When steering a sailboat, the method for changing direction depends on the direction of the wind. Thus, all direction changes or turns are described by one of the following terms:

Heading up (or luffing up) means steering so the wind is closer to coming from directly in front (or “on the bow”). Heading closer to the wind requires trimming the sails, pulling them towards the vessel’s center. Heading up so the wind is nearly or directly ahead causes sails to luff, to flutter without achieving lift. If the boat loses maneuverability because of this, it is said to be in irons.

Tacking (or coming about), one of the basic turning techniques, requires bringing the bow of the boat through the wind so that the wind then comes across the opposite side of the boat, and the boat sails away on the opposite tack.

Heading down, bearing off, bearing away, falling off and freeing off mean steering so the wind comes from closer to the vessel’s aft. This requires easing sails, letting them out away from the vessel’s center.
Gybing or Jibing is the turning maneuver in which the boat heads down past the point where the wind crosses the vessel’s stern, which causes the sails and boom to swing to the opposite side, before the boat sails off on the opposite tack. The sail and boom can cross the centerline of the boat with significant speed, and misjudged gybing can easily capsize a small boat, harm inattentive crew, or damage the rig in a larger boat, especially in strong winds.

An easy way to tell the difference between Gybing (Jibing) and Tacking, is by looking at what part of the boat crosses through ‘Irons’ (straight into the wind). If the front of the boat (the bow) crosses through the wind, you have completed a Tack, while if the back of the boat (the stern) crosses Irons, you will have Gybed (Jibed).

Trim

An important aspect of sailing is keeping the boat in “trim”. To achieve this a useful mnemonic (memory aid) is the phrase:

Can This Boat Sail Correctly?

This helps the crew to remember these essential points;

Course to Steer – Turn the boat using the wheel or tiller to the desired course to steer. See points of sail. This may be a definite bearing (e.g steer 270 degrees), or towards a landmark, or at a desired angle to the apparent wind direction.

Trim – This is the fore and aft balance of the boat. The aim is to adjust the moveable ballast (the crew!) forwards or backwards to achieve an ‘even keel’. On an upwind course in a small boat, the crew typically sit forward, when ‘running’ it is more efficient for the crew to sit to the rear of the boat. The position of the crew matters less as the size (and weight) of the boat increases.

Balance - This is the port and starboard balance. The aim, once again is to adjust weight ‘inboard’ or ‘outboard’ to prevent excessive heeling.

Sail - Trimming sails is a large topic. Simply put however, a sail should be pulled in until it fills with wind, but no further than the point where the front edge of the sail (the luff) is exactly in line with the wind.
Centreboard – If a moveable centreboard is fitted, then it should be lowered when sailing “close to the wind” but can be raised up on downwind courses to reduce drag. The centreboard prevents lateral motion and allows the boat to sail upwind. A boat with no centreboard will instead have a permanent keel, some other form of underwater foil, or even the hull itself which serves the same purpose.
Together, these points are known as ‘The Five Essentials’ and constitute the central aspects of sailing.

Reducing sail

An important safety aspect of sailing is to adjust the amount of sail to suit the wind conditions. As the wind speed increases the crew should progressively reduce the amount of sail. On a small boat with only jib and mainsail this is done by furling the jib and by partially lowering the mainsail, a process called ‘reefing the main’.

Reefing means reducing the area of a sail without actually changing it for a smaller sail. Ideally reefing does not only result in a reduced sail area but also in a lower center of effort from the sails, reducing the heeling moment and keeping the boat more upright.

There are three common methods of reefing the mainsail:

• Slab reefing, which involves lowering the sail by about one-quarter to one-third of its luff length and tightening the lower part of the sail using an outhaul or a pre-loaded reef line through a cringle at the new clew, and hook through a cringle at the new tack.
• In-mast (or on-mast) roller-reefing. This method rolls the sail up around a vertical foil either inside a slot in the mast, or affixed to the outside of the mast. It requires a mainsail with either no battens, or newly-developed vertical battens. 
• In-boom roller-reefing, with a horizontal foil inside the boom. This method allows for standard- or full-length horizontal battens.

