We've got it all wrong! Here is the real meaning of all that sailing
terminology!
Regards, Redwane
 | Amidships - condition of being surrounded by boats. |
| Anchor - a device designed to bring up mud samples from the bottom at inopportune or unexpected times. |
| Anchor Light - a small light used to discharge the battery before daylight. |
| Bare Boat - Clothing Optional. |
| Beam Sea - A situation in which waves strike a boat from the side, causing it to roll unpleasantly. This is one of the four directions from which wave action tends to produce extreme physical discomfort. The other three are `bow sea' (waves striking from the front), `following sea' (waves striking from the rear), and `quarter sea' (waves striking from any other direction). |
| Berth - a little addition to the crew. |
| Boat ownership - Standing fully-clothed under a cold shower, tearing up 100-dollar bills |
| Boom - Sometimes the result of a surprise jibe. |
| Boom - Called boom for the sound that's made when it hits crew in the head on its way across the boat. For slow crew, it's called `boom, boom.' |
| Bottom Paint - What you get when the cockpit seats are freshly painted. |
| Calm - Sea condition characterized by the simultaneous disappearance of the wind and the last cold beverage. |
| Chart - A type of map which tells you exactly where you are aground. |
| Clew - An indication from the skipper as to what he might do next. |
| Companionway - A double berth. |
| Course - The direction in which a skipper wishes to steer his boat and from which the wind is blowing. Also, the language that results by not being able to. |
| Cruising - Fixing your boat in exotic locations. |
| Crew - Heavy, stationary objects used on shipboard to hold down charts, anchor cushions in place and dampen sudden movements of the boom. |
| Current - Tidal flow that carries a boat away from its desire destination, or towards a hazard. |
| Dead Reckoning - A course leading directly to a reef. |
| Deadrise - Getting up to check the anchor at 0300. |
| Deviation - Any departure from the Captain's orders. |
| Dinghy - The sound of the ship's bell. |
| Displacement - When you dock your boat and can't find it later. |
| Estimated Position - A place you have marked on the chart where you are sure you are not. |
| First Mate - Crew member necessary for skippers to practice shouting instructions to. |
| Flashlight - Tubular metal container used on shipboard for storing dead batteries prior to their disposal. |
| Fluke - The portion of an anchor that digs securely into the bottom, holding the boat in place; also, any occasion when this occurs on the first try. |
| Foul Wind - Breeze produced by flying turkey. |
| Freeboard - Food and liquor supplied by the owner. |
| Gybe - A common way to get unruly guests off your boat. |
| Headway - What you are making if you can't get the toilet to work. |
| Head up - Leaving the boat toilet seat up. When boat skipper is female, leaving the head up is a serious offense. |
| Heave-Ho - What you do when you've eaten too much Ho. |
| Jack Lines - 'Hey baby, want to go sailing?' |
| Jibe - Either you like it or you don't and it gets you. |
| Keel - Term used by 1st mate after too much heel by skipper. |
| Ketch - A sailboat with good wine in the cabin. |
| Landlubber - Anyone on board who wishes he were not. |
| Latitude - The number of degrees off course allowed a guest. |
| Mast - Religious ritual used before setting sail. |
| Mizzen - An object you can't find. |
| Motor Sailer - A sailboat that alternates between sail/rigging problems and engine problems, and with some booze in the cabin. |
| Noserly - What to call the wind direction when it comes from where you're going. |
| Ram - An intricate docking maneuver sometimes used by experienced skippers. |
| Rhumb Line - Two or more crew members waiting for a drink. |
| Sailing - The fine art of getting wet and becoming ill, while going nowhere slowly at great expense. |
| Schooner - A sailboat with a fully stocked liquor cabinet in the cabin. |
| Sheet - Cool, damp, salty night covering. |
| Shroud - Equipment used in connection with a wake. |
| Starboard - Special board used by skippers for navigation (usually with "Port" on the opposite side.) |
| Swell - A wave that's just great. |
| Square Rigger - A rigger over 30. |
| Sloop - A sailboat with beer and/or wine in the cabin. |
| Tack – A maneuver the skipper uses when telling the crew what they did wrong without getting them mad. |
| Yawl - A sailboat from Texas, with some good bourbon stored down yonder in the cabin. |
| Zephyr - Warm, pleasant breeze. Named after the mythical Greek god of wishful thinking, false hopes, and unreliable forecasts. |