Descriptionary

founder the sinking of a boat as it fills with water.

freeboard the portion of the hull that is not under water.

furl to roll up a sail on its boom or spar. galley a kitchen.

gangplank a bridge walk set as a ramp between a vessel and the dock, to facilitate boarding.

Genoa a large headsail or jib.

ghosting sailing in a calm when the wind is appar­ently absent.

gimbals fixtures that allow objects, such as a lamp, a barometer, or a compass, to swivel and remain level in rough seas.

gunkholing sailing in shallow waters.

gunwale the uppermost edge of the hull's sides, pro­nounced gunnel.

guy a line or wire.

halyard any line used to hoist a sail.

hand one of the crew.

hard alee to come about.

harden up to sail closer to the wind.

hatch a doorway in a deck.

hawser a heavy line used for mooring or towing.

head the top edge of a sail. Also, a toilet.

heading the direction the boat is sailing in.

headsail any sail set forward of the mast, such as a drifter, jib, or Genoa.

head sea current that is running in the opposite direction of the vessel.

heave crew's pulling together.

heave to stop forward motion by backing the headsail.

heaving line the mooring line with weighted end, tossed to someone on a dock.

heel the lean or angle of a vessel when sailing.

helm the steering wheel or the tiller.

helmsman the person who steers.

hike to lean far out over the side of a boat to help counter extreme heeling.

hiking straps footstraps used to help secure crew members when hiking.

hoist to raise a sail.

hold a storage area below deck.

hove down extreme heeling.

in irons stopped while turning against the wind.

jib a triangular headsail.

jib boom extending beyond the bowsprit, a spar to take an extra headsail.

jibe to tack while sailing downwind.

jury-rig to construct a makeshift part to replace a damaged part, a required skill of sailors.

kedge a means of freeing a boat that has run aground on a sandbar, specifically by throwing an anchor in front of the boat and then pulling the boat free. Also, the small anchor used for this purpose.

keel the fixed fore-and-aft member or backbone of a vessel's bottom.

kite a spinnaker.

labor to roll and pitch in heavy seas.

landfall the first sighting of land.

lanyard any short piece of line used to secure a loose object, such as a pail or a tool, or for fastening riggings.

lash to secure a loose object with line.

launch a small boat used to carry people from land to a moored vessel, or vice versa.

lay up to store a boat during winter.

lazarette a small storage compartment in the stern.

leading edge the front portion of a sail.

lee to leeward; on the side of the boat protected from the wind.

leech the unattached edge of a triangular sail.

leeward the direction the wind is blowing, pro­nounced loo'ard.

leeway sideways motion of a boat, pushed by the wind or current.

line rope.

list leaning of a vessel caused not by wind or current but by unbalanced weight on board.

log an instrument fixed to a vessel's keel for measur­ing speed. Also, a journal of daily courses, distances sailed, weather conditions, and similar entries.

luff the leading edge of a sail.

luff up to sail into the wind, causing the leech of the sail to flap.

mainsail the main or largest sail on a boat, pro­nounced "mains'l."

make fast to secure a line.

Marconi-rigged a triangular sail rigged fore and aft. Also known as Bermuda-rigged.

mast the large, vertical spar to which sails are attached.

masthead the top of the mast.

masthead fly at the masthead, a weathervane or wind indicator.

midships in or near the middle of the ship. Also known as amidships.

mizzenmast the aftmost mast on a yawl or a ketch. moor to tie up a boat.

mooring an anchorage, often marked with a buoy and pennant.

outhaul the line used to increase tension on the foot of the mainsail.

painter see bowline.

passage a voyage from one place to another.

pay off to turn the bow away from the wind.

pay out to let out line.

piloting navigating.

pinch to sail too close to the wind.

pitch the rockinghorse-like, fore-and-aft motion of a vessel moving over waves.

pitchpole the complete somersaulting of a vessel in very heavy seas.

planing skimming across the water.

plot to draw out a course and bearings.

port the left side of a vessel when one is looking forward; opposite of starboard.

porthole a window.

port tack a tack in which the wind is blowing over a vessel's port side.

pram a small dinghy, used as a tender.

pulpit the safety rail at the bow and the stern.

quarters the living and sleeping space below deck.

raise a light to spot a light on shore.