Sailing Terms
Port – Left side of the ship
Starboard – Right side of the ship
Prow / Bow – Front of the ship
Stern / Aft – Back of the ship
Heading – The direction the ship is currently facing
Crow’s Nest – A secure lookout point at the top of the highest mast of the ship. Usually manned to watch for danger
Rigging – The ropes that connect the mast to the sails and allow for sailors to climb up and down
Hoist the main sails – Unfurl and set in place the main sails of the ship
Doldrums – A period of no or little wind. For sailing ships this means zero movement speed
Belay – An order to stop doing something, or to fasten a rope about something to secure it
Flotsam – Floating debris left after a shipwreck
Jetsam – Debris or cargo that has been thrown from a ship
Jib – A triangular sail in the front of the ship
Lateen sail – Large fore and aft triangular sails mounted at an angle to the mast
Starboard – Right side of the ship
Prow / Bow – Front of the ship
Stern / Aft – Back of the ship
Heading – The direction the ship is currently facing
Crow’s Nest – A secure lookout point at the top of the highest mast of the ship. Usually manned to watch for danger
Rigging – The ropes that connect the mast to the sails and allow for sailors to climb up and down
Hoist the main sails – Unfurl and set in place the main sails of the ship
Doldrums – A period of no or little wind. For sailing ships this means zero movement speed
Belay – An order to stop doing something, or to fasten a rope about something to secure it
Flotsam – Floating debris left after a shipwreck
Jetsam – Debris or cargo that has been thrown from a ship
Jib – A triangular sail in the front of the ship
Lateen sail – Large fore and aft triangular sails mounted at an angle to the mast
List – The angle of the ship to the water, if too severe the ship might roll over and capsize
Parley – To talk or negotiate a truce typically between enemies
Privateer – A privately owned ship commissioned by a national power to take certain actions
Gangplank – A short plank that is extended over the side of the ship to the docks to load and unload cargo, prisoners are sometimes made to walk to the edge and then jump off into the open water and inevitably their death by drowning (known as Walk the Plank)
Draft – The term used to describe how deep the water must be for a ship to be able to sail in it, a deeper draft means the water must be deeper otherwise the ship might run aground
Beam – The width of the ship
Keel – The central spine of the hull of the ship, running from the bow to the stern, when broken, many races believe that the soul of the ship has departed
Tacking – The zig-zag pattern a ship uses to propel itself forward, when sailing against the wind
Come About – To change direction of the ship’s heading
Sextant and Astrolabe – Nautical devices used to determine a ship’s latitude and longitude position on a map using the sun or stars
Parley – To talk or negotiate a truce typically between enemies
Privateer – A privately owned ship commissioned by a national power to take certain actions
Gangplank – A short plank that is extended over the side of the ship to the docks to load and unload cargo, prisoners are sometimes made to walk to the edge and then jump off into the open water and inevitably their death by drowning (known as Walk the Plank)
Draft – The term used to describe how deep the water must be for a ship to be able to sail in it, a deeper draft means the water must be deeper otherwise the ship might run aground
Beam – The width of the ship
Keel – The central spine of the hull of the ship, running from the bow to the stern, when broken, many races believe that the soul of the ship has departed
Tacking – The zig-zag pattern a ship uses to propel itself forward, when sailing against the wind
Come About – To change direction of the ship’s heading
Sextant and Astrolabe – Nautical devices used to determine a ship’s latitude and longitude position on a map using the sun or stars
