Sailing Terms: Sailing Words Every New Sailor Should Know (2023)

FAQs

Sailing Terms: Sailing Words Every New Sailor Should Know? ›

Summary of Key Commands: Standby – Get ready to execute an operation ▪ Made – Signals a completed operation ▪ Cast Off – Release dock lines to depart from dock ▪ Heading up/Bearing away – Helm raising or lowering boats direction to the wind. Sheet in/Sheet out – Crew bringing in or letting out sheets.

Summary of Key Commands: Standby – Get ready to execute an operation ▪ Made – Signals a completed operation ▪ Cast Off – Release dock lines to depart from dock ▪ Heading up/Bearing away – Helm raising or lowering boats direction to the wind. Sheet in/Sheet out – Crew bringing in or letting out sheets.

“Ahoy!” – sailors would use this exclamation among themselves to call out to each other. “Land Ho!” – an exclamation that a sailor would make when they spotted the land.

Mainsail: The big triangular sail just aft of the sailboat's mast. As the name suggests, this is the boat's largest and most important sail. Running along its bottom edge, the mainsail has a thick pole called the boom. Jib: The next most common sail on any boat.

Rule 1: When you are on the same tack as the other boat, the leeward boat has the right-of-way. Rule 2: When you are on opposite tacks, the starboard tack boat has the right-of-way. Rule 3: If you are overtaking the other boat, or it is overtaking you, the boat ahead (the overtaken boat) has the right-of-way.

Description. A useful mnemonic is "Can This Boat Sail Correctly?" the first letters of which refer to Center/daggerboard, Trim, Balance, Sheet/Sail and Course.

“Fair Winds and Following Seas” is a gesture of good luck to those we will miss and sailors who have served with honor and courage. The combination of phrases implies that a vessel will have good winds, and not have to pound into the waves. The phrase can be used as a toast or salutation between mariners.

"Two, six, heave" is a phrase used to coordinate seamen's pulling. As used by sailors, the person at the front of the team will typically call out the "two, six" part of the chant. During this phase all members move their hands up the line ready to pull.

The "doldrums" is a popular nautical term that refers to the belt around the Earth near the equator where sailing ships sometimes get stuck on windless waters.

What is the strongest sailors quote? ›

The strongest storms make the best sailors.

Wolfgang Weber, currently on a circumnavigation of the globe near Cuba and author of the book "Sail Knigge", explains: "Sailors greet each other with a steady wave with one hand, when both ships sail right next to each other or the shortest distance to each other The greeting does not just mean 'hello!'

Come about: to turn the bow of the boat through the wind. The skipper will say, “Ready about!” The crew responds, “Ready,” and they keep their heads down to avoid the boom. The skipper says, “Helmsalee” or “Hard-alee” and turns.

matelot (slang, British), Jack Tar, seafaring man or woman or person, lascar, leatherneck (slang)

Dismasting, also spelled demasting, occurs to a sailing ship when one or more of the masts responsible for hoisting the sails that propel the vessel breaks. Dismasting usually occurs as the result of high winds during a storm acting upon masts, sails, rigging, and spars.

A group of sailors is referred to as a crew, particularly in relation to their work aboard a ship.

69.1.

A competitor, boat owner or support person shall not commit an act of misconduct. Misconduct is: conduct that is a breach of good manners, a breach of good sportsmanship, or unethical behaviour; or. conduct that may bring, or has brought, the sport into disrepute.

Rule 66, Reopening a Hearing

When a party to a hearing asks for a reopening, evidence is 'new' if it was not reasonably possible for the party to have discovered it, or to have found the witness who can offer it, before the original hearing.

Rule 42 is the “pumping, rocking, ooching, sculling” rule. The rule specifically tells sailors how they can, and cannot, propel their boats in a sailboat race.

(i) When each has the wind on a different side, the vessel which has the wind on the port side shall keep out of the way of the other. (ii) When both have the wind on the same side, the vessel which is to windward shall keep out of the way of the vessel which is to leeward.

What is the first rule of sailing? ›

Know where you are. If the first rule of boating is “Stay on the boat”, then the first rule of seamanship has to be “Know where you are”.

As the name implies, triangular sails are triangular in shape and follow the same axis as the boat, with fore sails at the bow and aft sails at the stem. Triangular sails are employed for forward propulsion on both sides, and they may be modified to take advantage of the wind's force.

Sailors and Marines say Aye Aye to superiors, especially to Naval Officers and Marine Officers (most especially to the Ship's Captain), as a positive acknowledgment of a lawful order.

Lord, ruler over waves and sea, keep your blessed hand over all seafarers. Give them the strength to lead a Christian life aboard their ships. Do not let them disappoint anyone who may expect their help aboard. Keep their families at home in your care.

'Ahoy' originated in the seafaring world, where it was used as an interjection to catch the attention of crew members and as a general greeting.

The 74, a Third Rate, was the most important new ship-type of the later 18th century. Bellona was one of the most successful Royal Navy designs and became a prototype for its 74s. The French had developed the 74 in the 1730s as better armed and a better sailer than the British 70.

As port and starboard never change, they are unambiguous references that are independent of a mariner's orientation, and, as a result, mariners use these nautical terms instead of left and right to avoid confusion.

Shipmate

Plainly speaking, a shipmate is literally what you call a mate on one's own ship. Being a U.S. Navy sailor means being more than just a part of a team, but also a family.

Tacking: Sailing the craft into the wind from the port tack to the starboard tack. Beating to windward on a series of port and starboard tacks, tacking between each at points 1, 2, and 3.

In the North Atlantic Ocean, Northeast Pacific Ocean, and South Pacific Ocean, they are called “hurricanes,” but in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, they are called “typhoons.” In the Southwest Pacific Ocean or Southeast Indian Ocean, they are called “severe tropical cyclones.” In the North Indian Ocean, they are called “ ...

