Glossary of Sailing Terms

A

asymmetric

Literally meaning ‘not symmetrical’, it is the name given to a type of spinnaker that uses a fixed bowsprit and a non-symmetrical shape. It has also become a generic term for classes of boat with these types of spinnaker. Asymmetric spinnakers are not good at running and prefer to sail a zigzag course downwind consisting of a series of broad reaches.

aft

The opposite of forward, aft means towards the stern. To move aft is to move towards the back of the boat. A mainsail can be described as aft of the jib.

B

beat

As a sailing boat can’t sail directly into the wind they have to make a zigzag course called a beat. It comprises of close hauled sailing and tacks and is one of the most tactical legs of a course. A boat on such a leg is said to be beating
It has nothing to do with discipline of crew after a bad race, though some may disagree!

Beaufort scale

The scale of wind speeds devised in 1805 by Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort in which a wind Force number correlates to the visible effects on the surface of the sea and visibility. As a result a band of wind speeds is represented by each force number and named, such as "moderate breeze" (force 4), or "hurricane" (force 12).
Hence sailors can be heard to say "it was a lovely weekends sailing at Broadstairs, a nice Force 3 and sunshine".
The original scale went up to a Force 14 but after 12 it was impossible to make out any differences as you couldn’t see, so this was reduced to the 12 that is normally quoted.

boom

The boom is the spar that supports the bottom edge of the mainsail and is what swings over the boat during a tack or gybe, making it necessary to duck under it to cross the boat. Crews unaware of the position of the boom during a tack or gybe are those with bumps on their heads.
Also the noise made by a starting cannon at the beginning of a race.

bow

Pronounced as in ‘what to do in front of royalty’, the bow is the front of the boat.

bowline

As two words, bow and line it means a rope at the front of the boat (used for mooring),together as one word however, it doesn't. As a single word, confusingly, it is pronounced differently (BO-lin) and is the name of a type of knot that creates a fixed size (non-slipping) loop.
It's the one that you learn with rabbits coming out of a hole, going round a tree and back down the hole.

bowsprit

A feature on old sailing ships, the bowsprit is the spar that sticks out from the bow of the boat to enable a boat to carry more sail. On modern day racing boats they are used to carry asymmetric spinnakers and are often retractable.

bullet

A slang term for a race win and scoring a single point.
Most sailing competitions score using a low point system, i.e. 1 point for first, 2 for second etc. The competitor with the lowest points at the end of the series wins overall.

buoy

Pronounced as 'boy' or if you are on Baywatch 'boo-ee'. A buoy is basically a float anchored in water to mark a location (in Broadstairs generally lobster pots or fishing nets) warn of danger (e.g. lobster pots or fishing nets), or indicate a navigational channel (avoid them to avoid lobster pots or fishing nets).
A race mark is a bouy. They can also be used as moorings.

C

capsize

To turn a boat over in the water. Capsizing is as a result of excesses; excess power in the sails or excess weight on the wrong side of the boat. It is wet and embarrassing to racers, though kids do it for fun. An inverted capsize is one in which the boat goes completely upside down in the water. A boat that does this is said to have "turned turtle".
Nothing to do with wearing a hat and making sure it fits.

catamaran

Often abbreviated to "cats", catamarans (NOT cat-a-meringues as some land lubbers say!) are boats with two parallel hulls, with a mast mounted on the forward transverse frame joining them.
The origin of the word is from the Tamil kattumaram: kattu- to tie + maram- wood or log: literally meaning tied wood as a reference to how the boats were originally built. The larger cats aren't sailed regularly at Broadstairs due to the space needed to store them, however our neighbouring Thanet Regatta Club, Minnis Bay, has a healthy fleet of various high performance cat classes.

class

In sailing terms class means a type of boat. For example, a Laser sailor is said to sail in the Laser Class. Hence it is possible to have "class racing" where boats in the same class compete only against each other, with no handicapping system.

clew

The aft bottom corner of a sail. Should be the corner that sheets are attached to though many a rushed foredeck crew has proved that this isn’t always the case.

close hauled

Sailing with the mainsail and jib pulled in to as near to the centreline as possible (hauled in close, see how that works? Easy really!). This enables a boat to sail closer to the wind direction.

