NAUT301A Sailing

Bow

The front of a vessel.

Stern

The back of a vessel.

Port

The vessel’s left side when facing the bow.

Starboard

The vessel’s right side when facing the bow.

Memory cue for port

Port and left both contain four letters.

Midships

The central area of a vessel.

Beam

The vessel’s widest point; also the direction directly to either side.

Keel line or centerline

The imaginary fore

Forward or fore

Toward the bow.

Aft

Toward the stern.

Abaft

Farther toward the stern than a specified point.

Fore and aft

Parallel to the vessel’s keel line.

Abeam

Directly beside the vessel, approximately 90° to its keel line.

Athwartships

Across the vessel from side to side, perpendicular to the keel line.

Inboard

Toward the vessel’s centerline.

Outboard

Away from the centerline and toward or beyond the vessel’s side.

On board

On or inside the vessel.

Overboard

Over the vessel’s side and into the water.

Below or down below

Inside the vessel below the main deck.

Up top

On the vessel’s deck.

Aloft

Above the deck, especially in the mast or rigging.

Under

Beneath the vessel or below the waterline.

Eye of the wind

The direction from which the wind is coming.

Weather or windward

Toward the wind; the side that the wind reaches first.

Leeward or a

lee

Head up

Turn the boat’s bow toward the eye of the wind.

Fall off or bear away

Turn the boat’s bow away from the wind and toward leeward.

Can a sailboat sail directly into the eye of the wind?

No. Its sails lose power inside the no

No

go zone

How is a sailboat’s tack named?

By the side from which the wind arrives—the boat’s windward side.

Port tack

The wind comes over the port side; port is windward and starboard is leeward.

Starboard tack

The wind comes over the starboard side; starboard is windward and port is leeward.

What is the usual relationship between the tack and boom?

The boat is normally on the tack opposite the side on which the boom is carried.

Boom to port—which tack?

Usually starboard tack.

Boom to starboard—which tack?

Usually port tack.

Lubber line

A fixed compass reference aligned with the vessel’s fore

Landlubber or lubber

An inexperienced or unskilled sailor.

A

lubber

Lubberly

Awkward, clumsy, or unseamanlike.

Keel

The main structural backbone along the bottom of a vessel; it also helps resist sideways movement.

Heel

The sideways tilting of a vessel under the effects of wind or weight.

Ballast

Weight placed low in a vessel to improve stability and provide a righting moment against heeling.

Yaw

Rotation of a vessel’s bow to port or starboard around its vertical axis.

Planing hull

A hull designed to rise partly above the water and travel at high speed with reduced displacement resistance.

Displacement hull

A hull that moves through the water by displacing its own weight in water.

LOA

Length overall: the vessel’s total length from its foremost to aftermost point.

LOD

Length on deck: the length measured along the deck, usually excluding projections.

LWL

Length at the waterline: the length of the hull where it meets the water.

Draft

The vertical distance from the waterline to the vessel’s lowest underwater point.

What changes a vessel’s draft?

Load, including passengers, cargo, fuel, and water; heavier displacement normally increases draft.

What water properties influence buoyancy?

Primarily water density, which is affected by salinity and temperature.

Approximate theoretical hull

speed formula

What is the approximate hull speed for an LWL of 36 feet?

√36 × 1.4 = 6 × 1.4 = 8.4 knots.

What happens as a displacement hull approaches hull speed?

Wave

Knot

A unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour.

Nautical mile

A distance of approximately 6,076 feet.

How is a nautical mile related to latitude?

One nautical mile corresponds approximately to one minute of latitude.

How many nautical miles are in one degree of latitude?

60 nautical miles.

Statute mile

A land mile equal to 5,280 feet.

One knot in miles per hour

Approximately 1.15 mph.

Vendée Globe

A solo, nonstop, unassisted round

Stand

on vessel

Give

way vessel

What should a stand

on vessel normally do?

Must a stand

on vessel always maintain course and speed?

What should a give

way vessel do?

Does being longer than 50 meters automatically make a vessel stand

on?

Collision bearing

A situation in which another vessel remains at nearly the same compass bearing while its range decreases.

What does constant bearing with decreasing range indicate?

A risk of collision.

What is range?

The distance between your vessel and another object or vessel.

Power

driven vessels crossing—which vessel gives way?

Power

driven vessels crossing—which vessel stands on?

What should the give

way vessel avoid in a crossing situation?

Power

driven vessels meeting head

Overtaking rule

The overtaking vessel is always the give

Which vessel is stand

on during overtaking?

When is a vessel considered to be overtaking?

When approaching from more than 22.5° abaft the other vessel’s beam.

May an overtaking vessel pass on either side?

Generally yes when safe, although local conditions and sound

Sailboats on opposite tacks—which gives way?

The vessel on port tack gives way to the vessel on starboard tack.

Sailboats on opposite tacks—which stands on?

The vessel on starboard tack.

Sailboats on the same tack—which gives way?

The windward vessel gives way.

Sailboats on the same tack—which stands on?

The leeward vessel.

Port

tack vessel uncertain of the other vessel’s tack

Does a sailing vessel always stand on over a power

driven vessel?

Why can an upwind position provide a tactical advantage?

The windward boat often has more options for using gravity and wind direction to maneuver, although right

Port sidelight

A red navigation light covering an arc of 112.5°.

Starboard sidelight

A green navigation light covering an arc of 112.5°.

Sidelight visibility sector

From directly ahead to 22.5° abaft the beam on its respective side.

Sternlight

A white light near the stern covering an arc of 135°.

Masthead light

A white light on the fore

What navigation lights does a power

driven vessel underway normally display?

What additional light is normally required on a power

driven vessel 50 meters or longer?

Are power

driven vessels under 50 meters required to display a second masthead light?

Sloop

A sailboat with one mast, normally carrying a mainsail and one headsail.

Cutter

A one

Why is a cutter’s mast positioned farther aft than a sloop’s?

To create room forward for multiple headsails.

Schooner

A fore

Why were schooners well suited to fishing?

Their multiple sails offered efficient handling, useful speed, and flexible sail combinations.

Ketch

A two

Yawl

A two