clinometer an instrument that measures a vessel's sideway inclination or heel.
close-hauled as close to the oncoming wind direction as possible without luffing.
clove hitch a temporary mooring knot that comes united with sideways tension.
cockpit where the steering wheel or the tiller is located.
come about to alter a boat's course from one tack to another.
companionway a stairway or ladder descending to the cabin.
cordage commonly used term for any thick line or rope.
course heading; direction.
crabbing moving sideways through the water; making leeway.
cradle the framed support upon which a vessel rests on shore.
cringle a ring through which rope is threaded in a sail. Also known as a grommet.
daggerboard a small, daggerlike centerboard, commonly found on small boats.
dead ahead directly ahead.
dead reckoning navigating by deduction through knowledge of current position, speed, and heading.
deep-six to throw something overboard.
doldrums equatorial region of the ocean, notorious for its dead calms, the bane of sailors.
downhaul the tackle used to increase tension on the luff of a sail.
draft the portion of a vessel that is submerged. Also known as the draw.
drifter a headsail used in faint winds.
drogue a conelike sea anchor.
earing a short line used to secure a reefed sail to the boom.
ensign a national flag. fall off see bear off.
fender any kind of cushioning hung over the hull of a boat to protect it from contact with a dock or another boat.
fend off to push off with the feet, hands, or a boat hook to avoid contact with another boat or a dock.
fetch to sail close-hauled without the need to tack.
fittings hardware and fixtures on a vessel.
fix an exact position, as deduced by navigational skills.
flemish to coil a line flat on a deck in order to dry it uniformly.
following sea current that is traveling in the same direction as the vessel.
foot the bottom edge of a sail.
fore near or at the bow.
fore and aft from the bow to the stern.
foredeck the deck portion forward of the mast.
foresail a triangular sail attached forward of the mast and pronounced "for's'l."
forestay rigging extending from the top of the mast to the bow to keep the mast from moving backwards.
foul to entangle.
founder the sinking of a boat as it fills with water.
freeboard the portion of the hull that is not under water.
furl to roll up a sail on its boom or spar. galley a kitchen.
gangplank a bridge walk set as a ramp between a vessel and the dock, to facilitate boarding.
Genoa a large headsail or jib.
ghosting sailing in a calm when the wind is apparently absent.
gimbals fixtures that allow objects, such as a lamp, a barometer, or a compass, to swivel and remain level in rough seas.
gunkholing sailing in shallow waters.
gunwale the uppermost edge of the hull's sides, pronounced gunnel.
guy a line or wire.
halyard any line used to hoist a sail.
hand one of the crew.
hard alee to come about.
harden up to sail closer to the wind.
hatch a doorway in a deck.
hawser a heavy line used for mooring or towing.
head the top edge of a sail. Also, a toilet.
heading the direction the boat is sailing in.
headsail any sail set forward of the mast, such as a drifter, jib, or Genoa.
head sea current that is running in the opposite direction of the vessel.
heave crew's pulling together.
heave to stop forward motion by backing the headsail.
heaving line the mooring line with weighted end, tossed to someone on a dock.
heel the lean or angle of a vessel when sailing.
helm the steering wheel or the tiller.
helmsman the person who steers.
hike to lean far out over the side of a boat to help counter extreme heeling.
hiking straps footstraps used to help secure crew members when hiking.
hoist to raise a sail.
hold a storage area below deck.
hove down extreme heeling.
in irons stopped while turning against the wind.
jib a triangular headsail.
jib boom extending beyond the bowsprit, a spar to take an extra headsail.
jibe to tack while sailing downwind.
jury-rig to construct a makeshift part to replace a damaged part, a required skill of sailors.
kedge a means of freeing a boat that has run aground on a sandbar, specifically by throwing an anchor in front of the boat and then pulling the boat free. Also, the small anchor used for this purpose.
keel the fixed fore-and-aft member or backbone of a vessel's bottom.
kite a spinnaker.
labor to roll and pitch in heavy seas.
landfall the first sighting of land.
lanyard any short piece of line used to secure a loose object, such as a pail or a tool, or for fastening riggings.
lash to secure a loose object with line.
launch a small boat used to carry people from land to a moored vessel, or vice versa.
lay up to store a boat during winter.
lazarette a small storage compartment in the stern.
leading edge the front portion of a sail.
lee to leeward; on the side of the boat protected from the wind.
leech the unattached edge of a triangular sail.
leeward the direction the wind is blowing, pronounced loo'ard.
leeway sideways motion of a boat, pushed by the wind or current.
line rope.
list leaning of a vessel caused not by wind or current but by unbalanced weight on board.
log an instrument fixed to a vessel's keel for measuring speed. Also, a journal of daily courses, distances sailed, weather conditions, and similar entries.
luff the leading edge of a sail.
luff up to sail into the wind, causing the leech of the sail to flap.
mainsail the main or largest sail on a boat, pronounced "mains'l."
make fast to secure a line.
Marconi-rigged a triangular sail rigged fore and aft. Also known as Bermuda-rigged.
mast the large, vertical spar to which sails are attached.
masthead the top of the mast.
masthead fly at the masthead, a weathervane or wind indicator.
midships in or near the middle of the ship. Also known as amidships.