What is a gentle wind called? ›

Definitions of gentle wind. a slight wind (usually refreshing) synonyms: air, breeze, zephyr.

I wish you smooth sailing as forward you float. May there be wind in your sails and friends in your boat.

I'm the soldier of wisdom, guided by Mercury! I'll cleanse your evil, I'm Sailor Mercury! I'll flush your deadly science away!"---...

Don't stop in a problem for too long, or you may sink.

“You did it, Recruit, and you should be proud.” “What you learn in the military will serve you for the rest of your life. Congratulations on joining the (branch of service).”

Ahoy. Ahoy is the most versatile pirate word used in movies and books. Sailors use it to call to other ships, greet each other, warn of danger, or say goodbye.

We can use 'welcome on board' in the same way that we use 'welcome aboard. ' 'Welcome on board' is more formal. It is more common for pilots, cabin crew and conductors to say 'welcome on board' when passengers board a vessel.

“Ready to tack?” • “Prepare to tack!” • “Ready about?” • “Prepare to come about!” You can choose what you want to say, but it is recommended that you don't stray too far from those phrases listed above. Step 2: Crew looks 360° around the boat, get ready to tack, and says, “Ready!”

Steam donkeys acquired their name from their origin in sailing ships, where the "donkey" engine was typically a small secondary engine used to load and unload cargo and raise the larger sails with small crews, or to power pumps.

Capsizing or keeling over occurs when a boat or ship is rolled on its side or further by wave action, instability or wind force beyond the angle of positive static stability or it is upside down in the water. The act of recovering a vessel from a capsize is called righting.

What is a male sailor called? ›

seaman. noun. a man who is a sailor, especially one who is not an officer.

NUB - any new sailor can be called a NUB, which stands for “Non-Usable Body”

In the United States Navy, "shipmate" is a term used by anyone in the Navy to reference anyone else in the Navy. It can be used with a range of connotations—most often as an expression of camaraderie, but also as a respectful way to address other crew members whose rank or naval rating is not clear.

The Helm declares that they are beginning to tack by saying, “Hard-A-Lee”. There are a couple variations on this command and if you want to say something else, it's your boat, just make sure everyone on your boat understands what you are commanding.

The first few sailings of any new ship are traditionally called shakedown cruises, where the ship and the crew are put through their paces ahead of a revenue sailing.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hurricanes (the term most U.S. sailors are familiar with) and typhoons are just two different names for the same weather phenomenon: tropical cyclones, i.e., “a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or ...

A sailor's Queen is that special woman who decides in her heart and mind to marry a sailor and hold his hands through smooth seas and rough weather.

The WRNS was finally integrated into the Royal Navy in 1993, when women were allowed to serve on board navy vessels as full members of the crew. Female sailors are still informally known by the nicknames "wrens" or "Jennies" ("Jenny Wrens") in naval slang.

The points of sail include into the wind (in irons), close hauled, close reach, beam reach, broad reach, and running, which go from windward to leeward and are all symmetric from port to starboard.

What is the world sailing code? ›

(a) World Sailing Parties shall work to maintain harmonious relations with State authorities, in accordance with the principle of universality and political neutrality. (b) World Sailing Parties are free to play a role in the public life of the States to which they belong.

If flag Z has been displayed, no part of a boat's hull shall be in the triangle formed by the ends of the starting line and the first mark during the last minute before her starting signal.

You can deliver three types of messages on a VHF radio to signal distress. These signals include Mayday, Pan-Pan and Securite. Mayday will signal to the Coast Guard that the most urgent response is needed. This includes a life-threatening situation, or the boat is in imminent danger.

Red flags are used for various signals in team sailing races (see Racing Rules of Sailing). A red flag warning is a signal of high wildfire danger, and a red flag on the beach warns of dangerous water conditions (double red flags indicate beach closure).

Rule 43 Changes and Key Points

Rule 43.1(a) exonerates a boat in any situation in which she is compelled to break a rule because another boat has broken a rule. Rule 43.1(b) exonerates a boat from breaches of certain rules when she is sailing within the room or mark-room to which she is entitled.

16.1 Rule 69.2(b) allows a protest committee to call a rule 69 hearing without a report being filed if the protest committee believes that misconduct may have been committed based on its own observations.

Rule 13 simply says that while you are tacking, you must keep clear of other boats from the moment you pass head to wind until you are on a close-hauled course (on either tack). A “close-hauled course” is the course a boat will sail when racing upwind and sailing as close to the wind as she can.

§ 83.12 Sailing vessels (Rule 12).

(i) When each has the wind on a different side, the vessel which has the wind on the port side shall keep out of the way of the other. (ii) When both have the wind on the same side, the vessel which is to windward shall keep out of the way of the vessel which is to leeward.

Rule 10 – Port / Starboard

When sailboats are on opposite tacks, the port tack boat must keep clear of the starboard tack boat. The most common place where this ruled gets confused is when boats meet on opposite legs of the racecourse.

No go zone: this is the bit that you can't sail in. Your sails will start to flap, and your boat will come to a stop. Close hauled: This is as close to the wind as you can go. You will need to make sure you sails are pulled in nice and tight.

What is a Code Zero sail called? ›

Code zero is another name for a gennaker.

Gennaker is just a general term for a potential downwind sail, a cross between a Genoa and an asymmetrical spinnaker.

Finally, a Code 4 is a deep, powerful sail that is used with the wind aft of the beam, like a running spinnaker. Most cruisers can get away with a single all-purpose sail, but there are some racers who want a very specific sail for a very narrow wind range and will therefore go with multi “Code” sails.