| |
| A |
|
| aspect
ratio |
the relationship between the height and
width of a sail. A tall, narrow sail has a high aspect ratio, while
a short wide sail has a low aspect ratio. |
| about |
as in "going about"
- meaning to change direction by tacking |
| aft |
towards the back of
the boat |
|
amidships |
the centre of the boat |
| astern |
behind a boat, or to
travel backwards |
|
| B |
|
| backstay |
part of the rigging that supports the mast: it goes
from high on the mast down to the stern of the boat. |
|
bail |
to empty water from the boat |
| batten |
a stiffening rod usually slipped into a sleeve attached
to the sail. Some battens support the entire width of the sail ('full
battens'), while others are shorter and support only the trailing
edge (leech) of the sail. |
| beam |
the widest part of a boat's hull. |
| bear
away |
to change course away from the direction the wind is
coming from. |
| beat |
sail to windward - closer to wind. |
| block |
a structure containing one or more pulley wheels around
which ropes or cables can be passed to change their direction of pull.
Two or more blocks can be arranged to increase the power generated
by pulling on the rope passing round them - this is called a tackle. |
|
| C |
|
| centreboard |
a pivoted, streamlined board that can be tilted downwards
below the craft to reduce the tendency it has to drift sideways when
the wind comes from the side (compare with daggerboard, below). |
| clew |
the lower outer corner of a fore-and-aft sail. |
| cringle |
a metal eye set into a sail and through which a rope
can be passed. |
|
| D |
|
| daggerboard |
a streamlined board that can be raised and lowered vertically
through a slot in the hull to reduce sideways drifting when the wind
comes from the side (compare with centreboard, above). |
dinghy |
this word originates from India - it originally refered to small
river craft on the Ganges. It is now rapplied to small sailing or
rowing boats. |
| downwind |
moving in the same direction as the wind. |
| draught |
the depth of a vessel below the waterline. |
|
| E |
|
| ebb
tide |
falling water level after high water. |
|
| F |
|
| flood
tide |
rising water level after low water. |
| foot |
the bottom edge of the sail. |
| forestay |
part of the rigging that supports the mast - it goes
from the mast down to the bow of the boat. |
|
| G |
|
| genoa |
a large sail set mainly in front of the mast but whose
trailing edge extends back beyond the mast. |
|
guy |
a rope which hold or moves a spar,
for example: a spinnaker guy attached to a spinnaker pole |
| gybe |
to change course when sailing downwind so that the stern
of the boat passes through the wind and the sail swings across to
the other side. |
|
| H |
|
| halyard |
a rope used to hoist a sail
up the mast. |
|
hank |
a clip (usually several) used to
attach a sail such as a jib to the forestay. |
| head |
the topmost corner of a sail. |
|
heads |
the toilet on board a yacht. |
| head
up |
turn the boat more towards the direction from which
the wind is coming. |
| headsail |
a sail attached to the forestay ahead of the mast. |
|
heel |
the way a sailing boat leans away
from the wind. |
|
helm |
the tiller or wheel used to steer
the boat - it can also mean the person doing the steering. |
|
| I |
|
| incidence |
the angle between the apparent wind and the sail. |
|
| J |
|
| jib |
a triangular sail carried forward of the mast, its luff
attached to the forestay. Jibs and genoas are types of headsails. |
|
| K |
|
| ketch |
a boat with two masts, the rear mast being set in front
of the axis of the rudder. |
| kicking
strap |
a device that holds the boom down whilst still allowing
it to move freely from side to side. Its main purpose is to increase
the tension in the leech (trailing edge) of the sail. |
| knot |
a nautical unit of speed - 1 knot = 1 nautical mile
(2000 yards) per hour. |
|
| L |
|
| lee |
the side of the vessel away from the wind. 'In the lee'
of something means sheltered from the wind by that structure: for
example, in the lee of a large vessel. |
| leech |
the trailing edge of a sail. |
| leeward |
(pronounced loo'ard) downwind, on the sheltered side.
