Common Everyday Used Yachting Terms

Author: K.Thomas

For Sea Men and yachters starting out, many terms often used by yachters, cause many a headache in learning these terms.Here for you is a list of most common and widely used terms in the modern day yachting vocabulary.

Presenting to you now, is a basic comprehensive list of some of the top yachting terms. Learn these and you are well on your way to becoming proficient in modern day sailer lingo.

If you Google On Line yachting, you will find courses where all of these terms are defined. You will become more an expert for your effort in learning them.

1- Wake - When yachts move accross the water, a wake is left trailing the yacht that looks like a path of churning waves and disturbed water trailing behind the yacht.

2- Portside - If you are facing the fron of the yacht, the left side of the yacht is the port side.

3- Starboard - Facing forward to the bow, on your right side would be Starboard.

4- Abaft - To go towards the stern, behind the yacht, is abaft.

5- Abaft - If you are walking towards the rear of the yacht, you are going abaft.

6- Cabin - These are what the crew or passengers use to get out of the elements. Another word for this purpose would be compartment.

7- Stern - At the rear of the yacht is the stern.

8- Abeam - Not on the yacht, but in relation to the keel, it would be at right angles.

9- Navigation - To plan and direct through charts and instruments the movement of the yacht from one point to another.

10- Capsize - If your watercraft is flipped over for any reason, rather a rogue wave, or from being blown over from huricane gail force winds. It has capsized.

11- Tide - Due to the pull of the moons gravity, the water levels of the oceans rise at its strongest pull, and drops when it lessens. In port, the water will be deaper at high tide, and less deap at low tide.

12- Aboard - If you are anywhere on the yacht, you are onboard the yacht.

13- Latitude - is from the Equator going North or South, for any distance, measured in degrees.

14- Ground Tackle - Usually designates the anchor, its chain and assorted equipment that goes with it.

15- Longitude - At the Greenwich Meridian in England going East or West for any distance is Longitude. Longitude is measured in degrees.

16- Bearing - The direction of a yacht, either by its true bearing that the chart would show, or by its realities bearing based on another object.

17- Flood - Incoming water currents,usually from an unwanted opening, on a yacht usually unless corrected, is a precursor to the yacht sinking.

18- Overboard - If you fall off the yacht, you are overboard.

19- Inboard - Pretty much the interior of the yacht. For example the compartment where the yachts motor resides is inboard. Sometimes motors enclosed as such are called inboard motors.

20- Longitude - West or east of Englands Meridian of Greenwich, measured by degrees.

21- The bow - The front of the yacht.

22- Batten Down - When you close doors and water tight hatches, you are battening down. This also includes securing all lose objects and materials so they do not go flying about during or a storm for example. Battening down can prevent a yacht from sinking or people from getting hurt by falling or flailing objects.