Picture yourself on a sailing boat. Vast waters and a soothing breeze. Pick any destination you’d like! The Caribbean, British Virgin Islands, or a jaw-dropping island in Greece.
This doesn’t have to be far-fetched. As with most new skills, you just have to start, and learning to sail is no different. It is a combination of know-how and practice—and with time and consistency—you can journey through open waters.
Simple Definition of Sailing
Sailing is the activity or sport of riding a boat that’s moved by the wind. It is important to note that it does not depend on engines, you rely on nature to move the boat forward.
Sailing is mainly a recreational activity nowadays. You’ve likely heard of two types of sailing—racing and cruising. Racing is what you see at the Olympics, cruising is what you’ll experience over the holidays.
Sailor Vocabulary: Don’t Let it Intimidate You!
As with most activities that form a close community, a specific glossary of terms and jargon is used. Don’t let it intimidate you, its purpose is not to exclude you, it’s to help you clearly communicate when navigating the water.
Understanding the words will help you express yourself accurately to other sailors. You are also participating in a long tradition, some of these words have been used for hundreds of years!
What words do sailors use?
Nautical terms and phrases you can use are:
- Port: When facing the front of a boat, the port is the left side of the ship.
- Starboard: When facing the front of a boat, the starboard is the right side of the ship.
- Bow: The front of the boat.
- Stern: The back of the boat.
- Point of Sail: The direction a sailboat moves in relation to the wind.
- Helm: The ‘big wheel’ that you use to steer the boat. On smaller boats you could use a tiller, which is a long wooden stick to control the direction.
- Keel: The beam that runs along the bottom of a boat to help control the boat.
- Heeling: When a sailboat leans to the side in the water due to the wind or a weight imbalance.
- Tack: It means to change the direction of the front of the boat with the wind.
- Jibe: When the wind changes direction, the sailor turns the back of the boat through the wind to ensure the sailboat still moves forward smoothly.
- Windward: The side of the boat that is closer to the wind.
- Leeward: The side of the boat that is furthest from the wind.
- Lines: You use the word ‘lines’ instead of rope when you are on a boat.
- Mast: The tall vertical pole that stands on a sailboat.
- Mainsail: The large, triangular sail. Running along the bottom edge of it is the thick pole also called the boom.
- Jib: The jib is a triangular sail that is placed in front of the mast. It helps catch the wind to move faster and steer better.
Learning the Core Skills
Now that you’ve gotten more familiar with the jargon used by sailors, you should begin to learn the core skills that will help you set sail.
Learn the Points of Sail
Points of sail are the different directions a sailboat can travel with the help of the wind. This is an essential tool to have in your sailing skills, otherwise you will be “in irons”, which is when your boat is sailing directly into the wind.
Trimming the Sails
A key skill to learn about sailing a boat is learning about sail trim. Trimming sails is the art of adjusting the sails with tension to control their angle to the wind. Correctly doing so will help maximize the boat’s speed.
Get Familiar with the Parts of the Boat
At this point you know what is the bow of the boat. But you have also realized that there’s many parts to a boat. Therefore, before you get into your first practice sessions, learn how to recall the vocabulary above, so your first sailing course session won’t have your head under water.
Entering the Right Program to Learn the Sailing Basics
Now it’s your time to pick the right sailing school. Always ensure that your first sailing lesson be led by instructors with several years of experience, the proper certifications, and a welcoming sailing community.
At Offshore Sailing School, we are proud to offer sailing courses for more than sixty years. Our unwavering commitment to American sailing has helped us certify over 160,000 adults and families.
Offshore Sailing School has in its repertoire basic keelboat courses to the longest running and most progressive sailing certification system in the United States.
We’re not just the best sailing course, we are the sailing school for life. If you’re interested in learning how to get started or are already an experienced sailor that wants to revisit community sailing, we’re ready to help. Contact our certified sailing instructors to set up your first consultation!
