A New Glossary of Nautical Terms

A New Glossary of Nautical Terms

Posted by Gayle Brantuk on Jul 17th 2015

I can't take credit for these--they are excerpted from "Australasian Amateur Boatbuilder & Kitboats" magazine (aka Australian Amateur Boatbuilder). Sometimes it's nice to lighten things up a bit! Common terms you may hear on the water: Ahoy - The first in a series of four letter words commonly exchanged by skippers as their boats approach one another. Amidships - Condition of being surrounded by boats. Anchor - A device designed to bring up mud samples from the bottom at inopportune or unexpected times. Boom - A laterally mounted spar to which a sail is fastened, used during jibing to shift crew members to a fixed, horizontal position. Clew - An indication from the skipper as to what he might do next. Displacement - When you dock your boat and can't find it later. Flashlight - Tubular metal container used on shipboard for storing dead batteries prior to their disposal. Galley: Ancient - Aspect of seafaring associated with slavery. Modern: Aspect of seafaring associated with slavery. Gear - Generic term for any pieces of boating equipment that can be forgotten in the back-seat or trunk of a car, left behind on a pontoon, soaked in the bottom of a dinghy or lost over the side of the boat. Landlubber - Anyone on board who wishes he were not. Motor Sailer - A sailboat that alternates between sail/rigging problems and engine problems. Also, a hybrid boat that combines the simplicity and reliability of sail power with the calm and serenity of a throbbing engine. Propeller - Underwater winch designed to wind up at high speeds any lines left hanging over the stern. Tack - A maneuver the skipper uses when telling the crew what they did wrong without getting them mad. A more serious Glossary of Boat Terms can be found on our website here.