Procedures

Glossary

The definitions below are grouped into logical categories rather than listed alphabetically.

Areas of the Boat

bow

the front of the boat

stern

the back of the boat

port

the left side of the boat (when standing in the boat and looking toward the bow)

starboard

the right side of the boat

foredeck

the forward part of the boat (in general, the area between the bow and the cockpit)

• the deck crew works on the foredeck; these crew members hoist and lower the sails (mainsail, jib, and spinnaker), and handle the sails and the spinnaker pole when the boat tacks or jibes

cockpit

the pit area in the stern part of the boat

• the skipper (Rod), the mainsheet trimmer, and the grinders work in the cockpit

companionway

the stairway between the cockpit and the cabin below

windward

the upwind side of the boat (this will be the high side)

leeward

the downwind side of the boat (this will be the low side)

• note that "leeward" is pronounced "lew-ward"
• the boat always has a windward and leeward side; which side is windward and which side is leeward depends on the direction of the wind and the boat
• if the wind is coming over the port (left) side of the boat, the boat is on a port tack
• if the wind is coming over the right (starboard) side of the boat, the boat is on a starboard tack

lazarette

a small storage compartment at the stern end of the boat

• the port lazarette stores fenders
• the starboard lazarette stores lines (including the lightweight spinnaker sheets), the red protest flag, and a hook that we can use to retrieve items (or people) that fall overboard

Parts of the Boat

mast

the tall vertical pole in the center of the boat

boom

the horizontal pole perpendicular to the mast

spinnaker pole

the 10’ pole that keeps the spinnaker out (away) from the boat; it goes on the windward side

• the "inboard" or "butt" end of the pole is the end attached to the mast
• the "outboard" end of the pole is the end that’s away from the boat

[TODO: keel]

standing rigging

lines, wires, and rods that are more or less fixed in position while the boat is under sail; standing rigging, which generally helps support the mast or other parts of the boat, includes:

forestay

the wire between the top of the mast and the bow – it holds the mast forward

backstay

the wire between the top of the mast and the stern – it holds the mast backward

shrouds

the wires that holds the mast from side to side

spreaders

the horizontal bars that keep the shrouds away from the mast

lifelines

the wire safety ropes that run along the outer edge of the deck

stanchions

the posts on the outer edge of the deck that support the lifelines

running rigging

lines and wires that change fairly often while under sail; running rigging usually operates through blocks and helps control sails

line

a rope

• there are many different lines on a boat – each has a specific name and performs a specific function
• see the lines section below for a list of the different lines and what they do

winch

a cylinder-shaped device around which lines are wound

• winches provide a mechanical advantage to help pull lines in or let them out
• see working with winches for a description of the winches on Northern Light and instructions on how to use the winches

rail

the perimeter edge of the deck that runs between the bow and the stern

• there are 2 rails – the port rail and the starboard rail

[TODO: cleat shackle block fenders fairleads - Eyes or blocks that guide lines in a desired direction lazy walker - checks out the new lazy jib sheet and makes sure it's running free heel override bos'n chair ]

Sails

mainsail

the sail attached to the mast and the boom

jib

the sail attached to the forestay (see Figure 2 above)

• there are 2 jibs on Northern Light:
  • # 95 (small jib used in heavy wind)
  • # 130 (large jib used in light wind)

spinnaker

the colorful sail used when sailing downwind (see Working with a Spinnaker)

• this sail is sometimes called a chute or kite
• there are three spinnakers on Northern Light:
  • 1.5 oz. (green and yellow spinnaker used in heavy wind; stored in the orange turtle)
  • 0.75 oz. (black, blue, green, and white spinnaker used in lighter wind; stored in blue turtle)
  • 0.5 oz. (used in really light wind; stored in blue turtle)

Storage bags

sausage bag

a bag used to store a jib

• the zippers on sausage bags are rip-apart zippers – when you are ready to hoist a jib, just rip the sides of the bag apart with your hands

turtle

a bag used to store a spinnaker

Parts of a Sail

Each sail has three corners and three edges. The corners and edges each have specific names; these names are listed below and shown in Figure 3.

