Essential Words You Need to Know

The following are terms related to sailboats and their equipment, including the parts of the boat and how to communicate on one. Explore our list of all things nautical to enhance your sailing knowledge.

A to E

• Auxiliary: A sailboat’s engine, or a sailboat with an engine.
• Backstay: The cable, usually made of wire, running from the stern to the masthead that helps support the mast.
• Ballast: The weight in a sailboat’s keel (sometimes in a centerboard) that helps keep the boat from leaning excessively.
• Batten: A slat, typically made of plastic, placed in a pocket in the mainsail to help it maintain its shape.
• Beam: The width of the boat at its widest point.
• Bitter end: The free end of a line.
• Block: A pulley-like device used on a boat, with a sheave around which a line runs.
• Boom: The spar, usually horizontal, extending from the mast to which the foot of a sail is attached.
• Boom vang: A device that prevents the boom from rising and, in some types, lowering.
• Bow: The front section of the boat.
• Cat rig: A sailboat designed to use only a mainsail, typically with the mast located more forward than in a sloop.
• Centerboard: A thin, keel-like structure that can be raised to prevent the boat from being blown sideways.
• Chock: A type of fairlead fitting through which an anchor rode or dock line passes, reducing chafing.
• Cleat: A fitting around which a line is secured.
• Companionway: The entrance area and steps from the cockpit into a sailboat’s cabin.
• Clew: The lower rear corner of a sail.
• Daggerboard: Similar to a centerboard, but raised and lowered vertically instead of rotating.
• Daysailer: Generally a small sailboat without a cabin, suitable for daytime use.
• Dinghy: A small sailboat or powered craft taken along when cruising in a larger boat.
• Displacement: The weight of a boat, equal to the weight of water it displaces.
• Dodger: A spray shield made of foldable or removable fabric at the front of the cockpit.
• Draft: The distance from a boat’s waterline to the lowest part of its keel.

F to J

• Fender: A bumper, often made of rubber, hung alongside the boat to prevent damage.
• Foot: The bottom edge of a sail.
• Forestay: A cable running from the bow to the masthead that supports the mast.
• Forward: Toward the bow.
• Freeboard: The height of the deck above the waterline.
• Gate: An opening in the lifelines for boarding the boat.
• Genoa: A large jib sail extending aft of the mast.
• Gooseneck: The fitting that attaches the boom to the mast.
• Ground tackle: The term for a boat’s anchor and anchor rode.
• Gunwale: The outer edge of the boat’s deck and cockpit.
• Halyard: A line or wire used to hoist a sail.
• Hank on: To attach a jib sail to the forestay using small snap hooks.
• Head: The bathroom of a boat as well as the top corner of a sail.
• Helm: The means by which the boat is steered: the tiller or wheel.
• Jackline: A line or strap secured over the deck for safety harness attachment.
• Jib: The triangular sail attached to the forestay.

K to O

• Keel: The lower section of a sailboat’s hull that counters sideways movement.
• Ketch: A type of sailboat with two masts.
• Lanyard: A short cord used to secure gear that might be dropped.
• Leech: The back edge of a jib or mainsail.
• Lifeline: A line or wire surrounding the boat, held up with stanchions to prevent falls overboard.
• Line: Any piece of rope used on a boat.
• Luff: The leading edge of a jib or mainsail.
• Mainmast: The tallest mast of a sailboat with multiple masts.
• Mainsail: The sail affixed to and behind the mainmast.
• Mast: A tall vertical pole supporting sails and rigging.
• Mast step: The structure supporting the bottom of the mast.
• Mizzen: The smaller aft mast on a ketch, with the mizzensail affixed to it.
• Multihull: A catamaran (two hulls) or trimaran (three hulls).
• Outhaul: A fitting that adjusts the tension of the mainsail foot on the boom.

P to T

• Padeye: A metal fitting with a loop to which gear is attached.
• Pendant: A short line attaching the bow of a boat to a mooring.
• PFD: A personal flotation device such as a lifejacket.
• Port: The left side of the boat when facing forward.
• Preventer: A device used to prevent the boom from swinging.
• Pulpit: A rail around the bow or stern of the boat.
• Rail: The outer edge of the boat’s deck.
• Rig: The mast, boom, and associated equipment including stays and halyards.
• Rode: The line or chain between an anchor and the boat.
• Roller furler: A device that rolls up a sail, such as the jib.
• Rudder: An appendage for steering the boat, controlled by the tiller or wheel.
• Safety harness: Gear that attaches to a tether to keep the person on board.
• Sail ties: Straps used to secure a mainsail or sails on deck.
• Schooner: A type of sailboat with two or more masts.
• Seacock: A valve fitting for closing openings through the boat’s hull.
• Shackle: A metal fitting that secures two items together.
• Sheet: The line used to control a sail.
• Shroud: A wire or line stay supporting the mast.
• Sloop: A type of sailboat with one mast and two triangular sails.
• Sole: The floor of the cockpit or cabin.
• Spinnaker: A lightweight sail used for downwind sailing.
• Spreaders: Metal struts holding shrouds out from the mast.
• Stanchions: Short poles that support lifelines.
• Starboard: The right side of the boat, opposite of port.
• Stay: Wire or line supporting the mast.
• Tack: The bottom front corner of a sail.
• Telltales: Pieces of yarn that help with sail trimming.
• Tether: A line or strap between a safety harness and the boat.
• Tiller: A handle for steering connected to the rudder.
• Topping lift: A line that holds up the boom when the sail is lowered.
• Topsides: The area of the outer hull above the waterline.
• Traveler: A fitting allowing for side-to-side adjustment of the mainsheet.

U to Z

• Vang: Refer to Boom vang.
• Whisker pole: A pole that holds out the jib when sailing off the wind.
• Winch: A drum-like device used to pull in lines under strain.
• Windless: A heavy winch used with the anchor rode.
• Yawl: A type of sailboat with two masts, the aft one behind the rudder post.