Sailing 101

Front 1

Keel

Back 1

Fixed appendage on the bottom of the hull that provides sideways resistance needed to counter the force of the wind on the sails

Hint 1

Rhymes with squeal

Front 2

Hull

Back 2

The watertight floating body of the boat gives it form and houses every other part of the boat.

Hint 2

Rhymes with pull

Front 3

Rudder

Back 3

Fan shaped piece that steers the boat and is attached beneath the boat toward the stern

Front 4

Tiller

Back 4

Operates the rudder and is found on dinghies and small keelboats. Has a long lever attached to it.

Front 5

Helm

Back 5

Can be a wheel or a tiller and controls the rudder

Front 6

Helmsman

Back 6

Person steering the boat

Front 7

Lifeline

Back 7

Wire cable that runs around the perimeter of the deck and about two feet above it.

Front 8

Stanchions

Back 8

Support the lifeline.

Front 9

Pulpit

Back 9

Tubular metal frame works that lifelines attached to at the bow and Stern.

Front 10

Bow

Back 10

Front of the boat

Front 11

Stern

Back 11

Back of the boat

Front 12

Beam

Back 12

Width of the boat at its widest point or the region of the boat's sides halfway between bow and stern.

Front 13

Freeboard

Back 13

Height of hull above water

Front 14

Draft

Back 14

Depth of boat below water or the curvature of a sail

Front 15

Forward

Back 15

Front end of the boat or bow - anything between you and the bow is_____ of you.

Front 16

Aft - direction

Back 16

Back part of the boat or Stern (another word for it). Anything between you and the Stern is______ of you.

Front 17

Transom

Back 17

Flat panel at the Stern where the rudder is often hung from.

Front 18

Cockpit

Back 18

Area around and just forward of the tiller or steering wheel, where the crew performs most boat handling operations.

Front 19

Astern

Back 19

When the boat is moving backwards it is going______. 2) behind the stern

Front 20

Abeam

Back 20

An object positioned at roughly a right angle to the boats centerline

Front 21

Quarter

Back 21

Anything cited aft of the beam, if it's not directly astern will be off the port or starboard_______.

Front 22

Windward

Back 22

Toward the wind. The side of the boat upon which the wind is blowing.

Front 23

Leeward

Back 23

Away from the wind or the downwind side of the boat.

Front 24

Main sail

Back 24

The aftmost sail.

Front 25

Mast

Back 25

Spar that stands vertically from the deck and supports the sails.

Front 26

Boom

Back 26

Horizontal Spar which supports the bottom edge of the mainsail.

Front 27

Luff

Back 27

A sail's forward edge.

Front 28

Tack - piece of boat

Back 28

The sail's bottom front corner between the luff and the foot.

Front 29

Foot

Back 29

Bottom edge of a sail

Front 30

Head

Back 30

The corner at the very top of the sail.

Front 31

Clew

Back 31

Corner of the sail between the leech and the foot. Control lines connected here make the most important adjustments to its trim.

Front 32

Leech

Back 32

A sail's back edge

Front 33

Headsail/jib/genoa

Back 33

A sail that sets forward of the mast

Front 34

Standing rigging

Back 34

Supports the mast so that it can bear the loads imposed by the sails, boat, and wind. Named this because it remains fixed in place even if no sails are set.

Front 35

Backstay

Back 35

Part of the standing rigging that runs from the top of the mast to the Stern.

Front 36

Forestay

Back 36

Part of the standing rigging that runs from the top of the mast to the bow.

Front 37

Roller furler

Back 37

Spool at the bottom of the forestay that aides in rolling the jib around the forestay.

Front 38

Shroud

Back 38

Part of the standing rigging that is fixed to the sides of the mast near its top and run down to the outer edge of the deck to provide sideways support.

Front 39

Chainplates

Back 39

Strong fittings on the port and starboard side of the boat that support the shrouds.

Front 40

Spreaders

Back 40

Struts that push the shrouds farther away from the mast to create a more effective angle of support.

Front 41

Gooseneck

Back 41

Fitting around the mast that allows the boom to rotate on a horizontal plane.

Front 42

Haylard

Back 42

Line used to raise or hoist a sail

Front 43

Sheet

Back 43

Primary line that controls the trim of a sail because it sets the angle of the sail relative to the flow of the wind.

Front 44

Chainplate

Back 44

Metal fabrication attached to the hull and to which a stay or shroud is connected.

Front 45

Docklines

Back 45

A line used to tie a boat to its dock

Front 46

Deck

Back 46

The horizontal surface that encloses the top of the hull.

Front 47

Cleat

Back 47

A fitting used to secure a line under load.

Front 48

Winch

Back 48

A device consisting of a gear driven drum that is operated with a handle to provide mechanical advantage when hauling on a line. Also used to snub a line.

