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Common Sailing
Terms
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.
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.
Called boom for the sound that's made when it hits
crew in the head on its way across the boat.
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.
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.
Crew - Heavy, stationary objects used on shipboard
to hold down charts, anchor cushions in place and
dampen sudden movements of the boom.
Dead Reckoning - a course leading directly to a
reef.
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.
Flashlight - Tubular metal container used on
shipboard for storing dead batteries prior to their
disposal.
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.
Jack Lines - "Hey baby, want to go sailing?"
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.
Ram - an intricate docking maneuver sometimes used
by experienced skippers.
Sailing - The fine art of getting wet and becoming
ill, while going nowhere slowly at great expense.
Shroud - equipment used in connection with a wake.
Starboard - special board used by skippers for
navigation (usually with "Port" on the opposite
side.)
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.
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