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Posts Tagged ‘terms’

Just for fun! TheYachtMarket brings you sailing terms that you may not be familiar with. Why not test yourself?

A is for… Aft – Towards the stern

B is for… Baggywrinkle – A soft covering for cables that prevents sail chafing from occurring.

C is for… Chock-a-block – Rigging blocks that are so tight against one another that they cannot be further tightened.

D is for… Deadeye – A round wooden plank which serves a similar purpose to a block in the standing rigging of large sailing vessels.

E is for… Embayed – The condition where a sailing vessel is confined between two capes or headlands, typically where the wind is blowing directly onshore.

F is for… Fathom – A unit of length equal to 6 feet (1.8 m), roughly measured as the distance between a man’s outstretched hands.

G is for… Gunwale – Upper edge of the hull.

H is for… Hand over fist – To climb steadily upwards, from the motion of a sailor climbing shrouds on a sailing ship (originally “hand over hand”).

I is for… In Irons – When the bow of a sailboat is headed into the wind and the boat has stalled and is unable to manoeuvre .

J is for… Jibboom – A spar used to extend the bowsprit.

K is for… Killick – A small anchor. A fouled killick is the substantive badge of non-commissioned officers in the RN. Seamen promoted to the first step in the promotion ladder are called ‘Killick’. The badge signifies that here is an Able Seaman skilled to cope with the awkward job of dealing with a fouled anchor.

L is for… Luffing – When a sailing vessel is steered far enough to windward that the sail is no longer completely filled with wind (the luff of the sail is usually where this first becomes evident).

M is for… Mainsheet – Sail control line that allows the most obvious effect on mainsail trim. Primarily used to control the angle of the boom, and thereby the mainsail, this control can also increase or decrease downward tension on the boom while sailing upwind, significantly affecting sail shape.

N is for… Nipper – Short rope used to bind a cable to the “messenger” (a moving line propelled by the capstan) so that the cable is dragged along too (Used because the cable is too large to be wrapped round the capstan itself). During the raising of an anchor the nippers were attached and detached from the (endless) messenger by the ship’s boys. Hence the term for small boys: ‘nippers’.

O is for… Orlop deck – The lowest deck of a ship of the line. The deck covering in the hold.

P is for… Pipe down – A signal on the bosun’s pipe to signal the end of the day, requiring lights (and smoking pipes) to be extinguished and silence from the crew. A red light at night.

Q is for… Quarterdeck – The aftermost deck of a warship. In the age of sail, the quarterdeck was the preserve of the ship’s officers.

R is for… Ratlines – Rope ladders permanently rigged from bulwarks and tops to the mast to enable access to top masts and yards. Also serve to provide lateral stability to the masts.

S is for… Sampson post – A strong vertical post used to support a ship’s windlass and the heel of a ship’s bowsprit.

T is for… Three sheets to the wind – On a three-masted ship, having the sheets of the three lower courses loose will result in the ship meandering aimlessly downwind. Also, a sailor who has drunk strong spirits beyond his capacity.

U is for… Under the weather – Serving a watch on the weather side of the ship, exposed to wind and spray.

V is for… Vanishing angle – The maximum degree of heel after which a vessel becomes unable to return to an upright position.

W is for… Windlass – A winch mechanism, usually with a horizontal axis. Used where mechanical advantage greater than that obtainable by block and tackle was needed (such as raising the anchor on small ships).

Y is for… Yardarm – The very end of a yard. Often mistaken for a “yard”, which refers to the entire spar. As in to hang “from the yardarm” and the sun being “over the yardarm” (late enough to have a drink).

How many did you already know?!

Sailing Theory The sum of all wind pressure on the sail is called wind force. The center of that force, which is above the water, is called the center of effort (CE). The center of the force below the surface of the water is called the center of lateral resistance (CLR). This is the point where all the boat’s resistance to sideways pressure is concentrated.

A boat performs best when the two forces are in balance. This is when they are positioned one over the other in a vertical line through the

boat’s sail and hull. Your job as a sailor is to keep these two forces in proper balance so that your boat will sail correctly. You keep the boat balanced by shifting your weight and adjusting your sail.

Your boat has weather helm when you have to constantly pull the tiller towards you to keep the boat straight on course. Lee helm is when you do the opposite; pushing the tiller towards the

sail. Most boats are designed to have a little weather helm. However, too much of it can make sailing difficult in anything other than light breezes. If your boat has a lot of weather helm, it means the CE and the CLR are not in alignment. There is more sail pressure aft of the CLR than forward of it.

To correct the balance, 1. Shift your weight aft (back towards the stern). 2. Pull up the centerboard. 3. If your boat has a jib, ease (let out) the mainsail. 4. Try any combination of

these.

Weather- The Sea Breeze

As a sailor you should know about local winds. The cause of these winds is difference in temperature; cold air is heavier than warm air. The most popular of these local winds is the sea

breeze. Warm air over the land rises…And is replaced by cooler air sinking over the ocean. At night the opposite happens. The land quickly loses its heat at night and oftenfalls to a lower

temperature than the water. This results in a light offshore evening wind. On a lake or river, the warm air can rise at the edges to be replaced by the cool air over the water. This can result in a nice breeze for sailing.

Forcast for a Typical Sea Breeze Day: Morning Very Light Winds -No Weather Systems Near -Clear Sky -High Temperatures But Cooler Near the Shore

Afternoon: Wind coming from water starting Midday -Cumulus Clouds over land -Clear over water- Winds Speeds 8 – 12 knots Evening: Winds Decreasing as sun slips over horizon.

Sailing Terms

Amidships- the middle of the boat.

Backwind- the wind flowing off the sail.

Close Hauled- one of the points of sail; sailing as close to the wind as possible.

Dead Astern- straight behind

Flaking- Folding the sail.

Glide Zone- the distance it take a boat to stop after turning head to wind.

Heave To- to head the boat into the wind in order to slow it down or stop it.

Learn how to raise the main sail on a sailboat in this free online video lesson on sailing. Expert: Tyler Pierce Contact: offshoresailing.com Bio: Tyler Pierce is the Northern Regional Operations Manager and Sail Instructor of the Offshore Sailing School at Liberty Landing in Jersey City, New Jersey. Filmmaker: Tom didonato

Learn how to fill the sails in this free online video lesson on sailing. Expert: Tyler Pierce Contact: offshoresailing.com Bio: Tyler Pierce is the Northern Regional Operations Manager and Sail Instructor of the Offshore Sailing School at Liberty Landing in Jersey City, New Jersey. Filmmaker: Tom didonato

Learn how to sail with the wind in this free online video lesson on sailing. Expert: Tyler Pierce Contact: offshoresailing.com Bio: Tyler Pierce is the Northern Regional Operations Manager and Sail Instructor of the Offshore Sailing School at Liberty Landing in Jersey City, New Jersey. Filmmaker: Tom didonato