Glossary
15.5
Forecas-
tle:
Also fo’c’sle or fo’csle. Pronounced fo’csle.
The most forward below decks area of a
vessel.
Forestay: The foremost stay, running from the mast-
head to the stemhead, to which the head-
sail is hanked.
Free-
board:
Vertical distance between the waterline
and the top of the deck.
Gale: A storm with a wind speed between 34 to
40 knots.
Galley: The kitchen area on a boat.
Genoa: A large headsail, in various sizes, which
overlaps the mainsail and is hoisted in
light to fresh winds on all points of sail
-
ing.
Gimbals: Two concentric rings, pivoted at right
angles, which keeps objects horizontal
despite the boat’s motion, e. g. compass
and cooker.
Global
Position-
ing Sys-
tem:
GPS for short. A system of satellites that
allows one’s position to be calculated with
great accuracy by the use of an electronic
receiver.
Go about: To turn the boat through the eye of the
wind to change tack.
Goose-
neck:
The fitting attaching the boom to the mast,
allowing it to move in all directions.
Goosew-
ing:
To boom-out the headsail to windward on
a run by using a whisker pole to hold the
sail on the opposite side to the mainsail.
Great cir-
cle route:
A course that is the shortest distance
between two points; the center of a great
circle is the center of the earth.
Green-
wich
Merid-
ian Time
(GMT):
A time standard that is not affected by
time zones or seasons. Now called
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
Ground
swells:
Swells that become shorter and steeper
as they approach the shore due to shal-
low water.
Ground
tackle:
General term used for anchoring gear.
Guard
rail:
A metal rail fitted around the boat to pre
-
vent the crew falling overboard.
Gudgeon: A rudder fitting. It is the eye into which the
pintle fits.
Guy: A steadying rope for a spar; a spinnaker
guy controls the fore and aft position of
the spinnaker pole; the foreguy holds the
spinnaker pole forward and down.
Gybe: To change from one tack to another by
turning the stern through the wind.
Hail: To attempt to contact another boat or
shore, either by voice or radio.
Halyard: Rope used to hoist and lower sails.
Hand rail: Hand hold. Usually along the cabin top or
ladder.
Hank: Fitting used to attach the luff of a sail to
a stay.
Harbor-
master:
The individual who is in charge of a har-
bor.
Hatch: A sliding or hinged opening in the deck,
providing people with access to the cabin
or space below.
Haul out: Remove a boat from the water.
Hawes
pipe:
see Navel pipe.
Hawse
hole:
A hole in the hull for mooring lines to run
through.
Hawser: A rope that is very large in diameter, usu-
ally used when docking large vessels.
Hazard: An object that might not allow safe opera-
tion. A group of rocks just under the water
or a submerged wreck could be a naviga-
tional hazard.
Head: The toilet and toilet room in a vessel.
Head
seas:
Waves coming from the front of the ves
-
sel.
Head up: To turn the bow more directly into the eye
of the wind. The opposite of falling off.
Headfoil: A streamlined surround to a forestay, with
a groove into which a headsail luff slides.
Head-top-
wind:
When the bows are pointing right into the
wind.
Headway: The forward motion of a vessel through
the water.
Heave-to: To back the jib and lash the tiller to lee-
ward; used in heavy weather to encour-
age the boat to lie quietly and to reduce
headway.
Heaving
line:
A light line suitable for throwing ashore.
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