General Sailing Terms

General Sailing Terms:

Tack: to turn the boat and catch the wind from the opposite side of the boat, turning the bow through the eye of the wind (the wind direction). When the wind is in front of you, blowing against the direction you want to go.
Jibe: to turn the boat and catch the wind from the opposite side of the boat, turning the stern through the eye of the wind. When the wind is behind you, blowing the direction you want to go.
Bow: the front of the boat
Stern: the rear of the boat
Port: the left side of the boat.
Starboard: the right side of the boat.
Main mast: the mast that hoists the main sail and the genoa or jib, and has the boom for the main sail and is the middle of the boat. The boom is also attached to this mast, and the main sail is attached to the boom
Boom: A horizontal beam that attaches to the bottom of the main sail. It is used to tighten the bottom or foot of the sail.