Corners:

head

the top corner

tack

the “forward” corner (mainsail – on the mast; jib – on the forestay; spinnaker – attached to the pole)

• tip to help you remember which corner is the tack: when a boat is sailing into the wind, it needs to tack – the tack is the windward corner

clew

the “back” corner closest to the stern

• on the spinnaker, sometimes the two lower corners are both called clews, even though technically the corner attached to the pole is the tack and the free corner is the clew
• tip to help you remember which corner is the clew: the skipper, usually at the stern end of the boat, hopefully has a "clue" about what's going on – the clew is near the stern

Edges:

foot

the bottom edge of the sail (between the tack and the clew)

luff

the forward edge of the sail (between the head and the tack)

leech

the rear edge of the sail (between the head and the clew)

• tips to help you remember which edge is the luff and which is the leech: the word "leech" is longer than the word "luff" – the leech is the long edge of the sail (the hypotenuse)

Additional parts of a sail:

telltale

a small piece of yarn or tape that is attached to a sail and free to flow in the direction of the breeze

• telltales tell the crew whether the sails are trimmed optimally for maximum speed
• telltales on the port side of a sail are usually red; telltales on the starboard side are usually green

cringle

a metal grommet or ring that reinforces a hole in a sail; lines or hooks can be attached through a cringle to control the sail (e.g., when reefing the sail)

Things You Can Do to a Sail

Lines

halyard

line that attaches to the head of a sail; used to hoist (raise) a sail

there are 4 halyard on Northern Light:

• mainsail halyard: hoists the mainsail – always on the starboard side of the mast
• jib halyard: hoists the jib – always on the port side of the mast
• spinnaker halyards: hoist the spinnaker
  • there are 2 spinnaker halyards – green on the starboard side of mast, red on the port side of mast

jib sheet

line that controls the trim of the jib; this line wraps around the front winch in the cockpit

• note that there are 2 jib sheets – both are attached to the jib’s clew, and one sheet is rigged on each side of the boat
• the working jib sheet is the line under "stress" – it holds the jib in place on the leeward side of the boat
• the lazy jib sheet is the line that is not working – it is on the windward side of the boat

topping lift

line that holds the spinnaker pole up

foreguy

line that pulls the spinnaker pole down to the foredeck (think "foreguy" → "foredeck")

afterguy

line attached to the outboard tip of the pole; used to pull the pole back & ease the pole forward

• before you pull back the pole with the afterguy, you need to release the foreguy; tip to remember this: the guys "fight" – when you adjust one guy, you need to release (and then tighten) the other guy

spinnaker sheet

line that attaches to the free corner of the spinnaker; used to control the spinnaker trim

note that the spinnaker has:

• 2 halyards (red on left side of mast; green on right side of mast; use the halyard on the opposite side of the spinnaker pole to raise the spinnaker)
• 2 afterguys
• 2 spinnaker sheets (there is one afterguy and one sheet attached to each lower corner of the spinnaker)

runner

black line that pulls the top of the mast backward to shape the mainsail and the jib

• this line is called the "running backstay" or runner for short
• there are 2 runners (port and starboard)
• the runners wrap around the secondary (rear) winches in the cockpit

cunningham

line used to stretch the luff of the mainsail (it pulls the luff down, opposite to the halyard)

• follow Rod’s directions for when/how to adjust the cunningham

outhaul flattener

line used to stretch the foot of the mainsail

boom vang

line used to pull the boom down (on a broad reach) or let it ride up (on a close haul)

• put on the boom vang when heading downwind to keep the mainsail from hitting the shrouds
• release the boom vang when heading upwind

Things You Can Do to a Line

raise / lower

eg: “raise the jib halyard” means to pull on the jib halyard until the jib is raised as high as it will go

release

let the line go

• you may first need to take the line off a cleat and/or a winch before you can release it
• you may need to keep control of the line – don’t necessarily let it go all the way
• eg: “release the topping lift” means to uncleat the topping lift and let it go, but keep it under control so that the spinnaker pole doesn’t just smash down to the deck

blow

let the line go freely

• eg: “blow the jib sheet” means to take the jib sheet off the winch and let it run freely

put on

pull the line tighter and cleat it off

• eg: “put on the outhaul flattener” means to uncleat the outhaul flattener, pull it to stretch the foot of the mainsail, and cleat it off again

take off

uncleat the line, let it go a bit, and cleat it off again

• eg: “outhaul flattener off” means to uncleat the outhaul flattener, let it go a bit so that the foot of the mainsail is not as taught, and cleat it off again

tension

pull the line until all the slack in it is taken up, and then cleat it off

• eg: “tension the topping lift” means to pull the topping lift until all the slack is gone, then cleat it off

sheet in / sheet out

pull the line in or let it out

• eg: when flying the spinnaker, “sheet in” means to pull the spinnaker sheet in; when sailing to weather (upwind), “sheet in” means to pull the jib sheet in

[TODO: grind clear ]

Things that the Boat Does

Points of Sail

point of sail

a direction in which the boat sails relative to the direction of the wind

• Each point of sail has a specific name, as shown in Figure 4 below. Boats cannot sail directly into the wind, or in a "no-sail zone" about 30° to the left and right of the wind direction.

Figure 4

Directions & Courses

[TODO: to weather? to lee? port tack? starboard tack? mark ]