Basic Sailing Terms You Should Know

During summer it’s not unusual for companies to treat their employees to a summer vacation they have never experienced before: sailing in the Caribbean. If your company does decide to treat you sailing with your colleagues, do you know the basic sailing terms to save you from appearing clueless in front of a boss you’re trying to impress for a promotion? If not, learn the basic sailing terms and impress everyone even before you set sail.

Aft

The aft is the back portion of a ship or a sailboat. So if your sail master says there’s a dolphin trailing aft, you’ll be the first to snap a shot. Another term for the aft is the stern.

Boom

The boom is the horizontal pole that extends from the bottom of the mast that controls the angle and the shape of the sail against the wind when in sail. The boom is meant to pivot at the gooseneck during tack, so watch yourself to avoid being hit by the boom. You don’t want unnecessary injury during your summer vacation.

Bow

The bow is the front portion of a ship or a sailboat. Some sailboats have bowsprits to which a net is attached where a couple of people can stay to get a tan or watch the dolphins that tag along the sailboat.

Jibing

Jibing is seldom done during sail (unless you’re in a regatta), but if indeed your sail master commands a jib, he or she wants to move the stern of the ship through the wind so that the direction of the wind hits the boat on the other side. Jibbing is the opposite of tacking.

Leeward

Also called lee, leeward is the opposite direction where the wind is blowing from, from a point of reference. If the sailboat is harnessing the wind to push the boat forward, the sailboat is sailing in the leeward direction. A sailboat is sailed against the direction of the wind, too: upwind sailing.

Port

If you’re facing the bow, the port is the left side portion of the sailboat. To avoid confusion, sailors don’t use right or left to refer to the sides of the boat, so they set standard terms “starboard” and “port” which meaning is universal among sailors.

Rudder

The rudder is that flat metal, wood, or fiberglass that is attached in the aft of a sailboat below the waterline. The rudder is used to steer the boat through a wheel in larger sailboats and tiller in smaller sailboats. A sailboat’s rudder serves the same purpose as a plane’s rudder located in the back portion of a plane’s tail.

Starboard

If you’re facing the bow, the starboard is the right side portion of the sailboat. It’s the opposite of the port. So if the sail master says divers should disembark from the starboard side, you know where to head.

Tacking

If you’re sailing upwind, tacking is changing the direction of the stern so that the headwind hits the sailboat on the other side of the boat. Tacking can be tricky, so all hands on deck are requested during tack; you may be needed to pull a rope or tie a knot which is part of the fun in sailing.

Windward

From your point of reference (where you’re sitting in a sailboat) the windward is the direction where the wind is blowing from; it’s the opposite of the leeward. If you’re sailing windward, it means that the force of the wind is pulling the sailboat against the wind; the wind is not pushing the sails to move the boat forward.

Now that you know the basic sailing terms, you’re ready to embark on your first charter sailing Caribbean tour come summer!

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