What is it called when you take down the sails?

The general term for reducing the amount of sail area is “shortening sail.” Reefing, furling, and changing to smaller sails are specific ways of shortening sail.

What does it mean to sail close hauled?

If you want to sail to a point directly upwind from you (perhaps a dock or a mark), you must sail a ‘zig-zag’ course to get there. This Point of Sail is known as “close- hauled.” During this turn, the sails and the sailor must switch sides because after the tack the wind will be on the opposite side of the boat.

What does trimming the sails mean?

Modify one’s stand, adapt to circumstances, as in His advisers told him to trim his sails before he alienated voters and bungled the election completely. This metaphoric expression alludes to adjusting a ship’s sails to take full advantage of prevailing winds. [ Late 1700s]

What are some nautical terms?

Glossary of Nautical Terms and Abbreviations

• Aback – describes a sail when the wind strikes it on it’s lee side.
• Abaft – towards the boats stern.
• Abeam – at right angles to the centre-line of the boat.
• Aft – at or near the stern.
• A-hull – to ride out a storm with no sails set and the helm lashed to leeward.

What are the nautical directions?

The first thing to learn is that, when facing forward, the left side of the boat is the port side and the right side is the starboard. You have learned that the front of the boat is the bow, and the back of the boat is the stern. The direction toward the bow is forward.

What does the term close-hauled mean?

Definition of close-hauled : having the sails set for sailing as nearly against the wind as the vessel will go.

What is a reach in nautical terms?

Reaching. When the wind is coming from the side of the sailing craft, this is called reaching. A “beam reach” is when the true wind is at a right angle to the sailing craft.

What is a sailing boat called?

yacht. noun. a large expensive boat that is used for racing or sailing.

What is nautical rope called?

The rope that runs up the mast to pull up the mainsail is called the halyard and to bring the sail down the line is called the downhaul. The lines that are used when sailing are called sheets and each sheet will refer to the sail that it controls.

What are some nautical terms for departure?

You can put your mind at rest now because here are some nautical departure terms for your aquatic adventures. Launch: Moving a boat from land to water. Sail: To propel a boat over the water. Make Sail: To rise sails while getting underway.

What prevents the boat from falling over in the wind?

This prevents the boat from falling over when the wind pushes on the sail, and also helps the boat go forward with the sails set. The wing at the back of the bottom of the boat is called the rudder. This directs the flow of the water and steers the boat.

What do you call the movement of a boat?

Here are some common nautical terms: Bow: This refers to the front end of the boat. Forward: This is used when you are moving toward the front end of the boat [bow]. Aft: Used to describe your movement towards the rear end of the boat, more like saying someone is going “aft.” Ahead: Refers to the movement of a boat in a forward direction.

What is the lower corner of a sail called?

The lower corner nearest to the mast is called the Tack, the corner at the top of the mast is the Head in a triangular bermudian sail and a Throat in a Spritsail. The top corner of a Sprit, lug or other 4 sided sail, is the Peak. Cringle An eye through which to pass a Rope. On Sails cringles are often grommets at the 3 or 4 corners.

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