This area collects water which is then pumped overboard by a bilge pump.īimini: The covering over the cockpit. When a rope forms a bight, it has changed direction 180 degrees.īilge: The lowest area within a boats hull. The batten runs from the back edge of the sail (leech) toward the front edge (luff).īeam: The width of the vessel at its widest point.īeam reach: Sailing with the wind blowing perpendicular to the direction the boat is traveling.īearing off or Bearing away: Steering the boat away from the direction in which the wind is blowing.īerth: A slip, a mooring, or a bed within the boat.īight: A bend or loop in a rope. The weight usually is composed of lead or iron and placed low in the boat's hull, such as within the keel.īatten: a thin, flexible strip (often fiberglass) that is inserted into the main sail to help it stay open to the wind.

This prevents the mast from falling forward.īailer: Any scoop-like container that is used to remove water from within a vessel’s hull.īallast: Weight which adds stability to the vessel. If you go astern, you are going in reverse.Īthwartship: Directionally perpendicular to the centerline of the boat.īacking (a sail): Forcing the sail to take wind into its opposite side by pulling the sail to the opposite side of the boat.īackstay: The wire that runs from the back of the boat to the mast head. This is often different from the true wind direction and speed due to the boat's motion.Īstern: The area behind the boat. For example, the back cabin is referred to as the aft cabin.Īpparent wind: The wind direction and speed which the crew observes to be blowing in combination with the true wind. “Honey, have you seen my boat shoes?” “They’re abaft the navigation table!” This is the opposite of forward.Īft: In the stern of the boat. It is 90 degrees from the centerline of your boat.Ībaft: Toward the stern. I’ve done my best to include pictures when possible.Ībeam: When an object, craft or island is abeam your vessel, that means that it is off the side of your boat. Check out my list of sailing terms and see if a few don’t stick. They would be more likely to give useful advice if you’re able to tell them that you’re struggling to keep wind in the roach of your mainsail. But, if you’re looking for help on why you’re not getting the most speed out of your mainsail and you know don’t know the correct terms for each part of the sail, it may be hard to get advice from you fellow sailor on why ‘the back of the mainsail is flappy’. Sailors are among the kindest, most helpful people you’ll ever meet. I’ve been sailing on and off throughout my life and I know from experience that it is incredibly helpful to know the correct terms for each part of your sails, rigging, and boat.

Many in the sailing community get by without knowing the entire sailing dictionary, but if you’re interested in avoiding vocabulary embarrassment, check out the list I’ve compiled of sailing terms that every sailor ought to know. While even the most seasoned sailor occasionally troops over the vernacular, it is always beneficial to have as wide a nautical vocabulary as possible. your running rigging.īy educating yourself in the correct names of all parts of your sailboat, you can avoid situations in which you may need to use terms such as ‘thingy’ or ‘that round part at the end of that thing’. If you need to have your rigging adjusted, you must know the difference between your shrouds and your stays, your standing rigging vs. Knowing the difference between a clew and a tack, a luff and a leech, will help you communicate with your sail maker regarding which part of your sail needs resewn. Like it or not, it's time to dust off the old noodle and get to memorizing some new vocab words! Nothing in our daily lexicon gives any clues as to what that might mean. Some sailing terms are logical, like 'fore' means forward or front of the boat, while others might as well be in a different language. Learning sailing terms when you first get into boating can be a daunting task.

Sail into the waves meaning