Committee Boat

The squarehead afloat, a committee boat is used to start races from an offshore position if the wind direction is not conducive to using the normal club starting line.

Commodore

The highest ranking flag officer, The Commodore is the chairman of the Executive Committee and the representative of the club for outside events. The first Commodore was Harry Dipple, and the current Commodore is Doug Spooner.
The Commodore is represented by a swallow tailed club burgee (He has no balls, unlike the Rear or Vice Commodores).

Comet

A class of boat that used to be sailed by Dave Ellis, a Comet is a small singlehanded dinghy that has a red hull and "166" on the old sail.

correction

When a result is given as "on correction" it means the result that applies after the application of the relevant handicap time correction formula.

course

What we race on. A course is made up of a number of legs denoted by marks. It can also mean the direction in which you are steering i.e. "steer a course of one-three-five (135 degrees, South East)".

crew

A crew is the team that operate a boat and also the verb to do so i.e. "I / he / she / we crew a boat". In small boats with only 2 in the crew, the crew is the one that doesn’t steer. In the doublehanded situation, according to the helm, the crew is invariably the cause of all mistakes.

Cunningham

The cunningham is a sail tuning control that is used to control the shape of the mainsail. It has the effect of altering the tension of the luff of the sail by way of an eye in the tack and hence altering the position of the maximum depth.
Named after the excellently monikered Briggs Swift Cunningham Jr. the inventor of the control in 1958 where he used it while captaining the winning America’s Cup yacht "Columbia".
Also called a downhaul as it hauls down on the sail.

D

Dart 15

A class of boat sailed at Broadstairs, a Dart 15 is a 15 foot catamaran with a single trapeze, able to be sailed either single or doublehanded.
Made by the same company as the Laser range of boats.

Dipple, Harry

Harry Dipple was one of the founder members and the first Commodore of Broadstairs Sailing Club from 1936 to 1954.
For an indepth club history by Russell Mallett, the last remaining founder member, click here.

downwind

Opposite of upwind, downwind is the term used to describe sailing with the wind more behind you than in front of you.

E

F

flag officer

Flag officers are the 'top brass' of a club and are named after naval ranks and, as in the Navy, have flags to represent them. There are 3 flag officers at Broadstairs Sailing Club, Commodore, Vice Commodore and Rear Commodore.
The flags, as described in the individual entries, can be hoisted where they are present (if not racing). These are purely a tradition and have no real authority attached to them. Vexillological (meaning that relating to flags) etiquette can be quite complicated.

fleet

The collective noun for boats. Sounds very impressive when used outside a sailing environment to say "I sail in a fleet".

force

Followed by a number, e.g. Force 4, it refers to the wind strength according to the Beaufort scale.

Used by sailors of the Jedi religion to influence the race officer
"Over the line at the start? This is not the boat you're looking for."

foresail

A sail that is set forward of the mast on the forestay. Foresails are normally only seen on boats with 2 or more crew.

forestay

The support wire that stops the mast from falling backwards. It attaches to the bow and can form the attachment point for a foresail.

forward

The opposite of aft, forward means towards the bow of the boat. To move forward is to move towards the front of the boat. A spinnaker is set forward of the mainsail. A shortened form of forward, fore, is placed in front of names of items that are near the bow of the boat to better describe them, e.g. the foredeck is the deck forward of the mast, the forehatch is the hatch on the foredeck (bigger boats, not dinghies).

G

genoa

A type of foresail that, when set, has its back edge aft of the mast.

gennaker

Another name for an asymmetric spinnaker, gennaker came from a combination of genoa and spinnaker as early asymmetric spinnakers looked like extra large genoas rather than the more sophisticated shapes we see today.

gybe

One of two turning manoeuvres (the other being a tack) a gybe is turning the stern of the boat through the wind. This causes the boom to swing across the boat much faster than in a tack.
Painful if awareness of the boom position is not maintained.
Not to be confused with jibe [which is also the American spelling incidentally]: a comment made at the opposition as you sail past.

