Being a sailor require a good memory; because not only do you have to remember what to do, you have to know what it’s called and what to say.
So here’s a wee bit of the Sailor’s Terminology Guide, made personally by yours truly.
“High Side” and “Low Side”: this is what a mate or deckhand or shipmate might say to you if you are walking on the “low side” of the boat. If you look below you will see a demonstration of the high/low sides.
When you are sailing, the sails will billow the way the wind is blowing, causing the ship to move in the direction of the wind, too. Which means the boat will be tilted. If one was to walk on the low side and the boat suddenly hit a swell and you lost you’re balance, you’d go tumbling out of the boat.
Port Side: this is the left side of the boat
Starboard side: this is the right side of the boat
Bunk: your bed
Sole: the floor
Bulkheads: the walls
Galley: the kitchen
Head: the bathroom
Outer jib: sail farthest on the bow
Inner jib: second farthest on the bow
Staysail: third farthest
Foresail: fourth farthest
Mainsail: fifth farthest
Radar: the technological thing that is on the top mast that scans the surroundings for things like land, buoys, other boats, etc
Tack: when the wind is blowing you away from where you want to go, you will follow this procedure to keep yourself on course:
Tacking is basically just sailing into the wind, then against it, into, against, etc.
Jibe: Jibe is another sailing maneuver where the boat reaching downwind turns its stern through the wind so that the wind direction changes from one side of the boat to the other. (I could not fully grasp the idea of jibe when they explained it so I looked this up on Wikipedia and now it makes so much more sense.) For a visual:
(I did not create this one. the internet helped me out with this one.)
Helm: the “wheel” of the boat. The thing you turn to make it go where you want
Gaff: Sailing rig
Line: Rope
Peak halyard: this is on the starboard side. Is a line that raises the end of a gaff further from the mast.
Throat halyard: this is on the port side. It is a line that raises the end nearer to the mast.
Coil: It is when you make a circle with the line [clockwise] and then hang it so that the line does not touch the deck. For a visual:
Remember I showed you this picture earlier? This is the Harvey Gamage
Ordered Course: where you are going
Mooring Ball: a giant buoy used for tying your ship off to. Kind of like anchoring but MUCH simpler.
That is the headrig. (this is the Harvey Gamage but I personally did not take this picture.)
Aloft: “Going aloft” means you climb to the top of the mast.
Up behind: DROP IT LIKE IT’S HOT
Haul away: pull down or out on the line
Avast: STOP IMMEDIATELY
Ease away: slowly, carefully feed the the line forward
Hard right: when at the helm, if the mate tells you “hard right” it means to steer right AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
Hard left: ” ” except left
Furl: it fold the sails. This is a difficult process.
Bowline: a type of knot
Slippery half hitch: another type of knot
Reefer: the freezer
Nav room: the navigation room
Brass-o: stuff used to polish the brass
Dead ahead: right in front of the ship
Main Salon: the “dining” room