Head - 1. - the top corner of a sail. 2. - the bathroom on a boat. 3. - the toilet on a boat. Headboard - the reinforcing small board affixed to the head of a sail. Header - a wind shift which makes your boat head down or sails to be sheeted in. Heading - the direction of the boat expressed in compass degrees. Head down - to fall off or bear away, changing course away from the wind.
Head off - see head down. Head up - to come up, changing course toward the wind. Headsail - a jib, genoa, or staysail. Headstay - the standing rigging running from the bow to the mast. Head-to-wind - the course of the boat when the bow is dead into the wind. Headway - progress made forward. Heave - to throw. Heave-to - to hold one’s position in the water by using the force of the sails and rudder to counter one another.
Heavy weather - strong winds and large waves. Heel - the lean of a boat caused by the wind. Helm - the tiller. High side - the windward side of the boat. Hike - to position crew members out over the windward rail to help balance the boat. Holding ground - the bottom ground in an anchorage used to hold the anchor. Hove-to - a boat that has completed the process of heaving-to, with its jib aback, its main loosely trimmed, and its rudder securely positioned to steer it close to the wind.
Hull - the body of the boat, excluding rig and sails. Hull speed - the theoretical maximum speed of a sailboat determined by the length of its waterline.
I
Inboard - inside of the rail of a boat. In irons - a boat that is head-to-wind, making no forward headway.
J
Jib - the small forward sail of a boat attached to the forestay.
Jibe - to change direction of a boat by steering the stern through the wind. “Jibe-ho” - the command given to the crew when starting a jibe.
Jiffy reef - a quick reefing system allowing a section of the mainsail to be tied to the boom. Jury rig - an improvised, temporary repair.
K
Kedge off - to use an anchor to pull a boat into deeper water after it has run aground.
Keel - the heavy vertical fin beneath a boat that helps keep it upright and prevents it from slipping sideways in the water.
Ketch - a two-masted boat with its mizzen (after) mast shorter than its mainmast and located forward of the rudder post. Knockdown - a boat heeled so far that one of its spreaders touches the water. Knot - one nautical mile per hour.
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L
Land breeze - a wind that blows over land and out to sea.
Lash - to tie down. Lay - to sail a course that will clear an obstacle without tacking.
Lazarette - a storage compartment built into the cockpit or deck. Lazy sheet - the windward side jib sheet that is not under strain. Lead (LEED) - to pass a line through a fitting or a block.
Lee helm - the boat’s tendency to turn away from the wind.
Lee shore - land which is on the leeward side of the boat. Because the wind is blowing in that direction, a lee shore could pose a danger.
Leech - the aft edge of a sail. Leeward (LEW-erd) - the direction away from the wind (where the wind is blowing to). Leeward side - the side of the boat or sail that is away from the wind. Leeway - sideways slippage of the boat in a direction away from the wind. Lifeline - wire supported by stanchions, around the outside of the deck to help prevent crew members from falling overboard. Life Jacket - a piece of equipment designed to assist a wearer, who may be either conscious or unconscious, to keep afloat.
Lift - 1. - the force that results from air passing by a sail, or water past a keel, that moves the boat forward and sideways. 2. - a change in wind direction which lets the boat head up.
Line - a nautical rope. Low side - the leeward side of the boat. Lubber’s line - a small post in a compass used to help determine a course or a bearing.
Luff - 1. - the forward edge of a sail. 2. - the fluttering of a sail caused by aiming too close to the wind.
Luff groove - the slot into which the luff of a sail is inserted.
Luff tape - an attachment to the luff of a sail consisting of a small, internal boltrope inserted into the luff groove on a roller furling system.
Lull - a decrease in wind speed for a short duration. M
Magnetic - in reference to magnetic north rather than true north. Mainmast - the taller of two masts on a boat. Mainsail (MAIN-sil) - the sail hoisted on the mast of a sloop or cutter or the sail hoisted on the mainmast of a ketch or yawl. Mainsheet - the controlling line for the mainsail. Marlinspike - a pointed tool used to loosen knots. Mast - the large aluminum or wooden pole in the middle of a boat from which the mainsail is set. Masthead - the top of the mast. Masthead fly - a wind direction indicator on top of the mast.
Mast step - the structure that the bottom of the mast sits on.
Table of Contents
MAYDAY – An internationally recognized distress signal, only used in cases of imminent danger when immediate assistance is needed to save a life. Mizzen - the small aftermost sail on a ketch or yawl hoisted on the mizzen mast. Mooring - a permanently anchored ball or buoy to which a boat can be tied.
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