Sailing terms every new crew member should know

Bow and stern — the front and the back of the boat.

Hull — the body of the boat that sits in the water.

Keel — the weighted fin beneath the hull that stops the boat sliding sideways and keeps it upright.

Cockpit — the working area where the helm and crew sit.

Mast and boom — the vertical spar carrying the sails, and the horizontal spar along the foot of the mainsail.

Rudder and tiller or wheel — the blade that steers the boat, and the lever or wheel you steer it with.

Guardrails and pulpit — the wires around the deck edge and the frame at the bow that stop you going over the side.

Port and starboard — the left and right sides looking forward. Fixed to the boat, so they never depend on which way you are facing.

Forward and aft — towards the bow and towards the stern.

Windward and leeward — the side the wind is coming from, and the sheltered side it is blowing towards.

Ahead and astern — in front of the boat and behind it.

Knot — one nautical mile per hour, used for both boat speed and wind speed.

Heading and bearing — the direction the boat is pointing, and the direction of an object from you.

Sheet — a rope controlling how far a sail is let out. The mainsheet trims the mainsail, the jib sheets the headsail.

Halyard — a rope that hoists a sail up the mast.

Line — the general word for a rope with a job. Almost nothing aboard is simply called a rope.

Winch and cleat — the drum used to take load on a line, and the fitting you secure it to.

Mainsail and headsail — the sail behind the mast and the sail in front of it — the latter also called the jib or genoa depending on size.

Reef — to reduce sail area in stronger wind. "Put a reef in" means make the mainsail smaller.

Luffing — the flutter along the front edge of a sail when it is eased too far or the boat points too close to the wind.

Tacking — turning the bow through the wind so the sails fill on the other side. The command is "ready about", then "lee-oh" as the helm turns.

Gybing — the same change of side with the stern passing through the wind. Done under control, because the boom crosses fast.

Heaving to — backing the headsail against the rudder so the boat sits almost stationary — useful for lunch, a reef or a problem needing both hands.

Making fast — securing a line so it will hold.

Ease, trim and hold — let the line out, pull it in, and stop where it is. Three words that cover most of what happens in the cockpit.

Fenders and warps — the cushions over the side and the ropes used when berthing alongside.

Do not memorise a glossary. The vocabulary lands in a couple of days aboard because every word attaches to an object you are holding or an action you are performing, and that is exactly how the Competent Crew course teaches it. Skim this before you arrive, then let the boat do the rest.