H

halyard

Pronounced hal-yerd, it is the name given to the line that hoists sails up the mast. The name of the sail is also used in description e.g. main halyard hoists the mainsail and the spinnaker halyard hoists the spinnaker and so on. It is derived from old sailing ships and the term "haul yard". A yard is a spar that supports the top edge of a square sail and to raise the sail into position it was required to haul it up the mast. Americans spell it halliard, as a phonetic spelling of a mispronunciation.

handicap

Each class of boat has a handicap number so that boats of different classes, and hence different speeds, can race against each other. The numbers are in fact time correctors used to level the playing field.
The dinghy sailing handicap system is called the Portsmouth Yardstick and uses race results from across the country to refine and tune the numbers to ensure fairness.
Some clubs employ a system of personal handicapping (a change in handicap according to the helm and not the class) which can be effectively defined as "to prevent from winning" or "not encouraging people to get any better".

head

The top corner of a sail. It is the one that should be connected to the halyard though many a rushed foredeck crew has proved that this isn’t always the case.
The casualty of losing touch with where the boom is.

helm

The helm is the steering position of a boat and can be a tiller or a wheel. Helm is also the verb to steer a boat.

helmsman

The term for the person that steers, or helms, a boat. Terms such as "helmswoman" and "helmsperson" are also banded around but sound as right as "firewoman" or "postperson", for this reason it is frequently shortened to just "helm".
Sometimes referred to as the "transom ballast" by the crew.

hiking

The term for leaning ones body over the side of the boat to balance the power in the sails. At its most difficult upwind some boats have a trapeze to increase the lever (righting moment).
When the tide's out during springs this is what one does to get to the waters edge.

Hobie Twixxy

A catamaran with twin trapezes and an

honours, line, corrected

"Line honours" meaning the honour of the first person to cross the finish line are different from "corrected honours" meaning the winner of the race on corrected time (see handicapping) in that the fastest boat will usually achieve line honours but due to handicapping may not necessarily be the overall winner of the race.

hull

The shell of a boat. Hulls can be manufactured from many things, originally dug out logs and in more modern day times maybe an Epoxy bound Carbon/Aramid diaxial weave outer skin over a closed cell foam core with a CSM inner skin.
Or they can still be made from wood.

I

Iso

A class of boat sailed at Broadstairs. A doublehanded boat with a single trapeze and asymmetric spinnaker .

J

jib

A type of foresail a jib does not overlap the mast when set like a genoa. The jib is trimmed by the crew.

K

kite

A sailors slang term for spinnaker.

L

Laser

A class of boat sailed at Broadstairs, also used in the Olympics. A singlehanded boat with just a mainsail. The best selling racing dinghy in the world with over 175,000 sold.

Laser 2000

A class of boat sailed at Broadstairs. A doublehanded boat with an asymmetric spinnaker . Made by the same company as the Laser and Laser 5000
This popular class promises even more of them for the 2006 season. The class that the Two Fat Ladies sailed to win the 2005 prize for overall club champions.

Laser 5000

A class of boat sailed at Broadstairs. A doublehanded boat with twin trapezes, adjustable racks, and asymmetric spinnaker . Made by the same company as the Laser and Laser 2000
Laser 5000 open meetings at broadstairs are legendary with those that sail in the class. The socials are so good the boat is optional!

Laser Pico

A class of boat sailed at Broadstairs. A small simple boat designed principally for beginners and for easy sailing. Can be either single handed with just a mainsail or doublehanded with the addition of a jib
Made by the same company as the Laser and Laser 2000

Laser Radial

A class of boat sailed at Broadstairs. A boat with the same hull as a Laser but with a smaller radially cut mainsail. Made by the same company as the Laser and Laser 2000

leech

Opposite of luff, it is the term for the trailing edge of a sail. Some sails have a "leech line" so that one can fine tune the tension in the leech and prevent the high speed flogging that can occur due to turbulence leaving the sail.
Also a small blood sucking invertebrate.

leeward

Opposite of windward, and pronounced "loo’ard", it is a positional reference that means on the opposite side to where the wind is coming from. When two boats are on the same tack the boat to leeward has right of way.

leg

An element of a course, the beginning and end of a leg are denoted by marks. Legs are usually referred to using the point of sail that they require e.g. "reaching leg", or with the terms upwind and downwind.
Also the limb that is most frequently injured by knocks and scrapes, more specifically the knee.

line

On a boat (of any size) ropes don't exist. They are called lines. A sail has control lines such as the cunningham and the outhaul or mooring lines to tie a boat to a dock or buoy
Lines that control the attitude of a sail to the wind direction are called sheets.

luff

To steer a boat towards the wind direction, it can be used to try and prevent another boat from overtaking. Also the name for the forward edge of a sail.

