: A mechanism that is used in yachts to raise an anchor through the warp around a drum
Anemometer: Navigational instrument that measures the speed of the apparent wind
Anticyclone: High-pressure area, a meteorology term
Antifouling Paint: Paint with toxic chemicals that is applied to the hull to reduce or prevent marine growth
Apparent wind: The subjective wind that results from true wind and the wind produced by motion
Astern: in backward direction; back; abaft the stern
Athwartships: in a 90 degree angle to the centerline of the vessel
B
Backstay: Wiring that supports the mast; tensions the forestay
Backwind: To loosen the trim of a mainsail so that it flaps – reduces heeling
Bahamas: An archipelago and country in the Caribbean, among the favorite destinations for cruisers especially from the US and Canada
Ballast Weight: A Weight normally of metal and placed deep in the hull to balance the boat
Barber Hauler: A line connected with the jib sail to control its adjustments
Bareboating: Renting a boat with no crew, generally for vacations
Barograph: A device that measures air pressure
Batten: A light strip that supports the roach
Beam: Maximum width of a boat
Bearing: The direction of any object from your vessel
Bearing away: To turn a vessel away from the wind
Beaufort Scale: A table that ranks wind strengths and describes accompanying features
Belay: Securing a line in a cleat fitting; order to ignore the previous order
Below: Underneath the deck of a boat
Bending on: To mount the mainsail to the boom
Bermuda sloop: The most “classic” rig with a triangular mainsail and a jib
Bight: The part of a rope that is used for making knots
Bilge: The parts of the hull that curve inwards to form the bottom
Bilge board: Centerboard structure to decrease sideways drift
Bilge pump: A pump to remove water from the bottom of the hull
Binnacle: Device holding and stabilizing a compass
Bitter End: The “end” of a rope, to part that stays on board, for example of the anchor rode
Boat Hook: Metal device with a fitting often mounted to a stick that is used for any sort of fiddling with ropes, sails or pirate.
Boom: Free-moving structure that is attached to the mast normally in a 90 degrees angle; holds the foot of a sail
Boom Crutch: Supporting structure for the boom, stabilizes it when the boat is anchored
Boot top: Mark to indicate the waterline
Bottlescrew: A fitting to control the tension on the forestay
Bow: Front edge of a boat
Bow fitting: Fitting to which the jib is attached
Bower anchor: Main anchor of a boat
Bowline: Mooring rope that is attached to the bow
Breast rope: The mooring rope or anchor warp that is used on yachts and cruisers
Bridge: A rather widely used term for the place from which a boat is commanded
Bridge Deck: Mostly used to describe the intermediate deck between cabin and cockpit in small to medium-sized cruisers
Brightwork: Polished and shiny wood or brass on a boat
Bulkhead: Structure that divides the hull and is often constructed in a way to stabilize the boat
Bullseye: A round fitting or hole through which a rope or line is led to re-direct it.
Buoy: An anchored, floating structure that is used as a signal; often indicates the presence of divers, dangers, mooring spots or other things of significance. Often color- or flag coded.
Buoyancy tanks: Sealed tanks in the hull of dinghies that contain buoyancy to support the boat in case it capsizes
Burgee: A little flag on the top of a mast that indicates the direction of the wind
C
Cabin: A room on a boat for passengers and crew
Cabin sole: The floor of a cabin
California: A state of the US and a region in Mexico; the Gulf of California is among the most heavily used sailing destinations in the World
Capsize: When the boat turns over to 90 (bad) or 180 (worse) degrees, normally due to high wind-exposure
Capstan: Device to wind rope, for example to lift the anchor
Caribbean: The area between Florida and South America, including the Gulf of Mexico; among the World’s most popular destinations for cruises
Catamaran: A sailing vessel with two aligned hulls
Centerboard: A board normally attached to dinghies to reduce the sideways drift. Lifts around a pin, unlike a daggerboard, which is released vertically.
Centerline: Center of the fore-and-aft line
Center of forces: The spot on a vessel on which all forces act centrally
Chain plate: A fitting that is used to attach stays to the boat
Chart: A map that is used in navigation
Chine: The edge between the side of the boat and the bottom; it is called a chine only in boats in which the angle between the two actually forms an angle
Chock: Normally round fitting in the boat to hold the anchor- or mooring rope.
Class: A group of boats of the same design, relevant for races and regattas
Cleat: Fitting that is used to fix and secure lines that are in frequent use
Clew: The lower aft corner of a sail
Clove Hitch: Common knot; often used to bind a rope to a piling
Close reach: Steering off a close-hauled course by approximately 20 degrees
Close-hauled: To sail a boat as close to the wind as possible
Club: Societies of mostly non-professional sailors that sail for pleasure; the first sailing clubs developed in the 17th century in England
Coaming: A wall-like extension above the deck to protect the cockpit from wind and water
Cockpit: The place on the deck from where the boat is handled or commanded; varies in size and importance from boat to boat
Col regs: International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
Communication system: Radio or satellite systems used on yachts for communication
Companionway: Stairway, ladder or entrance to the cabin
Compass: Navigational tool that points to the magnetic north pole; read more on choosing a compass
Compass north: The direction in which the compass points – not matching the geographic north
Counter: The part of the hull that lies above the water at the stern.
Course: Direction into that a boat sails or otherwise moves
Coxswain: Sailor commanding or navigating a small boat
Crew: Everybody on board that is in charge with some aspect of operating the vessel
Croatia: A country in the Mediterranean that is blessed with a long coast and fantastic islands – our personal favorite in Europe
Cruise: Pleasure trip on a yacht or ship
Cuddy: Small cabin on a boat, often an emergency shelter or storage space
Cunningham: Device to pull the main sail tighter, in order to flatten and control it
Current: Movement of water; for sailing normally outlined in two dimensions (surface currents)
Cutter: A yacht with one mast and two headsails
D
Daggerboard: A board normally attached to dinghies to reduce sideways drift. Released vertically, unlike a centerboard, which lifts around a pin
Danbuoy: A marker that is attached to a lifebuoy
Danger Zone: The area between your dead ahead of a boat to abaft of its starboard beam.
Davit: Minicrane fitted to a vessel to lift heavy pieces of equipment
Dead Ahead: Straight forwards direction.
Dead Astern: Straight aft direction.
Deadlight: Fixed light in a cabin’s roof.
Deck: Solid covering over a hull, does not always cover all of it
Depression: Low-pressure area in meteorology
Dew point: The point of temperature and air pressure at which water vapor forms mist or fog
DGPS: Differential Global Positioning System
Dinghy: A small to medium sized, open boat
Dismasting: If the mast breaks and goes off. Sucks badly.
Displacement: The amount of water that is displaced by a boat and thereof – according to Archimedes – as heavy as the boat
Ditty Bag: Bag used for storing and carrying small items of passengers or crew
Dock: A protected area that is normally part of a port where boats can be moored.
Dodger: A simple, protective screen that protects the cockpit from wind and water; also used for cloth that is used for weather protection of boats or accessories
Downhaul: The rope that is used to pull a sail down
Downwind: All courses further away from the wind than a beam reach
Draft: The depth of water that a boat draws
Drift: Strength of a tidal current
Driving force: Force produced by catching wind in a sail and transmitting the energy into a the mast
Dry Sailing: The storage of boats onshore to reduce the deterioration of the material
E
Ebb: A receding current, from German “Ebbe”.
EP: Estimated Position, a value plotted on a map or chart in temporal intervals
EPIRB: Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacon. Radio signaling aid that allows the transmission of emergency position calls
