We are assembling a large collection of boating
and sailing terms.
This will be a great resource for all boaters.
To view the page of terms, click on the letter that the term starts with
To submit a term please email
us.
abaft - Toward the rear of
the boat, behind the boat.
abeam - At a right angle to
the length of the boat.
abreast - Off the side, even
with the boat.
admeasure - Formal
measurement of a boat for documentation.
admiralty law - The law of
the sea.
adrift - Floating free with
the currents and tide, not under control.
aerodynamic - Having a shape
that that is not adversely affected by wind flowing past it.
aft, after - Toward the
stern (rear) - of the boat.
after bow spring line - A
mooring line fixed to the bow of the boat and leading aft where it is
attached to the dock. This prevents the boat from moving forward in its
berth. Its opposite, the forward quarter spring line, is used to keep
the boat from moving aft in its berth.
aground - When a boat is in
water too shallow for it to float in, i.e: the boat's bottom is resting
on the ground.
aid to navigation - Any
fixed object that a navigator may use to find his position, such as
permanent land or sea markers, buoys, radiobeacons, and lighthouses.
amas - The outboard hulls of
a trimaran.
anchor bend - A type of knot
used to fasten an anchor to its line.
anchor light - A white
light, usually on the masthead, visible from all directions, used when
anchored.
anchor locker - A locker
used to store the anchor rode and anchor.
anchor windlass - A windlass
used to assist when raising the anchor.
anchor - 1 - A heavy metal
object designed such that its weight and shape will help to hold a boat
in its position when lowered to the sea bottom on an anchor rode or
chain. See kedge, lightweight, mushroom, and plow anchors. 2 - The act
of using an anchor.
anchorage - A place where a
boat anchors, usually an established and marked area.
anemometer - A device that
measures wind velocity.
aneroid barometer - A
mechanical barometer used to measure air pressure for warnings of
changing weather.
astern - Toward the stern of
a vessel, or behind the boat.
athwart, athwartships - Lying
along the ship's width, at right angles to the vessels centerline.
auxiliary - A second method
of propelling a vessel. On a sailboat this could be a engine.