M

mainsail

As the name suggests the sail that is always present on every leg and point of sail, it is the large one the mast. On smaller boats it is usually trimmed by the helm.

mark

Buoys that denote the beginning and end of a leg. Marks can be inflatable and movable or metal and very solid. The inflatable kinds are usually some fluorescent colour, orange, yellow or pink. The fixed variety come in all colours, usually red, green and some combination or yellow and black, but other colours are found in streaks denoting an over zealous racing sailor that tried to get too close.

mast

The large vertical spar that supports the front edge of the mainsail. The most frequent casualty of an inverted capsize in shallow water.

miracle

A class of boat sailed at Broadstairs. A doublehanded boat with a spinnaker. Often crewed by a parent/child combination due to the need for low weight to be competitive.
What is required by some people to win races.

moor

A verb meaning to tie a boat securely to stop it floating away. A mooring is the noun for somewhere or something to which one would tie a boat. Also means a large expanse of land popular with hikers (I mean people who walk not hike), but that's not really relevant to sailing.

N

neap

The opposite of spring tides, a neap tide occurs when the moon has its lowest gravitational pull and reduces the tidal range. As a result the tidal flow rate is at its lowest as less water is moved in 6 hours.
Not to be confused with 'neeps, the Scots for swede (NOT turnip), that is served with the obligatory tatties, haggis and whisky 'sauce' at our Burn's Night Supper held in January.

O

off

Used as "off the wind" meaning away from the wind direction, or "offshore" meaning away from the shore. Is also used as "free off" meaning to sheet out a sail.

open day

Broadstairs SC hosts an annual Open Day which is an opportunity for anyone to come along and try their hand at sailing.
Our friendly members will be on hand to take you out for a sail in their own boats and answer any questions you may have. It's completely FREE, so just bring a change of clothes (you may get wet!) and an adventurous spirit.

open meeting

An open meeting is an event where entry is opened to all comers and not just members of the host club.
Broadstairs Sailing Club has a great reputation for excellent open meetings and National Championships, slick race management and good value high quality socials. Combine that with our prime location and Broadstairs is a 'must visit' club! Click here for the current list of Open Meetings at Broadstairs for 2006
If your class is interested in having an open meeting or National Championships at Broadstairs get in touch

outhaul

A control line that enables you to adjust the depth of camber, or fullness, of the mainsail. As a broad rule of thumb a mainsail wants to be flatter when close hauled and fuller for sailing off the wind.

P

patrol boat

A boat used to lay the marks of a course for a race and then patrols the racing area during the race itself to offer assistance to competitors in case of difficulty.
Broadstairs Sailing Club currently has three patrol boats, 4 and 5 metre RIBs and a 17' fibreglass dory.

penalty turn

For an infringement of the racing rules a competitor can choose to retire or perform a penalty turn to exonerate themselves and prevent them from being disqualified. The penalty for touching a mark is a 360 degree turn (one tack and one gybe or vice versa), other infringements, such as not giving way when required, require a 720 degree turn i.e. two 360 degree turns, one immediately after the other. Often referred to as "doing turns" or a "360" or "720". Failure to do "turns" may result in a protest being lodged by a witness and the infringing competitor being disqualified.

Pico

See Laser Pico

point of sail

A point of sail is the generic term for how a boat is sailing i.e. close hauled or on a reach or a run. It has nothing to do with the corners of sails or why we do it (which is a question we often ask ourselves on cold and rainy days).
Should not be confused with "point of sale" which is situated in the bar.

port

The opposite of starboard. Port means left, as in the direction not as in "I have left my towel in the airing cupboard".
Port is denoted by the colour red, and is why the left hand shoe in a pair of Kickers has a red tab and sole.

Portsmouth Yardstick

A handicapping scheme monitored and controlled by the RYA.

protest

In the event of a competitor contravening the racing rules, it is possible for another competitor to lodge a protest. If the infringing competitor accepts that they have done wrong then they may do a penalty turn or retire, if they do not believe they are in the wrong the protest is heard after the race by a protest committee who will decide whether or not there was an infringement. If they find that there was, then the rule breakers result will not stand and they will be disqualified from the race. A fee is often charged to lodge a protest (usually as a donation to the RNLI) to stop people being "protest happy".

