Sailing and Sailmaking Glossary
A
- Aft: Toward the rear of the boat
- Anchor: Device used to secure a boat to the seabed
- Apparent wind: The wind experienced by a moving boat
- Aspect ratio: The ratio of a sail’s height to its width
B
- Backstay: Wire supporting the mast from the stern
- Batten: Flexible strip inserted into sail to maintain shape
- Beam: Width of a boat at its widest point
- Bearing: Direction to an object or destination
- Becket: Loop of rope or eye splice
- Berth: Sleeping area or docking space
- Bight: Curve or bend in a rope
- Bilge: Lowest inner part of a boat’s hull
- Block: Pulley used in sailing
- Boom: Spar at bottom of mainsail
- Bow: Front of the boat
- Bowline: Essential knot used in sailing
- Bowsprit: Spar extending from bow
- Broach: Accidental turning into the wind
C
- Camber: Curve of a sail
- Capsize: To overturn
- Catamaran: Double-hulled vessel
- Centerboard: Retractable keel
- Chainplate: Metal plates securing rigging to hull
- Chafe: Wear from friction
- Cleat: Fitting for securing lines
- Clew: Lower aft corner of a sail
- Close-hauled: Sailing almost directly into the wind
- Companionway: Entrance to cabin
- Compass: Navigation instrument
- Cruising: Recreational sailing
- Cunningham: Control to tension sail luff
D
- Deck: Upper surface of boat
- Draft: Depth of hull below waterline
- Drift: Movement caused by wind/current
- Drogue: Sea anchor
E
- Ease: To loosen a line
- Eye splice: Permanent loop in rope end
- Eyelet: Reinforced hole in sail
F
- Fairlead: Fitting guiding a line
- Fall off: Turn away from wind
- Fathom: Unit of depth (6 feet)
- Fender: Cushion protecting hull
- Fictitious luff: Imaginary line for sail design
- Foot: Bottom edge of sail
- Forestay: Wire supporting mast from bow
- Foredeck: Forward part of deck
- Furling: Rolling up a sail
G
- Gaff: Spar supporting sail top
- Genoa: Large headsail
- Gooseneck: Boom attachment to mast
- Gore: Vertical panel in sail
- Grommets: Metal rings in sail
- Gunwale: Upper edge of boat’s side
- Gybe: Change course with wind aft
H
- Halyard: Line for raising sails
- Hand: To furl or take in sail
- Heading: Direction boat points
- Headstay: Forestay
- Head up: Turn toward wind
- Headsail: Any sail forward of mast
- Heel: Boat’s lateral incline
- Helm: Steering control
- Hull: Main body of boat
I-J
- Irons: In stays, head to wind
- Jib: Forward triangular sail
- Jibing: Same as gybing
- Jury rig: Temporary repair
K
- Keel: Fixed underwater fin
- Kevlar: Sail fabric material
- Knot: Speed measurement (1 nautical mile/hour)
L
- Laminate: Multi-layer sail material
- Lanyard: Short line for securing items
- Latitude: North-south position
- Lazyjacks: Lines supporting lowered sail
- Leach: Aft edge of sail
- Lee: Side sheltered from wind
- Leeward: Away from wind
- Life jacket: PFD (personal flotation device)
- Lifeline: Safety wire around deck
- Lines: Ropes used on boats
- Longitude: East-west position
- Luff: Forward edge of sail
- Luffing: Fluttering of sail
M
- Mainsail: Principal sail
- Mainsheet: Line controlling mainsail
- Mast: Vertical spar supporting sails
- Mooring: Permanent anchoring spot
- Mylar: Sail material
N
- Nautical mile: 6,076 feet
- Navigation: Determining position/course
- Noon sight: Sun observation at midday
O
- Outhaul: Control for sail foot tension
- Overboard: Off the boat
- Overlap: Sail extending past mast
P
- Painter: Bow line
- Peak: Upper corner of sail
- Pennant: Small flag
- Pinch: Sail too close to wind
- Port: Left side of boat
- Port tack: Wind from port side
Q-R
- Quarter: Aft section of side
- Rake: Mast’s fore/aft angle
- Reach: Sailing across wind
- Reef: Reduce sail area
- Rigging: Boat’s line/wire system
- Roach: Curved sail section
- Rudder: Steering blade
- Running: Sailing away from wind
S
- Sail plan: Arrangement of sails
- Schooner: Two-masted vessel
- Seam: Join between sail panels
- Sheet: Line controlling sail
- Shrouds: Side support wires
- Skeg: Rudder support
- Slack: Loose, not tight
- Sloop: Single-masted vessel
- Spinnaker: Large downwind sail
- Spreaders: Horizontal mast supports
- Stanchion: Lifeline support
- Starboard: Right side of boat
- Stay: Support wire for mast
- Stern: Rear of boat
- Swage: Metal fitting on wire
T
- Tack: Lower forward corner of sail
- Tackle: Block and line system
- Telltales: Wind indicators
- Thimble: Protective metal eye
- Tiller: Steering lever
- Topping lift: Supports boom
- Track: Rail for sail hardware
- Transom: Stern cross-section
- Trim: Adjust sails
- True wind: Actual wind direction
U-V
- Under way: Boat in motion
- UV cover: Sail protection strip
- Vang: Control for boom
W
- Wake: Trail behind boat
- Waterline: Where hull meets water
- Weather helm: Tendency to turn windward
- Windage: Wind resistance
- Windlass: Anchor handling machine
- Windward: Toward the wind
- Winch: Line handling drum
Sailmaking Specific Terms
- Aspect ratio: Sail height to width ratio
- Bias: Diagonal orientation of fabric
- Broadseaming: Curved seam shaping
- Corner patch: Reinforcement area
- Cross cut: Horizontal panel layout
- Dacron: Polyester sail fabric
- Draft stripe: Reference line on sail
- Edge curve: Sail edge shape
- Fill: Across-fabric threads
- Finish: Fabric treatment
- Flutter: Edge vibration
- Hollow: Concave edge curve
- Leech cord: Tension line in leech
- Luff curve: Forward edge shape
- Modulus: Fabric stiffness measure
- Panel layout: Cut arrangement
- Radial: Panel arrangement style
- Reef point: Reinforced reduction point
- Ripstop: Reinforced fabric type
- Sailcloth: Sail material
- Scrim: Reinforcement layer
- Seam allowance: Extra material at join
- Shape: Three-dimensional form
- Sleeve: Mast attachment method
- Stretch: Fabric elongation
- Tape: Reinforcement strip
- Tabling: Edge reinforcement
- Tentering: Fabric stabilization
- Thread: Sewing material
- Triradial: Panel arrangement
- Warp: Length-wise threads
- Weave: Fabric construction
Weather Terms
- Barometer: Air pressure gauge
- Beaufort scale: Wind force scale
- Depression: Low pressure area
- Fetch: Wind-water distance
- Front: Weather system boundary
- Gale: Strong wind
- Gradient: Pressure difference
- Isobar: Equal pressure line
- Knots: Wind speed measure
- Sea state: Wave condition
Navigation Terms
- Almanac: Navigation reference
- Bearing: Direction to object
- Chart: Marine map
- Course: Intended direction
- Dead reckoning: Position estimate
- Deviation: Compass error
- Fix: Position determination
- Heading: Current direction
- Log: Speed/distance record
- Piloting: Coastal navigation
- Plot: Mark position
- Range: Navigation markers
- Track: Course made good
- Transit: Alignment marks
- Variation: Magnetic deviation