Opposite of windward. |
| luff |
the leading edge of a sail. |
| luff
up |
change the boat's course so that it is sailing closer
to the wind. |
|
| M |
|
| mainsail |
(pronounced mains'l) the principal fore-and-aft sail
on a boat. |
| mainsheet |
the rope attached to the boom and used to adjust the
mainsail. |
| mast |
a vertical spar to which sails are attached. |
|
| N |
|
| nautical
mile |
the unit of distance at sea. It is defined as one minute
(1') of latitude, and is standardised to 1852m (6076 ft) - slightly
longer than a land mile. |
| neap
tide |
a tide with the smallest rise and fall. |
|
| O |
|
| offshore
wind |
a wind that blows away from the land. |
| onshore
wind |
a wind that blows towards the land. |
| outhaul |
a rope that pulls something away from something else
- for example, the mainsail outhaul which pulls the clew of the sail
outwards towards the end of the boom. |
|
| P |
|
| painter |
rope attached to the bow of a dinghy for mooring or
towing. |
| pinching |
attempting to sail too close to the wind. |
| planing |
skimming across the surface of the water. |
| port
side |
the left-hand side of a boat, when looking forwards. |
| pram
dinghy |
this name can be traced back to praam - a Swedish
name given to small sailing vessels that could be rowed in calm weather.
It is now generally used to describe a dinghy that has a blunt rather
than pointed bow. |
|
| Q |
|
| quarter |
the aft end of the side of a boat. |
|
| R |
|
| reach |
to sail with the wind coming from the side of the craft. |
| reef |
to reduce the sail area when the wind speed increases. |
| rig |
the structures involved in deriving energy from the
wind: the mast(s), spar(s), sail(s), supporting rigging, and control
systems. |
| run |
to sail with the wind coming from behind the craft. |
|
| S |
|
| schooner |
generally applied to small two-masted boats with fore
and aft sails on each mast. The story is that at the launch of such
a boat in 1714, an admirer exclaimed to the owner that the "hull
scooned upon the water!" "Then a sc(h)ooner she shall be,"
agreed her proud owner. |
| sheave |
a pulley wheel usually located inside a block. |
| sheet |
rope used to control the sideways movement of a sail. |
| shroud |
standing rigging at the side of a mast. |
| sloop |
one sail forward of the mast and the mainsail behind.
This term has a rather confused history, at one time being applied
in military parlance to a type of vessel rather than a type of rig.
When it entered civilian usage, the word became more associated with
the rig. The word derives from 'chaloupe', a French term for
a small vessel. |
| spinnaker |
a lightweight, balloon-shaped sail attached in front
of the mast when the craft is running down wind. There are many suggestions
about the origin of this name. One is that a sail of this type was
first set on a yacht called "Sphinx". Another is that when
it was set on the racing yacht "Niobe", one of the sailors
aboard said, "now there is the sail to make her spin!".
The name 'spin-maker' was given to the sail, and later shortened to
spinnaker. |
|
| T |
|
|
tack |
1) to alter course by turning the bow of the boat across
the wind so that the wind strikes the sail from the other side
2) the lower forward corner of a fore-and-aft sail. |
| thwart |
a seat placed across a boat. |
| topping
lift |
a rope that supports the outer end of the boom when
the mainsail is not set. |
| transom |
flat stern of a boat. |
| trim |
adjust the sails to obtain the required performance. |
|
| U |
|
uphaul |
a line which is used to raise a spar vertically |
|
| V |
|
| vang |
a device between the foot of the mast and the underside
of the boom that prevents the boom from being lifted by the tension
in the sail. Also called a kicking strap. |
|
| W |
|
| warp |
a rope used to moor a boat. |
| windward |
towards the wind - the opposite of leeward. |
|
| X |
|
xylophone |
nice instrument, but difficult to play in a boat |
|
| Y |
|
| yacht |
derived originally from a German word for 'hunting ship'
- jachtschiff, the term entered the Dutch language in the 17th
Century as jaght and then English as yacht. It is now
generally used for small sailing ships used for racing and pleasure. |
|
| Z |
|
zebra |
if you see one around the lake, please let us know... |
|
|
|