Shoal - shallow water that may be dangerous. Shroud - standing rigging at the side of the mast. Singlehanded - sailing alone. Skeg - a vertical fin in front of the rudder. Skipper - the person in charge of the boat. Slip - a parking area for a boat between two docks in a marina.
Sloop - a single-masted sailboat with mainsail and headsail.
Sole - the floor in a cockpit or cabin. Soundings – a measurement of water depths on a nautical chart or a boat’s depth sounder.
Spar - a pole used to attach a sail on a boat, for example, the mast, the boom, a gaff. Spinnaker - a large billowing headsail used when sailing downwind.
Splice - the joining of two lines together by interweaving their strands.
Spreader - a support strut extending athwartships from the mast used to support the mast and guide the shrouds from the top of the mast to the chainplates. Spring line - a dockline running forward or aft from the boat to the dock to keep the boat from moving forward or aft.
Squall - a short intense storm with little warning. Square knot - knot used for sail lashings and sail ties. Stability - a boat’s ability to resist tipping (heeling). Stanchions - stainless steel supports at the edge of the deck which hold the lifelines. Standing rigging - the permanent rigging (usually wire) of a boat, including the forestay, backstay, and shrouds.
Stand-on vessel - the vessel or boat with the right-of- way.
Starboard - when looking from the stern toward the bow, the right side of the boat. Starboard tack - sailing on any point of sail with the wind coming over the starboard side of the boat.
Stay - a wire support for a mast, part of the standing rigging.
Staysail (STAY-sil) - on a cutter, a second small “inner jib,” attached between the bow and the mast.
Steer - to control the direction of a boat, using the tiller or wheel, in order to maintain the desired course.
Stem - the forward tip of the bow. Step - the area in which the base of the mast fits. Stern - the aft part of the boat. Stow - to store properly. Swamped - filled with water.
T Tack - 1. - a course on which the wind comes over one side of the boat, i.e., port tack, starboard tack. 2. - to change direction by turning the bow through the wind. 3. - the lower forward corner of a sail.
Tackle - a sequence of blocks and line that provides a mechanical advantage.
Tail - to hold and pull a line from behind a winch. Telltales - 1. - pieces of yarn or sailcloth material attached to sails which indicate when the sail is properly trimmed. 2. - wind direction indicators attached to standing rigging.
Throttle – gas outboard engine accelerator. Tide - the rise and fall of water level due to the gravitational pull of the sun and moon.
Tiller - a long handle, extending into the cockpit, which directly controls the rudder.
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Tiller extension - a handle attached to the tiller which allows the helmsperson to sit further out to the side.
Toe rail - a short aluminum or wooden rail around the outer edges of the deck.
Topping lift - a line used to hold the boom up when the mainsail is lowered or stowed.
Topsides - the sides of the boat between the waterline and the deck.
Transom - the vertical surface of the stern. Traveler - a track or bridle that controls sideways (athwartships) movement of the mainsail.
Trim - 1. - to pull in on a sheet. 2. - how a sail is set relative to the wind.
True wind - the actual speed and direction of the wind when standing still.
Tune - to adjust a boat’s standing rigging. Turnbuckle - a mechanical fitting attached to the lower ends of stays, allowing for the standing rigging to be adjusted.
U
Underway - to be under the power of sail or engine. Unrig - to stow sails and rigging when the boat is not in use. Upwind - toward the direction of the wind. USCG - abbreviation for United States Coast Guard.
V Vang - see boom vang. Vessel - any sailboat, powerboat or ship.
W Wake - waves caused by a boat moving through the water.
Water intake – opening that allows water in to cool the outboard.
Waterline - the horizontal line on the hull of a boat where the water surface should be.
Wearable - a life jacket or personal floatation device (PFD) designed to be worn, as opposed to a ring or cushion intended to be thrown.
Weather helm - the boat’s tendency to head up toward the wind, which occurs when a sailboat is overpowered.
Weather side - see windward side. Westerly Wind - wind that comes out of the West and blows toward the East. Winds are named for the direction from which they come.
Whip - to bind together the strands at the end of a line.
Whisker pole - a pole, temporarily mounted between the mast and the clew of a jib, used to hold the jib out and keep it full when sailing downwind.
Winch - a deck-mounted drum with a handle offering mechanical advantage used to trim sheets. Winches may also be mounted on the mast to assist in raising sails.
Windward - toward the wind. Windward side - the side of a boat or a sail closest to the wind.
Wing-and-wing - sailing downwind with the jib set on the opposite side of the mainsail.
Working sails - the mainsail and standard jib. Working sheet - the leeward jib sheet that is being used to trim the jib.
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