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| Abandon ship! |
This is a good one to start with, just in case. Remember, once you are abandoning, it becomes a ship, not a sailing boat. |
| Abeam |
in line with the widest part of the boat. 'Come abeam' to a nearby yacht is the cool way to address a nearby boat |
| Above board |
Has nothing to do with honesty, just means 'on the deck and not below' |
| Admiral |
Courtesy title given to the galley slave |
| Adrift |
When the engine fails and the wind dies, this is what happens |
| Ahoy |
The only respectable call from one boat to another – 'Hello', 'Hey', and 'excuse me' are all inexcusable on a boat |
| Ahull |
How the boat lies when the sea comes up after being adrift |
| All hands |
On a cruising boat usually applies to the 'other half' |
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| Anchors aweigh |
This is a smart call when you are leaving an anchorage – shows you really know your stuff |
| Ashore |
Where you end up after too many navigation mistakes. Probably time to leap off and walk home. |
| Aground |
Similar to ashore, but still stuck out in the water, and can't even walk home |
| Athwart |
Nothing to do with disagreement between the skipper and 'all hands', it means at right angles to the centreline of the boat |
| Avast |
The nautical term for 'stop', which is definitely unnautical. 'Avast ye hearties' has a certain ring |
| Awash |
What happens when the freeboard is close to, or below, zero. |
| Aye aye |
The coolest way of saying 'ok' |
| Backstays |
Nothing to do with mother's corsets. The line from stern to masthead, helping to stop the mast from falling over |
| Bailer |
Any device which will assist the boat from not being awash |
| Bank |
The joint owner of your sailing boat perhaps, but can be a large area of elevated sea floor |
| Bar |
What you hope to reach at the end of a day's sailing, or the bank at the entrance to a river. |
| Bareboat charter |
Does not relate to the amount of equipment on your charter boat, merely that it comes without crew |
| Bark |
Nothing to do with trees or taking your dog along for a sail – it's a sailing vessel with three or more masts, two square-rigged, and the aft fore and aft rigged |
| Batten down the hatches |
This is yelled when you see a storm coming, even if you don't have any hatches |
| Beaching |
The best thing to do if your boat is sinking – running it onto the nearest beach |
| Berth |
This is where the boat is docked, and also where one sleeps – never in the bed, perhaps in a bunk |
| Bilge |
The area below the sole – the very bottom of the boat, inside. |
| Bitter end |
Nothing to do with your yacht grounding or sinking – it is the loose end of a line or rope |
| Burgee |
The small flag denoting club membership – NEVER call it a flag |
| Cable |
Very cool to talk in cables. It's 1/10 nautical mile, about 600 feet or 220 metres. |
| Cape Horn Fever |
The neatest way to say you're scared as hell |
| Captain |
Respectful term used for the skipper of a boat – can be dropped when appropriate |
| Cast off |
Much more nautical sounding than saying 'let go the lines' |
| Charts |
Never, never, never say 'maps' |
| Close-hauled |
Sailing as direct as possible into the wind. Great term to bring out on occasions |
| Coaming |
This is a great one to throw around, and means the raised edge of the boat keeping out the water |
| Cockpit |
When you're in the cockpit, you are NOT on deck. The deck is the deck, the cockpit is the cockpit |
| Companionway |
there are NO stairs on a boat. It's a companionway |
| Cuddy |
what you call your allotted cabin if you think it's too small |
| Decks awash |
What happens just prior to sinking |
| Depth |
Don't whatever you do talk about feet or metres. The cool thing to do, to show just how long you've been sailing, is fathoms. It's a cinch that those under thirty will hever have heard of them |
| Ensign |
Flag denoting the nationality of your boat – much cooler than 'flag' |
| Fluke |
Wedge-shaped anchor arm that digs into the bottom – digging into the bottom securely, however, should not be a fluke. |
| Following sea |
When the waves follow behind your boat, often when sailing downwind. This is very nautical-sounding. |
| Freeboard |
How much freeboard do we have?' does not related to food. It's the distance from the deck to the water. |
| Gunwale |
This is pronounced 'gunnel', and is the upper edge of the hull. If you pronounce it right, you'll be taken for an experienced sailor straight up. |
