SAILING TERMS

Bear off – pull the tiller towards you to head away from the wind. Bearing off too much results in a jibe.

Beat – zigzagging upwind, which will include tacking.

Boat length – the length of the boats competing. For Butterflys, Lasers, and Sunfish this is about 14 feet. The rules change when boats get within 3 boat lengths of a mark.

Centerboard – the board that prevents you from going sideways.

Footing – bearing off to go heat up the boat.

Head up – push the tiller away from you to head up closer to the wind. Heading up too much results in a tack.

Header – when the wind shifts forcing you away from the mark. On starboard, a header turns you to the left while on port a header turns you to the right.

Heat up – heading up to make the boat go faster.

Heeled – when the mast is not straight up.

Hip – when a boat is right beside you to windward.

Jibe – this is bearing off until your head hurts the boom crosses the boat.

Layline – the imaginary line boats follow to get to a windward mark.

Leebow – when a boat tacks just underneath you to leeward and messes up your air.

Leeward – the boat furthest away from the wind.

Lift – when the wind shifts moving you closer to the mark. On starboard, a header turns you to the right while on port a header turns you to the left.

Knock – same as header.

Mark – what you round to start another leg in a racecourse.

Overlap – when one boat’s bow is overlapped with another boat’s stern.

Pinch – heading up without tacking.

Port – left.

Port tack – sailing with your boom on the starboard side of the boat.

Shifts – when the wind comes from different directions, causing lifts and headers.

Starboard – right.

Starboard tack - sailing with your boom on the port side of the boat.

Tack – changing directions when beating to windward. You tack from starboard tack to port tack or from port tack to starboard tack.

Vang (short for boom vang) – the control line that keep the boom from lifting too much.

Windward – the boat closest to the wind.