Marrikala Sailing Club 
Sailing Jargon
A
Abeam - Directly to the side of the boat.About - On the opposite tack.
Aft - At or near the stern.
Astern - Behind or near the back of the boat.
B
Batten - Thin wooden strips fitted into pockets for stiffening the leech of a sail.Beam - Maximum width of boat.
Beam Reach - Sailing with the wind coming across the boat's beam.
Bear Away - Turn the boat away from the wind.
Beat - Sailing against the wind by tacking (sailing a zigzag course towards the wind).
Beating to Windward - To sail to windward close-hauled, tacking as you go, to reach an objective to windward.
Block - A pulley.
Boom - Support for the foot of the sail.
Boom Vang - Pulley for the foot of the sail.
Bow - Front of the boat.
Broach - Turn sideways to wind and the surf.
Broad Reach - The point of sailing between a beam reach and a run, when the wind blows over the quarter.
Buoy - Floating navigational marker.
C
Capsize - To overturn.Catamaran - A boat with two hulls.
Centerboard - Retractable keel to stop a boat's leeward drift.
Cleat - Fitting to which a line is secured, without knotting.
Clew - Aft bottom corner of a sail, where the foot and leech meet.
Close-Hauled - Sailing close to the wind with sails pulled in.
Come About - To change course so as to be sailing at the same angle but with the wind on the other side.
Course - The direction in which a vessel is steered, usually given in degrees.
Current - Water flow produced by the tide.
Cutter - Single-masted fore-and-aft boat having an inner staysail and outer jib.
D
Daggerboard - Centerboard that does not pivot.Dinghy - A small boat used to ferry people to a yacht; also used for sailing or rowing; also called a tender.
Down Wind - Away from the wind.
Downhaul - Rope used to set up downward tension or haul down a sail or spar.
Drag - Resistance of the boat moving through the water or air.
E
F
Falling Off - Turn away from the direction of the wind.Foot - Lower edge of a sail.
Fore - At or toward the boat's bow.
Fore-and-Aft - Lengthwise, in the direction of the keel.
Forestay - The foremost stay, running from the masthead to the bow.
Furl - Tightly roll up a sail.
G
Galley - A kitchen on a boat.Genoa - Large headsail, which overlaps the mainsail.
Gooseneck - Swivel fitting on the mast to which the boom is attached.
Gunwales - Upper edges of a boat's sides.
Gybe - To turn the stern through the direction of the wind.
H
Halyard - Rope or wire used to hoist and lower a sail.Head-to-Wind - Pointing directly into the wind.
Head - A sail's top corner; also a boat's toilet.
Heel - A boat's angle to horizontal, to lean over to one side.
Helm - Tiller or wheel.
Hull - The body of boat.
I
In Irons - To head into the wind and refuse to fall off.J
Jib - A triangular headsail set on a stay forward of the foremast.Jibing - Changing direction with the wind aft; to change from one tack to another by turning the stern through the wind; also spelled gybing.
Jibsheet - Line that controls the jib.
K
Keel - Centerline backbone at the bottom of a boat.L
Lashing - A rope used for securing any movable object in place.Lee - The side opposite that from which the wind blows; the opposite of weather.
Leech - Aft edge of sail.
Leeward - The side away from the wind.
Line - Any length of rope that has a specified use.
Luff - To get so close to the wind that the sail flaps; also the forward edge of a sail.
Luff up - To turn the boat towards the wind.
M
Mainsail - Larger sail aft set on the mast.Mainsheet - Rope used for trimming mainsail.
Mast - Vertical spar supporting the sails.
Make Fast - Secure a line.
Mast - Vertical spar to which the sails and rigging are attached.
Masthead - Top of the mast.
N
O
On the Wind - Close-hauled.Outhaul - Rope used to tension the foot of the sail.
P
Painter - The bow line by which a dinghy, or tender is towed or made fast.Pinching - Sailing too close to the wind and slowing the boat.
Point - To head close to the wind.
Port - The left-hand side of a boat, looking forward towards the bow (opposite of starboard).
Port Tack - When a boat sails with the main boom to starboard and wind hits the port side first.
Privileged Vessel - A boat that has the right-of-way (ROW).
Q
R
Reach - Sailing on a tack with the wind roughly abeam, all sailing points between running and close- hauled.Reaching - Sailing directly across the wind.
Reef - Reduce the sail area by folding or rolling surplus material on the boom or forestay.
Rig - Arrangements of masts and sails.
Rigging - Ropes and wire stays of a boat; securing masts and sails.
Rudder - Vertical metal or wooden plate attached to the stern, whose movements steer the boat.
Run - To sail with the wind aft and with the sheets eased out.
Running - Sailing with the wind.
S
Sheet In - To pull on the sheet adjusting the position of the sails.Sheet Off - To ease out the mainsheet.
Shrouds - Wires from the top of the mast to the side of the boat.
Shackle - A U-shaped piece of iron or steel with eyes in the ends, closed by a shackle pin.
Sheet - Line that controls a sail or the movement of a boom.
Ship Shape - Neat, seamanlike.
Spar - Pole, mast, or boom, that supports a sail.
Spinnaker - A large, light, balloon-shaped sail set forward of the mainsail when running before the wind.
Splice - To join ropes or wires by unlaying the strands and interweaving them.
Spreaders - Horizontal spar attached to the mast, which extend the shrouds and stays and help to support the mast.
Starboard - Right-hand side of a boat looking forward towards the bow (opposite of port).
Starboard Tack - Tack on which the wind strikes the starboard side first and the boom is out to port.
Stay - Wire or rope which supports the mast in a fore-and-aft direction; part of the standing rigging.
Staysail - Sail set on a stay inboard of the forwardmost sail.
Stern - After end of a boat.
Stringer - A fore-and-aft member, fitted to strengthen the frames.
T
Tack - Turning the bow of the boat through the wind.Tacking - Working to windward by sailing close-hauled on alternate courses so that the wind is first on one side of the boat, then on the other.
Tell-Tales - Small lengths of wood sewn through a sail near the luff and leech to allow the air flow over the sail to be checked.
Tender - See dinghy.
Tide - A rise or fall in water level produced by gravitational pull on the earth's surface.
Tiller/Wheel - Devices which allow the skipper or helmsman to steer the boat.
Transom - A flat surface at the back of the hull to which the rudder is attached.
Traveller - A slide which travels on a track and is used for altering sheet angles.
Trim - To adjust the angle of the sails.
U
Upwind - Towards the wind.V
W
Wake - A boat's track, behind.Waterline - The line along the hull at which a boat floats.
Weather - Windward, opposite of leeward.
Weather Side - The side of a boat on which the wind is blowing.
Whisker Pole - A light pole used to hold out the clew of a headsail when running.
Winch - A mechanical device, consisting usually of a metal drum turned by a handle, around which a line is wound to give the crew more "help" when tightening a line.
Windward - The direction from which the wind blows, towards the wind (opposite of leeward).