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.
cam cleat - A
mechanical cleat used to hold a lineline
automatically. It uses two spring loaded cams that
come together to clamp their teeth on the line,
which is place between them. Also see jjam cleat.
camber - The
curvature of an object such as a sail, keel or deck.
Usually used when referring to an objects
aerodynamic or hydrodynamic properties.
can buoy - A
cylindrical buoy painted green and having an odd
number used in the United States as a navigational
aid. At night they may have a green light. Green
buoys should be kept on the left side when returning
from a larger body of water to a smaller one. Nun
buoys mark the other side of the channel.
canal - A
manmade waterway used to connect bodies of water
that do not connect naturally. Canals use locks to
raise and lower boats when connecting bodies of
water that have different water levels. The Panama
and Suez canals are two of the most famous.
canoe stern - A
pointed stern, such as those on a canoe.
canvas - Tightely
woven cloth used for sails, covers, dodgers and
biminis. Typically made from cotton, hemp or linen.
Modern sails are made out of synthetic materials
generally known as sailcloth.
capsize - When
a boat falls over in the water so that is no longer
right side up.
captain - The
person who is in charge of a vessel and legally
responsible for it and its occupants.
car - A
sliding fitting that attaches to a track allowing
for the adjustment of blocks or other devices
attached to the car.
cardinal points -
The points of North, South, East and West
as marked on a compass rose.
carlins - Structural
pieces running fore and aft between the beams.
carrick bend - A
knot used to tie two lines together.
catamaran - A
twin hulled boat. Catamaran sailboats are known for
their ability to plane and are faster than single
hulled boats (monohulls) - in some conditions.
catboat - A
sailboat rigged with one mast and one sailsail.
catenary - The
sag in a line strung between two points.
caulking - Material
used to seal the seams in a wooden vessel, making it
watertight.
celestial
navigation - A method of using the stars,
sun and moon to determine one's position. Position
is determined by measuring the apparent altitude of
one of these objects above the horizon using a
sextant and recording the times of these sightings
with an accurate clock. That information is then
used with tables in the Nautical Almanac to
determine one's position.
celestial sphere
- An imaginary sphere surrounding the globe
that contains the sun, moon, stars and planets.
center line - The
imaginary line running from bow to stern along the
middle of the boat.
certificate - A
legal paper or license of a boat or its captain.
chafing gear - Tape,
cloth or other materials placed on one or more parts
that rub together. By using chafing gear, hopefully
the chafing gear will wear rather than the parts
that it is protecting.
chain locker - Storage
for the anchor chain.
channel - A
navigable route on a waterway, usually marked by
buoybuoys. Channels are similar to roads where the
water is known to be deep enough for ships or boats
to sail without running aground.
chart datum - The
water level used to record data on a chartchart.
Usually the average low tide water level.
chart table - A
table designated as the area in the boat where the
navigator will study charts and plot courses.
cheek block - A
block with one end permanently attached to a
surface.
chine - The
location where the deck joins the lhull of the boat.
chockablock - When
a line is pulled as tight as is can go, as when two
blocks are pulled together.
chop - Small,
steep disorderly waves.
cleat - A
fitting to which lines can be easily attached.
close reach - Sailing
with the wind coming from the direction forward of
the beam of the boat. A close reach is the point of
sail between a beam reach and close hauled.
close up - A
flag hoisted to the top of a flagpole. Also see
atthedipat the dip.
clove hitch - A
type of knot typically used when mooring. It is
easily adjustable, but it may work loose.
club - A
boom on a jib or staysail.
Coast Pilots - Books
covering information about coastal navigation,
including navigational aids, courses, distances,
anchorages and harbors.
coastal
navigation - Navigating near the coast,
allowing one to find one's position by use of
landmarks and other references.
cockpit sole - Sole
floor - of the cockpit.
cockpit - The
location from which the boat is steered, usually in
the middle or the rear of the boat.
cold front - Used
in meteorology to describe a mass of cold air moving
toward a mass of warm air. Strong winds and rain
typically accompany a cold front.
cold molding - A
method of bending a material into an appropriate
shape without heating or steaming to soften the
material first.
colors - The
national flag and or other flags.
compass card - A
card labeling the 360° of the circle and the named
directions such as north, south, east and west.
compass course - The
course as read on a compass. The compass course has
added the magnetic deviation and the magnetic
variation to the true course.
compass rose - 1
- A circle on a chartchart indicating the direction
of geographic north and sometimes also magnetic
north. Charts usually have more that one compass
rose. In that case the compass rose nearest to the
object being plotted should be used as the
geographic directions and magnetic variations may
change slightly in different places on the chart. 2
- A device used to draw circles.
composite
construction - An object made with more
than one type of material.
continental shelf
- A region of relatively shallow water
surrounding each of the continents.
cordage - Any
rope or line.
counter - The
part of the stern aft of where it leaves the
waterline.
course - 1
- The direction the boat is traveling or intends to
travel. 2 - A path which racing boats are to follow.
courtesy flag - A
smaller version of the flag of the country being
visited. It is flown from the starboard spreader.
cowls - Scoop
like devices used to direct air into a boat.
CQR anchor - Also
called a plow anchor. Short for coastal quick
release anchor. An anchor that is designed to bury
itself into the ground by use of its plow shape.
crest - The
top of a wave.
cringle - A
fitting in a sail that allows a line to fasten to
it.
crosstrees - Spreaders.
Small spars extending toward the sides from one or
more places along the mast. The shrouds cross the
end of the spreaders, enabling the shrouds to better
support the mast.
cunningham - A
line used to control the tension along a lsail's
luff in order to maintain proper sail shape.
current - The
movement of water, due to tides, river movement and
circular currents caused by the motion of the earth.
cutter - A
ssailboat with one mast and rigged a mainsail and
two headsails. Also see sloop.