Q

R

rack

Some classes of boat have a framework extending from each side so that the crew can generate more of a lever to balance the power in the sails.

radial

A method of making sails by way of having the panels radiating from the clew instead of being horizontal strips. Both traditional spinnakers and asymmetric spinnakers are usually radially cut, and the mainsails of some classes of boat are too.
See Laser Radial.

reach

The point of sail that one is said to be on when sailing at around 90 degrees to the wind direction. Fine reaching is when the angle is less i.e. pointing closer to the wind and broad reaching when the angle is more, pointing further downwind.

Rear Commodore

One of the flag officers of the club, the Rear Commodore is represented by a swallow tailed club burgee with two white balls in the points. The Rear Commodore oversees club operations with regards to the sailing side. The current Rear Commodore of Broadstairs Sailing Club is Mick Lawrence.

retire

To retire from a race is to choose not to finish. The most common reasons for retirement are gear failure or being protested.

rig

As a noun the rig of a boat is an umbrella term for the mast, the sails and everything needed to hold it up.
As a verb it means to set up the boat so that it is ready to go sailing.

rigging

There are two types of rigging: standing rigging and running rigging. As the name implies one type moves and the other does not! Standing rigging is used to hold the mast up and isn't adjustable on the move (generally made of wire), running rigging refers to halyards that raise and lower sails. Also the present tense of the verb to rig.

RS 200

A asymmetric boat. Made by the same company as the RS 800 and RS Vareo

RS 300

A class of boat sailed at Broadstairs. A singlehanded boat with a slim hull, requiring a RS 800 and RS Vareo

RS 800

A class of boat sailed at Broadstairs. A doublehanded boat with twin trapezes, adjustable racks, and asymmetric spinnaker . Made by the same company as the RS 300 and RS Vareo

RS Vareo

A class of boat sailed at Broadstairs. A singlehanded boat with an asymmetric spinnaker requiring a helm with more hands than is normal. Made by the same company as the and RS 800.

rudder

The pivoted aerofoil shaped blade that sticks down into the water at the stern of a boat used to steer.

run

The point of sail one is said to be on when sailing directly opposite the wind direction. Running is downwind sailing at its extreme. Boats with traditional, symmetrical spinnakers can sail deeper downwind than asymmetrically rigged boats.

RYA

Royal Yachting Association. The governing body for sailing in the UK. A link can be found to their site (and many other sites of interest to sailors) on our links page.

S

sail

The driving force of our sport! The name of those big pieces of material on the mast.
Sails have been around for thousands of years (earliest reference in an Egyptian cave painting dated at 6000BC). The first practical motor driven boat (a paddle steamer) wasn't launched until 1786, only 220 years ago!

720 (seven twenty)

To do a "seven twenty" is a to do a penalty turn.

sheet

Sheet is the term for a rope or, more correctly a line, that is used to control the position of a sail relative to the wind direction. It is also the verb to adjust the trim of a sail in the context of to sheet in (pull the sail in) and to sheet out (let the sail out). Is the basis of the term "Sailors do it between the sheets".

spar

The generic term for poles that support sails along one of their edges. mast and boom, are common to all classes and a traditional spinnaker will have a spinnaker pole and asymmetric classes have a bowsprit.
Spars can be made from wood, aluminium or carbon fibre.

spinnaker

The large round sail that is designed to be used to sail downwind on reaches and runs. Traditional spinnakers are vertically symmetrical about the centre so they can be used on either side without the need to turn them inside out. An alternative is an asymmetric spinnaker

spring

At two points in the lunar cycle (a new and full moon), the moons gravitational pull is at a maximum and as such creates higher and lower tides. These are called spring tides. This in turn creates a faster tidal flow as more water is moved in the same time.
In between spring tides are their opposites,neap tides.
A spring is also a mooring line that prevents a tied up boat moving forward or aft.
Also the season that heralds the start of the new sailing season at Broadstairs!

spurlash

Part of describing how big an anchor is. For example:
"That's a meaty looking anchor, What size is its Spurlash?"
"Yeah it is, it's got quite a big Spurlash this one."

