Boating has its own vocabulary, and many of the nautical terms that we still use today come from the age of sail, a period from the 16th century through the 19th century when large boats with sails were commonly used for transporting people and goods. It’s a good idea to get familiar with the language of boating before you head out on the water, as it will help you understand what you need to do on the boat and communicate with other boaters.
Aboard: Being in or on the boat
Aft: Toward the back of the boat
Aground: When the boat is resting on the ground
Amidships: The middle of the boat
Anchor: A heavy object that’s been designed to grip the ground underwater so it can keep the boat in one place
Astern: Behind the boat
Backstay: A wire support for the mast that runs from the head of the mast to the stern
Backwind: A flow of air that hits the back of the sails
Ballast: A heavy weight, like rocks or water, that’s added to the lower portion of the boat to add stability
Batten: A thin strip, usually made of wood or plastic, that’s inserted into the back of a sail to help it keep its shape. Battens can also be nailed in place to secure things on a ship, as in the expression “batten down the hatches.”
Beam: The widest part of the boat
Beam Reach: When the wind is at a right angle to the direction the boat is facing
Bearing: The angle between north on a compass and the direction of your destination
Belay: To secure the boat by winding a rope around a pin or short rod to keep it from sailing away
Binnacle: The stand where you can place your compass
Bow: The forward part of the ship or boat
Bulkhead: An upright wall or partition within the hull of the ship that separates one part from another
Bulwarks: The railings around the upper deck
Buoy: An anchored float in the water that marks a position. It can also be used as a secure fixed object to tie your boat to.
Capsize: Turning a boat over in the water by accident
Cast Off: To release the lines keeping the boat at the shore or mooring
Clear the Decks: Removing unnecessary things from the decks
Cleat: A hook with two ends that can be used to secure a line to the boat
Course: The direction you’re traveling in
Dock: The place where the boat can be secured
Draft: The depth of the lowest point of the boat
Drift: The boat’s movement when it’s being pushed around by waves
Ease: To loosen or let out the sails
Fathom: A nautical measurement that is equivalent to about six feet of depth
Fluke: The pointed triangular blade at the end of an anchor that is designed to dig into the bottom of the sea to keep it secure
Foresail: The lowest sail on the foremast of the ship
Furl: To fold a sail and secure it to its main support beam
Hard Over: Turning the wheel of the ship as far in one direction as possible
Harden Up: Steering closer to the wind by pulling in on the sheets
Hatch: A covered opening on the deck, usually leading to a space for holding caught fish
Head: The top corner of a triangular sail
Header: A change in the direction of the wind toward the bow of the boat
Helm: The wheel or tiller of the boat
Hoist: To raise aloft
Jetsam: Debris that is floating out at sea
Keel: The fixed fin on the hull of the ship in the water. Its job is to help provide stability for the boat to keep it from slipping sideways.
Knot: A unit of speed. One knot is equivalent to 6,076 feet per hour.
Landfall: The first sight of land while at sea
Lazarette: An area near the stern of the cockpit
Leeward: A downwind vessel
Lifeline: A fence that surrounds the deck to keep crew members from falling overboard
Listing: Leaning to the side due to unbalanced weight
Mainsail: A sail attached to the mast and boom of the boat
Mooring: An anchor or weight that is permanently attached to the ground, usually attached to a buoy on the surface that the boat can tie itself to
Nautical Mile: A measurement of distance while at sea. Nautical miles are longer than regular miles; a nautical mile is a little more than 1.15 land miles or 6,076 feet.
Offing: A safe distance from the shore
Onboard: Being on the boat
Pinch: Sailing as close to the wind direction as possible
Pitch: The up and down motion of a vessel, when the bow and stern rise and fall in the same way as a teeter-totter
Point: Turning the boat closer to the wind
Port: The left side of the boat
Reaching: Sailing a course where the boat turns away against the wind
Ready About: An instruction to the crew to indicate that the boat is about to set sail
Reef: Reduce the size of the sail
Rigging: The lines on the mast and support that can be used to adjust the sails
Rudder: A hinged plate on the stern of the vessel that can be used to steer the boat
Safety Harness: A webbed harness worn over the shoulders and around the chest. It’s designed to prevent you from being injured by falling into the water or assist in recovery if you do fall in.
Sculling: Moving the boat forward using oars
Starboard: The right side of the boat
Stern: The back of the boat
Stow: Put away items or store them onboard
Tonnage: The weight of a boat in tons. The Law of Gross Tonnage is a rule that heavier boats always have the right-of-way on the water.
Underway: When the boat is not anchored or moored to the dock
Yaw: The side-to-side movement of the bow and stern of a boat
This page was last updated by Douglas R. Williams