Understanding sailing vocabulary makes chartering safer and more fun. This glossary highlights 50 essential terms you’ll see in manuals, briefings, and on the water.
Boat Anatomy
- Bow — The front of the boat.
- Stern — The back of the boat.
- Port — Left side when facing forward.
- Starboard — Right side when facing forward.
- Keel — Fixed fin under the hull providing stability.
- Draft — Vertical distance from waterline to the lowest point of the keel.
- Beam — The widest point of a boat.
Sails & Rigging
- Mainsail — Primary sail attached to the mast and boom.
- Jib/Genoa — Headsail forward of the mast.
- Halyard — Line used to raise a sail.
- Sheet — Line used to trim (adjust) a sail.
- Outhaul — Adjusts foot tension of the mainsail.
- Cunningham — Adjusts luff tension of the mainsail.
Maneuvers
- Tacking — Turning the bow through the wind.
- Gybing/Jibing — Turning the stern through the wind.
- Heave-to — Depowering and stabilizing the boat.
- Reefing — Reducing sail area in strong wind.
Navigation & Safety
- MOB — Man Overboard emergency.
- Mayday — Distress call on VHF Ch. 16.
- Bearing — Direction to an object in degrees.
- Chartplotter — Electronic navigation display.
- AIS — Automatic Identification System for vessel tracking.
For the full list and deeper explanations, check the complete article on our blog and get confident with the language of sailing before your next trip.