| jibing and tacking |
Don't get them mixed up. When you jibe, you turn AWAY from the wind and the boom will swing and need to be contolled. When you tack, you turn INTO the wind and the boom remains easily under control. |
| Halyard |
This is a line used to raise the head of a sail and is usually seen lying flat against the mast |
| Head |
The origins of this relate to the fact that the latrine was always in the bow of the boat, not to the intelligence on board – but NEVER call it a toilet. |
| Hitch |
Nothing to do with trousers. Any knot which is used to attach a line to a fixed object on the boat |
| In irons |
When the boat is into wind and unable to manoeuvre, something to be avoided as it will show immediately that you are a novice |
| Iron headsail |
The engine. |
| Knot |
It simply isn't cool to talk in Mph or Kph. Knots are the distance measure used |
| Latitude |
Think 'Ladder-tude' and you'll never mix up latitude and longitude again |
| Lee-oh |
The instruction to tack the boat. Make sure you either give the correct instruction or know what it is when the skipper calls it. |
| leeway |
The distance that the boat is being pushed sideways by the wind. Good for comments: 'Mmmm, we have quite a lot of leeway here'. |
| MOB |
This means 'man overboard'. There's no term for 'woman overboard'. That's because they're more careful |
| Nay |
The opposite of aye aye, but not acceptable on a sailing boat when given an instruction |
| Nautical mile |
This is the same as a knot – a distance measure, about 1.15 longer than a mile. |
| Oilies |
the slang name for wet weather gear (comes from oilskins) |
| Over-canvassed |
this is a good term for when there is too much sail up – will impress well |
| Painter |
You've got to get this right, and it's nothing to do with painting. This is the rope between the dinghy and the boat. |
| pitchpole |
this is when the boat capsizes bow first, rather than by rolling over sideways. Goes well if you want to tell some imaginary sailing yarn |
| reaching |
This is sailing across the wind rather than into it or away from it. |
| Ready about |
this is the call to get ready to tack, is called just before Lee-oh |
| Red to red |
This is a lovely one to display your nautical knowledge. When you are passing another vessel, it means 'red light to red light' or port to port and is the safest way to pass |
| reefing |
Nothing to do with coral or rocks. This is reducing the amount of sail on your boat, without actually removing the sail |
| Rigging |
Nothing to do with accountancy. It is the system of masts and lines. |
| Rode |
Do use this. It is the name of the line for the anchor – the anchor rode |
| Rope |
the only rope on a boat is attached to a bucket. The others are lines or sheets |
| Shrouds |
Nothing to do with death. The stays which are used to hold up the mast from side to side |
| Stay |
Nothing to do with corsets. They are the wires which hold the mast up, by being attached between the top area of the mast and the deck |
| Sloop |
Any yacht with just one mast – much cooler than using 'yacht' |
| Spindrift |
If the wind gets high a fine mist of spray is swept from the top of each wave. Very handy in conversation |
| Springs |
Very important to know. When berthing a boat, these are the lines which prevent the forward and aft movement of the boat. 'I'll do the springs!' - if you know what to do... |
| Stanchions |
The vertical posts on the edge of the deck, supporting the life lines. DON'T call them posts or any other such substitute. |
| Stow |
On a boat, you don't put your gear away, you STOW it |
| Tack |
See jibe |
| Tell tales |
Nothing to do with the tall tales being told on the boat. Small pieces of wool or yarn tied to a stay or sail to tell the direction of the wind |
| Transom |
The flat surface of the stern of a boat – get it right. It is not 'the stern' or 'the back' |
| Vang |
Most commonly the boom vang, a small strut that holds the boom down, attaches from the underside of the boom to the bottom fo the mast |
| Weigh anchor |
Much cooler to 'weigh' anchor rather than lifting the anchor. |
| Wide berth |
Giving someone one of these does not relate to the size of their bed, but to distance between you and the next boat |
| Windage |
the wind resistance of the boat itself – handy phrase, particularly when reaching. 'Mmmm the windage is giving the boat a lot of leeway'. |
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