Squarehead

The Squarehead is the elevated position at the end of Broadstairs Pier that is race control for Broadstairs Sailing Club, in constant contact with all patrol boats and the committee boat if one is being used.
During any race, even one with a committee boat start there will be someone manning the squarehead as a shore based contact.
The newly refurbished Squarehead also has hot and cold drinks as well as chocolate and snacks available cheaper than other nearby cafés.

starboard

The opposite of port. Starboard means right, as in the direction not as in "The helmsman is always right". Starboard is denoted by the colour green, and is why the right hand shoe in a pair of Kickers has a green tab and sole.
A boat on starboard tack has right of way over a boat on port tack.

stern

The back end of a boat. Also the look on the faces of competitive racers during a race.

One of two turning manoeuvres (the other being a gybe) a tack is turning the bow of the boat through the wind. The turn most commonly employed while beating. A boat can be on a tack too, to be on starboard tack is to have the wind blowing over the starboard side, and tea-bagging

When a boat rigged with trapezes loses power and the crew can't get in off the wire quick enough they get dunked in the water before the power returns and they get pulled back up again. This has been likened to a tea bag on a string being lowered and raised into a cup of hot water, hence the term tea bagging... the fundamental difference being that the water will be cold. This is sometimes used for boats without trapezes too and is taken to mean the same thing. Nothing whatsoever to do with the public school/rugby club definition. If you don't know, don't ask.

To do a "three sixty" is a to do a penalty turn.

The stick that is attached to a rudder so that the helmsman can use it to steer. There is usually a tiller extension that makes it easier to steer from all positions in the boat.

A class of boat sailed at Broadstairs. A small singlehanded boat ideally suited to lightweights and children. They have the advantage of being unsinkable and [almost] indestructible.

A class of boat sailed at Broadstairs. A doublehanded dinghy with twin trapezes and asymmetric spinnaker. Made by the same company as the Topper.

A class of boat sailed at Broadstairs. A small dinghy either single or doublehanded with the addition of a jib and even a spinnaker. Made by the same company as the Topper.

The name given to the back of a boat, specifically the face of the stern. On dinghies it is the place where the rudder is hung. Many modern boats are designed with an "open transom" so that any water taken in over the bow will drain away.

A slang term used by the crew for a helsman.

A wire attached to the mast at one end with a metal loop at the other end so that it can be attached to a harness worn by sailors. This enables a sailor to stand on the edge of a boat, supported by the wire, and therefore get their weight further out. On many high performance dinghies the extra sail that’s carried to generate more speed requires more of a lever for the crew. A trapeze makes this possible. A boat may have just one set of trapeze wires or it may have a set for each member of the crew.

To trim is the verb to adjust the setting of a sails shape or its angle to the wind using a sheet or a variety of other sail controls.

If while capsized a boat completely inverts in the water it is said to have "turned turtle". This is due to the appearance of the upside down hull in water.

See Hobie Twixxy.

A term often heard on the squarehead during a race, in the bar after a race, and occasionally during a prize giving, 2 Fat Ladies is the nickname for Peter Holland and Bar Treasurer Steve Dyson when they crew their Laser 2000. The name originally came about for two reasons:

• The first boat they had together was Miracle 288 (88 being bingo's 2 fat ladies)
• They aren't the slimmest pairing, and if you saw Peter dressed as an Ugly Sister to Lucy Chick's Cinders...

Opposite of downwind, upwind is the term used to describe sailing with the wind more in front of you than behind you. Beating is the method of making progress upwind.

See RS Vareo. Vice Commodore

One of the flag officers of the club, the Vice Commodore is represented by a swallow tailed club burgee with a single white ball in the upper point. The Vice Commodore is the second rank of flag officer and will stand in, in the absence of the Commodore. The current Vice Commodore of Broadstairs Sailing Club is Adrian Trice.

Opposite of leeward, it is a positional reference that means on side where the wind is coming from. When two boats are on the same tack the boat to windward must keep clear of a boat to leeward. wire

A sailors slang term for the trapeze. When a boats crew is using the trapeze they are said to be "on the wire". When a boat has twin trapezes and both crew and helm are on the wire, they are "twin wiring".