Battens – Plastic stiffener rods in the sail which help to give it shape
Bear Away – Turn the boat away from the wind
Beating – Pointing as close to the wind as possible with the sail pulled in
Boom – Horizontal spar attached to the mast and the foot of the sail
Bow – front of the boat
By the Lee – sailing downwind with the boom and sail on the windward side
Clew – Back lower corner of the sail
Crossbeams – Aluminium tubes laid across the hulls to hold them together
Cunningham – (or tack downhaul) control that tighten the front edge (luff) of the sail
Falls of Rope – The part of the rope hanging between two points
Foot – Bottom edge of the sail
Gudgeon - Bracket with hole in it for locating a pintle to form a hinge
Gybe – When sailing downwind, turning away from the wind and moving the
sail across the boat and the wind so that it fills on the opposite side
Gybing Lines – Two Lines running from each side of the kicker boom to the sailor in the cockpit to pull out or gybe the sail
Head – Top corner of a triangular sail
Kicker – Other name, vang. Pulls the boom down to tension the sail leech
Leeward – The side of the boat that faces downwind
Luff – Front edge of the sail (Also - Luffing = turning towards the wind)
Luff up – Turn the boat towards the wind
Leech – Back edge of the sail
Outhaul – Control line attached to the clew to tighten the foot of the sail
Painter – Rope attached to the bow, used for towing or tying up to a mooring
Port – Left hand side of the boat when facing forward
Pintle - Short vertical bar. Mates with Gudgeon to form a hinge for the rudder
Reaching – Sailing with the wind blowing across the boat
Rig - The mast, boom, sail and control lines
Running – Sailing with the wind behind the boat
Sheet – Rope that controls the boom and sail positions
Sponsons – Outer hulls of a Challenger trimaran
Starboard – Right hand side of the boat when facing forward
Stern – Back of the boat
Stock – Cheek-plates, hinged to the stern of the boat, holding the rudder blade
Tack – Front lower corner of a sail
Tacking – Turn the bow through the wind until the sail fills on the opposite side
Tell-tales – Strips of material attached to the sail at one end to show the wind flow
Tiller – A wood or steel pole the helmsman uses to control the rudder
Transom – Back surface of the boat’s hull
Wake – Small waves made by the stern of the boat passing through the water
Windward - The side of the boat that faces the wind or, when running, the side opposite to the boom