Descriptionary

beat to sail to windward close-hauled while tacking; to make a series of tacks on an upwind course.

Beaufort wind scale a wind and sea classification scale, from 0 (flat calm) to 12 (hurricane winds with waves reaching 14 meters).

becalmed unable to move due to wind failure.

belay to wrap or secure a line around a cleat or belaying pin.

belaying pin a wood or metal pin around which line is secured.

bend a sail to attach a sail to the boom and mast.

berth a docking space. Also, a sleeping compartment.

bilge the area beneath the cabin floor, where water (bilge water) tends to collect.

binnacle an encased compass mounted on a pedestal.

bitt a short post on a deck or dock, used for belay­ing mooring lines.

bitter end the last link of an anchor chain as it is let out. Also, the end of any line.

blanket the loss of wind when one boat positions itself directly upwind of a downwind boat.

block a pulley.

blooper an L-shaped sail.

board to get on or walk on a boat.

boat hook a pole used to aid in mooring or for securing another boat.

boom the spar on which the bottom or food of a sail is secured.

boom vang a tackle attached to the boom to keep it from rising.

bosun's chair a seat in which a crew member is hoisted to conduct work aloft.

bow the front of a vessel.

bowline a mooring line at the bow. Also known as a painter.

bowsprit a spar projecting beyond the bow, for attaching a headsail.

break ground to break an anchor free from the sea bottom.

breakwater a barrier to protect a harbor from heavy seas.

brightwork collective term for all metal fittings and varnished woodwork.

broach to lose control of the boat, which swings about sideways.

bulkhead a partition.

bulwarks the raised sides of a vessel, above the upper deck.

buoy a flotation device, sometimes having bells and lights, for marking banks, channels, and hazards.

burgee a yacht club pennant.

cabin living space below deck.

camber the curvature of a sail.

cast off to release mooring lines and set sail.

catamaran a twin-hulled sailboat.

centerboard the large center fin or plate, used in place of a keel; it helps prevent rolling. See dagger- board, keel.

chock a deck fitting through which lines are passed.

cleat a one- or two-prolonged fixture around which line is belayed.

clew the lower aft corner of a fore-and-aft sail.

clinometer an instrument that measures a vessel's sideway inclination or heel.

close-hauled as close to the oncoming wind direc­tion as possible without luffing.

clove hitch a temporary mooring knot that comes united with sideways tension.

cockpit where the steering wheel or the tiller is located.

come about to alter a boat's course from one tack to another.

companionway a stairway or ladder descending to the cabin.

cordage commonly used term for any thick line or rope.

course heading; direction.

crabbing moving sideways through the water; mak­ing leeway.

cradle the framed support upon which a vessel rests on shore.

cringle a ring through which rope is threaded in a sail. Also known as a grommet.

daggerboard a small, daggerlike centerboard, com­monly found on small boats.

dead ahead directly ahead.

dead reckoning navigating by deduction through knowledge of current position, speed, and heading.

deep-six to throw something overboard.

doldrums equatorial region of the ocean, notorious for its dead calms, the bane of sailors.

downhaul the tackle used to increase tension on the luff of a sail.

draft the portion of a vessel that is submerged. Also known as the draw.

drifter a headsail used in faint winds.

drogue a conelike sea anchor.

earing a short line used to secure a reefed sail to the boom.

ensign a national flag. fall off see bear off.

fender any kind of cushioning hung over the hull of a boat to protect it from contact with a dock or another boat.

fend off to push off with the feet, hands, or a boat hook to avoid contact with another boat or a dock.

fetch to sail close-hauled without the need to tack.

fittings hardware and fixtures on a vessel.

fix an exact position, as deduced by navigational skills.

flemish to coil a line flat on a deck in order to dry it uniformly.

following sea current that is traveling in the same direction as the vessel.

foot the bottom edge of a sail.

fore near or at the bow.

fore and aft from the bow to the stern.

foredeck the deck portion forward of the mast.

foresail a triangular sail attached forward of the mast and pronounced "for's'l."

forestay rigging extending from the top of the mast to the bow to keep the mast from moving backwards.

foul to entangle.