sailing terms Articles

Sailors have a way of speaking, and the sport has its own language. Some sailing phrases are common in everyday language, while others are only really used on a sailboat. The ones common in our everyday language have a nautical origin that will make you a more enlightened sailor, as well. The ones used only on a sailboat? Well, the Read More >

In 1983, the American Sailing Association was founded by Lenny Shabes. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of sailors have become certified in the ASA sailing curriculum. This year, we celebrate 40 years as the leading sailing education entity in the United States. So when you get out on the water, you can be sure that ASA-certified sailors are sailing Read More >

The direction of the wind dictates the direction a sailboat can sail. Understanding the points of sail is vital to understanding how sailors orient themselves relative to the wind. The Points of Sail describe the range of courses a sailboat can and cannot travel. Read More >

Is sailing a foreign language to you? Sailors have a set of terms that help communicate instructions to crew and generally describe the operation of the vessel. However, some terms are not always as mainstream for the average sailor.  These are a few of the terms that you may not be familiar with. In fact, you may never use these Read More >

How is seamanship defined? It is pretty much everything that happens on a vessel. Read More >

Confusing Boat Vocabulary Inevitably you will have a non-sailor on your boat and you’ll ask them for something or you will refer to something else and they will stare at you with bewildered eyes. That is why boat terminology is so fun because it is meant to confuse the non-sailor and make the sailor appear to be all-knowing. Well, that’s Read More >

The parts of a boat will soon become second nature when you learn to sail. Read More >

We know how much you like us to test your sailing knowledge so give this quiz a shot and see if you know all of these sailing terms? Read More >

How about another awesome ASA quiz, where you get compliments or a wisecrack. The last two have been about terminology and we’ve had feedback saying that they were too easy. Read More >