Aft - is a sailor’s way of saying “the back”.

Battens - Pieces of wood and/or fiberglass inserted into the sail in a pocket to create shape along the leech or backside of the sail.

Backstay - a part of the running rigging that prevents the mast from falling forward.

Bow - is the most forward part of a vessel and thus, the very front of the hull.

Boom - horizontal spar to which the clew and tack of the mainsail are attached. Aids in giving the mainsail shape.

Coach-roof - raised section of the centre of the boat, providing more volume on the interior- roof of the cabin or salon.

Draft - is the length from the bottom-most part of a boat (the tip of the keel on a sailboat) and the waterline.

Fore - is a sailor’s way of saying “forward”.

Freeboard - is the space on the hull of a boat above the waterline and below the deck.

Length Overall (LOA) - is the overall length of the boat. This is measured from the tip of the bow to the end of the stern.

Mainsail - the principal sail on a sailing vessel.

Mainsheet - a control line used to control the shape and orientation of the mainsail and boom relative to the wind.

Mast - part of the standing rigging to which the sails are attached and flown from.

Navigation Lights and Wind Indicators - navigation lights defined previously, Wind indicator is an arrow that points into the wind and displays apparent wind direction.

Port - is the left side of the vessel when you are facing the bow. The phrase “I left my port on the table” is used to remember the left as port wine is red. This is also the colour of the light displayed on the left side of vessels.

Pulpit - raised Stainless steel frame-work on the bow of a boat, supporting guard wires.

Pushpit - raised Stainless steel frame-work on the stern of a boat, supporting guard wires.

Reef Points - cringle holes in the sail allowing it to secured properly when the sail is reefed down (reduced in size).

Sailing Winch - mechanical aids to pull lines on a sailing vessel.

Stanchion - poles spaced equally along the sides of the boat through which the guard wires run acting as support.

Skeg Hung Rudder - a rudder with a supporting skeg or fin supporting the rudder.

Steering Wheel on Binnacle - the helm of the boat, steering position for the helmsman of the vessel. The binnacle acts as a mounting point for a wheel as well as a cover for the drive gear from the wheel.

Starboard - is the right side of the vessel when you are facing the bow. The word starboard is longer than port, thus some remember it by knowing that the word ‘green’ is longer than ‘red’ as starboard is longer than port. A green light is displayed on the right side of vessels.

Stern - is the most backward (aft) part of a vessel and, thus, the very back end of the hull.

Transom - is the aft-most section of the boat that connects the port and starboard sections of the boat.

Turnbuckle / Bottlescrew - found on the lower end of a shroud, or stay, a turnbuckle can tension or de-tension a shroud or stay by turning it.

Waterline - is the line around the hull where the water touches, when under a normal load.

Waterline Length - once referred to as the Load Waterline Length (LWL), is the length of the hull where the waterline is located. This is not the entire length of the boat, compared to LOA.