Front 49

Fender

Back 49

A cushion, usually an inflated cylinder of rubber or sitar material, placed between a boat and a dock.

Front 50

Block

Back 50

A pulley

Front 51

Fairlead

Back 51

A fitting used to lead a line fair and at the correct angle to a winch cleat or other fitting.

Front 52

Cabin

Back 52

The interior of a boat

Front 53

Batten pocket

Back 53

A pocket sewn into the sail to hold a batten. (a batten is a slat inserted into the leech of a sail to support the sailcloth)

Front 54

Bolt rope

Back 54

A rope sewn into the edge of a sail, often used to attach it to the mast or boom.

Front 55

Running rigging

Back 55

The adjustable rigging used to raise and lower or trim the sails.

Front 56

Jibsheet

Back 56

A line attached to the clew of a jib used to adjust it's angle to the wind.

Front 57

Boom vang

Back 57

An item of running rigging, often a block and tackle, used to hold down the boom.

Front 58

Outhaul

Back 58

A line used to tension the foot of the mainsail

Front 59

Cunningham

Back 59

A line used to tension the luff of a sail

Front 60

Traveler

Back 60

A car-and-track system that allows the mainsheet's attachment point to the deck to be moved athwarships (across the boat from side to side.

Front 61

Hank

Back 61

A metal clip or fabric tab used to attach a sail's luff (forward edge) to a stay (piece of standing rigging that supports the mast in the fore and aft direction)

Front 62

Boom topping lift

Back 62

A line or wire that supports a boom when it is not being supported by its sail.

Front 63

Telltale

Back 63

A short length of light yarn or similar material attached to a sail to indicate the flow of air across it and thus the state of the sail's trim (the position a sail is set relative to the wind)

Front 64

Shackle

Back 64

A closable metal connector used in rigging.

Front 65

Batten

Back 65

A slat inserted into the leech (the after edge) of a sail to support the sailcloth.

Front 66

Downhaul

Back 66

A line used to tension the luff (forward edge) of a sail by pulling down the boom at the gooseneck.

Front 67

Heel

Back 67

To lean sideways under the pressure of the wind on the sails.

Front 68

Skipper

Back 68

The captain of a boat

Front 69

Crew

Back 69

Group of people working together to operate a boat under direction of the skipper

Front 70

Weather helm

Back 70

The tendency of a boat when sailing to head up (steer more toward the wind) into the wind.

Front 71

No sail zone

Back 71

Zone in relation to the wind where the sails cannot generate power. (directly into the wind and 45 degrees to either side)

Front 72

In irons

Back 72

Of a boat that's head to wind (where the bow is pointing directly into wind) having lost all headway (motion forward)

Front 73

Luffing

Back 73

Fluttering of a sail when the boat is too close to the wind for the sail's trim. (caused by heading directly into wind)

Front 74

Head-to-wind

Back 74

A boats position when its bow is pointing directly into the wind.

Front 75

Port tack

Back 75

Any course where the wind is blowing on the port side of the boat

Front 76

Starboard tack

Back 76

Any course where the wind is blowing on the starboard side of the boat.

Front 77

Close hauled

Back 77

The point of sail (direction relative to the wind) where a boat sails as close to the wind as possible.

Front 78

Close reach

Back 78

The point of sail (direction relative to the wind) between close-hauled (as close to into the wind as possible) and beam reach (90 degrees)

Front 79

Beam reach

Back 79

The point of sail (direction boat is sailing relative to the wind) where the wind is abeam of the boat (90 from the direction of the wind)

Front 80

Broad reach

Back 80

The point of sail between a beam reach and a run away from the wind.

Front 81

Run

Back 81

The point of sail to which the wind is aft

Front 82

Sailing by the lee

Back 82

Sailing on a run with the with the wind on the same side as the main sail.

Front 83

Stand-on

Back 83

The vessel that must maintain its course and speed when two vessels converge.

Front 84

Give-way

Back 84

The vessel that is obliged to adjust it's course or speed to avoid collision with another vessel. (under the navigation rules)

Front 85

Tacking

Back 85

To change course by turning the bow of the boat through the wind.

Front 86

Jibing

Back 86

To turn the boat so that it's stern passes through the wind.

Front 87

Head up

Back 87

To steer more toward the wind

Front 88

Bearing away

Back 88

To turn the boat away from the wind or fall off.

Front 89

Ready about

Back 89

The command used to signal the crew to prepare to tack.

Front 90

Helms a Lee, tacking or coming about

Back 90

What you say while______ Aka tacking or turning the bow of the boat through the wind.

Front 91

Prepare to jibe

Back 91

Command you shout to the crew before turning the boat so that the stern passes through the wind.