Nautical & Sailing Terms You Should Know

Aft: The back of a ship. If something is located aft, it is at the back of the sailboat. The aft is also known as the stern.

Boom: The boom is the horizontal pole which extends from the bottom of the mast. Adjusting the boom towards the direction of the wind is how the sailboat is able to harness wind power to move.

Bow: The front of the ship (pronounced as in bow wow)

Cleat: Cleats are what lines (or ropes) are fastened to when they need to be kept tight, notably on a dock.

Fender: An inflatable cushion used to protect a boat from contact against pilings, docks, piers, bulkheads, or other boats.

Halyard: Line that raises or lowers a sail.

Helm: The steering apparatus

Hull: The body of the boat comprising everything below the deck.

Jib: The sail at the bow of the boat.

Keel: The beam that runs the length of the hull — the body of the boat — and can extend vertically into the water to provide stability.

Leeward : The side or direction opposite that from which the wind is currently blowing . (nautical pronunciation is “lew-erd”)

Lines: Ropes. Most ropes on a boat are called lines.

Mainsail: The main sail of the boat attached to the back of the mast.

Mast: A large, vertical pole that holds the sails up. Some boats have more than one mast.

Mooring: This word refers to multiple forms of tying up a boat. You can call a permanently anchored float with an attachment point a mooring; you can call a docking line a mooring line, and when your boat is tied up in its slip you can say it’s moored.

Port: The left-hand side of the boat when you are facing the bow.

Rudder: Located beneath the boat, a flat piece of wood, fiberglass, or metal used to steer the ship. Larger sailboats control the rudder via a wheel, while smaller sailboats will have a steering mechanism directly aft.

Sheets: The lines that control the sails.

Sloop: A sailboat with one mast, a jib and a mainsail. The most common type of sailboat and that used in eSail.

Spring Lines: Dock lines used to prevent a boat from moving forward and aft. These are in addition to the regular fore and aft docking lines

Starboard: The right-hand side of the boat when you are facing the bow.

Stays and Shrouds: Wires that make sure the mast stays upright, even in very heavy winds. (aka
standing rigging.)

Stern: The back of the boat.

Stern Line: Dock line secured to the stern of a boat that limits its movement. Used particularly for stern-to/Mediteranean mooring

Wheel: Device used to steer that vessel and control its course. Together with the rest of the steering mechanism, it forms part of the helm

Winch: a mechanism used to reel in, to let out, or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope, wire, or cable. When lines are wrapped around a winch it provides mechanical advantage and makes it easier to bring in the lines.

Windward - The side or direction from which the wind is currently blowing. Windward is the opposite of leeward

FRONT / BACK / LEFT / RIGHT

The front of the boat is known as the bow.
The back of the boat of the boat is called the stern.
The left of the boat is called port
while the right is starboard.

If something is behind another object it is aft of it while if it is in front of something it is forward.





PARTS OF A SAIL

Luff -A sail’s forward edge. The luff of the mainsail is usually hoisted up and attached to the mast.
The luff of the jib is attached to the forestay.
Leech – The sail’s back edge.
Foot – The bottom edge of the sail
Tack – Between the luff and the foot is the tack. The tack is attached to the boat or a spar.
Head – The corner at the top of the sail between the luff and the leech.
Clew – The third triangle of a sail between the leech and the foot.


LINES
To begin sailing four lines you need to know are:

The mainsail halyard which runs up the mast and is used to raise and lower the mainsail. You might compare it to the rope on a flagpole.
In eSail the mainsail halyard is found by the forward port side winch and is blue.

The mainsheet and the jib sheet are lines used to adjust the sail trim (angle of the sail to the wind)
The eSail mainsheet is also handled on the forward port winch and is red.

In eSail the jib sheets -- one on each side of the boat -- are controlled at the aft port and starboard winches and used to pull the jib to that side. They are red.

The jib furling line -- is used to pull in the jib sail and roll it around the forestay -- sort of like an upright window shade.
In eSail it is controlled at the aft port winch and is blue. It utilizes a Jammer/locking mechanism.

There are other adjustment lines -- kicking strap, topping lift, reefing line,outhaul -- but you'll learn to use those later.

eSail has a good tutorial on how to raise sails. Follow those instructions, and you'll be ready to go.

Turn into the wind -- the bow faces the direction the wind is coming from -- watch the wind indicator next to the compass. Hoist the mainsail first and then the jib. Use the Autopilot (click on the center of the compass to activate or hit "V" on the keyboard) to keep the boat on course while you're dealing with the winches and sheets.

HOW WIND MOVES A BOAT
If the wind is directly behind the boat it pushes the boat forward. But what if the wind is off to the side?

A sail full of wind forms an airfoil and propels the boat with lift, the way a plane’s wing does. To move across the water -- to sail -- you must position (trim) the sails to generate lift. In the airfoil shape, air moving over the longer, curved side moves faster than air flowing by the other side, generating lift.
Lift is what you experience when you hold your arm out the window of a fast-moving car and it is pushed back and up.

Once you’ve raised the sails, they’re trimmed using the sheets. The mainsheet pivots the boom between port and starboard. The jib sheets pull the jib over to either port or starboard.

Use the wheel to move the rudder and thereby change the direction of the boat and its position relative to the wind. Use the sheets to angle the sails so they fill with wind

Steering a sailboat becomes more efficient the faster the boat is going . So when you’re going fast, you can turn the wheel less to achieve the turning arc. To turn when you’re going slow, turn harder and keep the rudder over for a longer time.

POINTS OF SAIL



There are many ways to steer a sailboat relative to wind direction; some -- like a reach -- are more effective than others. These positions are called points of sail. The points of sail are arranged like a clock face on which the wind is blowing from 12 o’clock towards 6 o’clock with the bow of your boat as a pointer.
Some of the most efficient points of sail are those that allow sailors to position the sails so that they are close to the boat and the wind can form a channel for the boat to pass through.
If the boat is facing directly into the wind, the sails won't fill and the boat won't move. This is commonly referred to as being “in irons”.

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