Sailing Terms You’ll Hear Before You Get Wet

 

Sailing Terms You’ll Hear Before You Get Wet

Because if you don’t know your port from your starboard, you’re going to get very damp, very fast.

Learning to sail is like learning a new language — one that’s shouted into the wind, muffled by lifejackets, and often accompanied by the phrase “No, the other left!”

Before you get into a boat (or get thrown out of one), there are a few essential sailing terms you’ll need to know — or at least fake confidently while nodding.

At pmrsailing.uk, we’ve compiled a full glossary of 75 sailing terms every beginner should know — but here’s a fun taster of what you’re likely to hear before you even leave the slipway.

https://pmrsailing.uk/sailing-lessons/Sailing-Terms.html

---

🧭 1. Port and Starboard

Your new left and right.

• Port = left (when facing forward)

• Starboard = right
  💡 Just remember: "No port left in the bottle."

---

🪢 2. Sheet

Not the thing on your bed. A sheet is the rope you pull to adjust a sail.
Confusingly, it's not a sail — and yes, you can sheet in or out, but never sleep on one.

---

⚓ 3. Tacking and Gybing

• Tack: Turning the boat through the wind (usually more graceful).

• Gybe: Turning with the wind behind you (usually more dramatic).
  💡 If someone yells "Ready to gybe?" – duck first, ask questions later.

---

🚤 4. Boom

A long horizontal spar that holds the bottom of the mainsail — and swings across the boat during tacks and gybes.
It’s called the boom for the sound it makes when it hits your head.

---

⛵ 5. Helm

The person steering the boat.
The crew blames them when things go wrong. The helm blames the wind.

---

🧵 6. Tell-tales

These are little strips of wool or ribbon tied to the sail to help trim it properly.
If they’re fluttering wildly, you’re doing something wrong.
If they’re sticking to the sail, you’re probably still doing something wrong.

---

📚 Want More?

Our full glossary has 75 terms explained simply — from clew to cunningham, gunwale to goosewing.

We promise it’ll save you:

• Time

• Confusion

• A trip to the chiropractor from dodging the boom

---

Final Thought

Sailing is full of odd terminology, but once you speak the lingo, everything starts to click.

So learn the language before you get in the boat — because once you’re out on the water, there’s no time to Google what a kicker does.