SAILING TERMS

Amidships - condition of being surrounded by boats.

Anchor - a device designed to bring up mud samples from the bottom at inopportune or unexpected times.

Anchor light - a small light used to discharge the battery before daylight.

Bare boat - clothing optional.

Beam sea - a situation in which waves strike a boat from the side, causing it to roll unpleasantly. This is one of the four directions from which wave action tends to produce extreme physical discomfort. The other three are `bow sea' (waves striking from the front), 'following sea' (waves striking from the rear), and `quarter sea' (waves striking from any other direction).

Berth - a little addition to the crew.

Boat ownership - standing fully-clothed under a cold shower, tearing up 100-dollar bills.

Boat - see 'yacht.'

Boom - sometimes the result of a surprise jibe.

Boom - called boom for the sound that's made when it hits crew in the head on its way across the boat. For slow crew, it's called `boom, boom.'

Bottom paint - what you get when the cockpit seats are freshly painted.

Calm - sea condition characterized by the simultaneous disappearance of the wind and the last cold beverage.

Chart - a type of map which tells you exactly where you are aground.

Clew - an indication from the skipper as to what he might do next.

Companionway - a double berth.

Course - the direction in which a skipper wishes to steer his boat and from which the wind is blowing. Also, the language that results by not being able to.

Cruising - fixing your boat in exotic locations.

Crew - heavy, stationary objects used on shipboard to hold down charts, anchor cushions in place and dampen sudden movements of the boom.

Current - tidal flow that carries a boat away from its desired destination, or towards a hazard.

Dead reckoning - a course leading directly to a reef.

Deadrise - getting up to check the anchor at 0300.

Deviation - any departure from the Captain's orders.

Dinghy - the sound of the ship's bell.

Displacement - when you dock your boat and can't find it later.

Estimated position - a place you have marked on the chart where you are sure you are not.

First mate - crew member necessary for skippers to practice shouting instructions to.

Flashlight - tubular metal container used on shipboard for storing dead batteries prior to their disposal.

Fluke - the portion of an anchor that digs securely into the bottom, holding the boat in place; also, any occasion when this occurs on the first try.

Foul wind - breeze produced by flying turkey.

Freeboard - food and liquor supplied by the owner.

Gybe - a common way to get unruly guests off your boat.

Headway - what you are making if you can't get the toilet to work.

Head up - leaving the boat toilet seat up. When boat skipper is female, leaving the head up is a serious offense.

Heave-ho - what you do when you've eaten too much Ho.

Haul - what you exclaim on a Texas boat (see 'yawl') when you skin your knuckles with the winch handle.

Jack lines - 'Hey baby, wanna go sailing?'

Jibe - either you like it or you don't and it gets you.

Keel - term used by 1st mate after too much heel by skipper.

Ketch - a sailboat with good wine in the cabin.

Landlubber - anyone on board who wishes he were not.

Latitude - the number of degrees off course allowed a guest.

Mast - religious ritual used before setting sail.

Mizzen - an object you can't find.

Motor sailer - A sailboat that alternates between sail/rigging problems and engine problems, and with some booze in the cabin.

Noserly - what to call the wind direction when it comes from where you're going.

Ram - an intricate docking maneuver sometimes used by experienced skippers.

Rhumb line - two or more crew members waiting for a drink.

Sailing - the fine art of getting wet and becoming ill, while going nowhere slowly at great expense.

Sailing - 99% boredom, 1% sheer terror.

Schooner - a sailboat with a fully stocked liquor cabinet in the cabin.

Sheet - cool, damp, salty night covering.

Shroud - equipment used in connection with a wake.

Starboard - special board used by skippers for navigation (usually with 'Port' on the opposite side.)

Swell - a wave that's just great.

Square rigger - a rigger over 30.

Sloop - a sailboat with beer and/or wine in the cabin.

Tack - a maneuver the skipper uses when telling the crew what they did wrong without getting them mad.

Yawl - a sailboat from Texas, with some good bourbon stored down yonder in the cabin.

Yacht - oh, come on, you know this one (see 'boat').

Welcome aboard - a friendly phrase typically regretted by the giver and the receiver.

Zephyr - warm, pleasant breeze. Named after the mythical Greek god of wishful thinking, false hopes, and unreliable forecasts.

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Know any other "sailing terms?" Best ones will be posted here. Click to submit.

Member & TSPS Friends Contributions

Come about - the approximate time of your rendezvous with another boat.

Head upwind - changing your cockpit position when one of the crew develops gas.

Tiller - the smiling person who takes your money ... every last bleeding cent.