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.
Bare Boat - Clothing Optional.
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.
Boom - Called boom for the sound that’s made when it hits crew in the head on
its way across the boat. For slow crew, it’s called ‘boom, boom.’
Bottom Paint - what you get when the cockpit seats are freshly painted.
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.
Companionway - a double berth.
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.
Cruising - Fixing your boat in exotic locations.
Crew - Heavy, stationary objects used on shipboard to hold down charts, anchor
cushions in place and dampen sudden movements of the boom.
Current - Tidal flow that carries a boat away from its desire destination, or
towards a hazard
Dead Reckoning - a course leading directly to a reef.
Deadrise - getting up to check the anchor at 0300.
Deviation - any departure from the Captain’s orders.
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.
First Mate - crew member necessary for skippers to practice shouting
instructions to.
Flashlight - Tubular metal container used on shipboard for storing dead
batteries prior to their disposal
Fluke - The portion of an anchor that digs securely into the bottom, holding
the boat in place; also, any occasion when this occurs on the first try.
Foul Wind - breeze produced by flying turkey.
Freeboard - food and liquor supplied by the owner.
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.
Head up - Leaving the boat toilet seat up. When boat skipper is female, leaving
the head up is a serious offense
Heave-Ho - what you do when you’ve eaten too much Ho.
Jack Lines - ‘Hey baby, want to go sailing?’
Jibe - either you like it or you don’t and it gets you.
Keel - term used by 1st mate after too much heel by skipper.
Ketch - A sailboat with good wine in the cabin
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.
Noserly - What to call the wind direction when it comes from where you’re going
Ram - an intricate docking maneuver sometimes used by experienced skippers.
Rhumb Line - two or more crew members waiting for a drink.
Sailing - The fine art of getting wet and becoming ill, while going nowhere
slowly at great expense.
Schooner - A sailboat with a fully stocked liquor cabinet in the cabin
Sheet - cool, damp, salty night covering.
Shroud - equipment used in connection with a wake.
Starboard - special board used by skippers for navigation (usually with “Port”
on the opposite side.)
Swell - a wave that’s just great.
Square Rigger - a rigger over 30.
Sloop - A sailboat with beer and/or wine in the cabin.
Tack - A maneuver the skipper uses when telling the crew what they did wrong
without getting them mad.
Yawl - A sailboat from
Zephyr - Warm, pleasant breeze. Named after the mythical Greek god of wishful
thinking, false hopes, and unreliable forecasts.
Back to Archives of
Malletts Bay