Mainsail furling systems have become increasingly popular on cruising yachts as they can be operated shorthanded and from the cockpit in most cases, however, the sail can become jammed in the mast or boom slot if not operated correctly. Mainsail furling is almost never used while racing because it results in a less efficient sail profile. The classical slab-reefing method is the most widely used. Mainsail furling has an additional disadvantage in that its complicated gear may somewhat increase weight aloft. However, as the size of the boat increases, the benefits of mainsail roller furling increase dramatically.

An old saying goes, “The first time you think of reducing sail you should,”[citation needed] and correspondingly, “When you think you are ready to take out a reef, have a cup of tea instead.”

Sail trimming

A Contender dinghy on a reach.
As noted above, sail trimming is a large subject. Basic control of the mainsail consists of setting the sail so that it is at an optimum angle to the wind.

Two or more sails are frequently combined to maximize the smooth flow of air. The sails are adjusted to create a smooth laminar flow over the sail surfaces. This is called the “slot effect”. The combined sails fit into an imaginary aerofoil outline, so that the most forward sails are more in line with the wind, whereas the more aft sails are more in line with the course followed. The combined efficiency of this sail plan is greater than the sum of each sail used in isolation.

More detailed aspects include specific control of the sail’s shape, e.g.:

• reefing, or reducing the sail area in stronger wind
• altering sail shape to make it flatter in high winds
• raking the mast when going upwind
• providing sail twist to cope with gusty conditions

Hull trim

Hull trim is the adjustment of a boat’s loading so as to change its fore-and-aft attitude in the water. In small boats, it is done by positioning the crew. In larger boats the weight of a person has less effect on the hull trim, but it can be adjusted by shifting gear, fuel, water, or supplies. Different hull trim efforts are required for different kinds of boats and different conditions. Here are just a few examples. In a lightweight racing dinghy like a Thistle, the hull should be kept level, on its designed water line for best performance in all conditions. In many small boats, weight too far aft can cause drag by submerging the transom, especially in light to moderate winds. Weight too far forward can cause the bow to dig into the waves. In heavy winds, a boat with its bow too low may capsize by pitching forward over its bow (pitch-pole) or dive under the waves (submarine). On a run in heavy winds, the forces on the sails tend to drive a boat’s bow down, so the crew weight is moved far aft.

Sailing Terminology – Learn the Basic Sailing Terminology
By Gordon Banks

If you are new to boating and sailing, it is probably a good idea to get to understand the basic sailing terminology that is involved in the process and the hobby. This will increase your knowledge about boats immensely and give you a proper idea on how to handle a sail boat and the boating equipment that is commonly used. In any case, knowing basic terms that you will be compelled to use before hand is always a good idea, no matter the activity or hobby. If you are driving a car or learning to drive one, the first thing that you will probably learn are the various names and terms that are used to refer to levers and gears that are in the car. Similarly, in boating, you must know the basic terms that are used.

Sailing term

First of all, there are various nautical terms which have been employed by sailors all over the world for a long time. These are terms which are used to refer to directions or parts on a vessel. For example, starboard means the right direction, port means the left direction, forward or fore is used to refer to the front, aft is the rear. There are more terms like bow which is used to refer to the forward part of the hull and stern is the rear part of the hull. The widest part of hull is often called the beam of the boat and the vertical spars are actually masts. Horizontal ones are known as booms as they often hit the persons on the decks and the sailor if not avoided during a steer or heavy winds. These are some of the very terms that are used to refer to parts and directions that will be common on all boats and trips and getting to know about these is the primary step in increasing your knowledge about sailing terms.

Then there are numerous sailing terms that are used to depict information about the weather and the wind – a very important aspect of sailing. The direction of the wind flow is called windward and if the sail of the ship is in the windward direction, then the speed of the boat will also be fast. To move in the direction of the wind, many sailing boats make use of wind socks which flow in the direction of wind flow. Similar to this, the leeward side is the side which is opposite to the direction of the wind flow and flowing in this direction is generally avoided. There are various terms to refer to the parts of the hull, the deck and the rudder and these are also quite easy to understand.

Apart from these, there are many other words used in sailing terminology and if wants to start knowing all of them, it will take a lot of time. Therefore, the best approach is to understand the basic and important terms so that no mishaps are experienced during a sailing trip. The advanced terms can always be learnt as your level of sailing advances.

Gordon Banks is a cruise liner enthusiast and has been writing many cruise ship related articles to help you find the best cruises and the best deals.

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