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Glossary |A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z| |
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hail To call out to a boat, addressing her by her name and her port. A loudhailer (hailer) is an electricity-amplified megaphone. hailing port, home port 1) The place where a boat usually is docked or moored. 2) The name of the town or port painted on the transom. halyard A wire or line that pulls up, holds up, and lowers a sail or flag. An internal halyard is led partly inside the mast, an external halyard is entirely outside it. A halyard lock is a mechanical device that holds a sail aloft, sometimes by a hook at the masthead. Halyard stopper, see lock-off. hand 1) Side. the starboard hand is the starboard side, the port hand the port side. 2) A crewmember. A deckhand is assigned to handle docking lines, anchors, and other lines and gear. A foredeck hand is assigned to handle jibs, spinnakers, and other sails and gear forward of the mast. A paid hand is a professional crew. 3) A human hand. Hand signal. A visual signal made when verbal commands are inaudible. The saying "one hand for yourself, one for the boat" means that each person is responsible for her or his individual safety while also steering, crewing, and otherwise managing the boat. 4) To lower. To hand a sail is to lower the sail. See forehandedness. hand-bearing compass See compass. handheld Small enough to be held when in operation, for example a handheld radio. handhold, handrail, grabrail, security rail A rail, bar, indentation, or strap that provides support when the boat heels or pitches. handicap An attempt to equalize boats of different size in a race by making time corrections. A handicap system assigns corrections based on predictions of a boat's speed and the length of the course. One system is the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF). See first. Compare with rating rule. handle 1) To handle a boat or a task is to manage it in a seamanlike and seaworthy way. Small-boat handling is the art and science of handling vessels shorter than about 40 feet, while ship handling concerns ships and other vessels longer than about 100 feet. 2) Winch handle. handsomely In a skillful, seamanlike manner. handy billy See tackle. hank A metal or plastic hook that secures a jib to a stay. A snaphank (snaphook) is opened by pushing its retaining pin sideways, a piston hank by pulling the pin out. To hank on a jib is to hook it to its stay in preparation for hoisting. harbormaster, port captain The official who enforces port regulations and supervises mooring, docking, etc. hard 1) All the way. To put the helm hard over is to push or turn it as far as possible. When the helm is hard up, the boat heads off; when hard down, she heads up. "Hard alee" ("lee-oh) is the steerer's report that the helm is hard down and the boat is tacking. To be hard aground is to be completely stuck on the water's bottom. 2) The hard is the water's bottom when exposed at low tide. 3) A sail that is hard is full, or trimmed correctly. Compare with soft. hard chance A beat to windward in heavy weather. harden 1) To harden up is to head up. 2) To harden a sail is to trim it until it stops luffing; a sail is full when it is hard. hardtop A fiberglass or wooden cover over the helm to protect the steerer. Compare with T-top. hardware Small items of equipment Hardward Accessories A complete selection of hardware parts for easy assembly of all Taylor Made Systems products. hatch An opening in a deck. It is covered by a hatch cover, and the opening may be closed by a hatchboard (washboard, slat). See Taylor Made hatches. haul 1) To pull. The hauling part of a tackle is its fall. To haul (haul out) a boat is to lift her out of the water. See down-haul and outhaul. 2) See veer. hawse, hawsepipe 1) A hole in the bow for the anchor rode. A hawser is an especially large docking or towing line. 2) A hole in a rail or deck for a docking line. hazard to navigation A shallow area, rock, drifting boat, or other potentially dangerous object. head 1) The bow. A head sea is a series of waves from ahead. A head wind is wind from ahead. 2) A boat's toilet or toilet room, both of which traditionally were located in the bow. An enclosed head is a toilet with a door. headboard Reinforcement at the head of a mainsail. header A wind shift that forces the steerer of a sailboat to head off in order to keep the sails full. Compare with lift. heading The course steered. head off, head down, bear away, bear off, come off, drive off, fall off, pay off, round off Change course downwind, or away from the wind's direction. headroom The interior height of a cabin. Standing headroom permits most people to stand erect, sitting headroom permits most people to sit comfortably. heads See bollards. headsail Pronounced "head-sul". Jib. headstay, jibstay See stay. head to wind Steering directly into the wind. See no-go zone. head up, harden up, come up, round up, freshen your wind, sharpen up, sharpen your wind Change course upwind, or toward the wind's direction. headway A boat's forward motion. Compare with sternway. heat up, heat it up To head up from a run to a reach. heave To throw. heave-to To carry a minimum of sail or power so the boat can steer herself while she rides comfortably. With a sailboat the wind is about 60 degrees off the bow, the mainsail may be reefed, and the jib may be backed. This is a storm tactic and a simple way to slow a boat. Hove-to describes a boat engaged in this maneuver and also is the past tense of heave-to. Sometimes used to mean stop the boat. See Rod-stop. |
heavy built Constructed with heavy components. Compare with lightly built. heaving line, throw rope A light line that can be easily thrown to another boat or to a swimmer needing rescue. A throw bag is a heaving line contained in a small bag that is thrown in order to add force. heavy 1) Forceful. Heavy air (heavy wind, heavy breeze) is a strong wind (22 knots or higher), heavy seas are large waves, and heavy weather includes both. See rage. 2) Weighty. A heavy-displacement boat weighs a great deal for her length. 3) A sail is described as heavy when it is trimmed too far. See fat; compare with light. heel 1) Tipping caused by the wind. 2) The bottom of a mast; see step. helm 1) The steering wheel or tiller. 2) the steerer or helmsman. 3) The pull on the wheel or tiller. Weather helm (sometimes simply helm) is the tendency to round up into the wind when the tiller or wheel is released. Lee helm is the tendency to head off. See balance. helmsman, helmsperson The steerer. her See boat names. high Above. A high-cut jib's clew is well above the deck. To steer high of course is to steer above course. The high side is the windward side of a heeling boat. Compare with low. high performance See performance. high seas Far out in an ocean or sea. high-water mark The line of debris, weed, or erosion on the shore or a pier at the average high-water level. hike To lean out to windward to counteract a sailboat's heel. The British term is sit out. To hike a boat flat is to eliminate all heel by hiking. A hiking strap is a strap that restrains the hiking sailor's feet and legs. A hiking stick (tiller extension) is an extension on the tiller, allowing the helmsman to hike. Hike sometimes means heel. hitch 1) See knot. 2) Trailer hitch, see trailer. Hobie Cat A brand of small catamarans designed originally by Hobie Alter. hockey puck A small hand-bearing compass. The early ones were shaped like hockey pucks. hockle A kink in a line. hogged Describes a boat whose bow and stern have drooped. hoist 1) Pull up a sail by its halyard. 2) The length of a sail's luff. holding ground The water's bottom in which a boat is anchored. Good holding ground provides a strong bite for the anchor flukes, poor holding ground is rocky, weedy, or mushy. holding power The relative ability of the ground tackle to grab and hold the bottom. holding tank A container for storage of sewage waste. See marine sanitation device. hole A small patch of light wind. When a sailboat falls into a hole she is in a lull. home port See hailing port. hook 1) Slang for anchor. 2) Snaphook, see hank. hoop See mast. horn signal See sound signal. horseshoe, horseshoe buoy A life ring-type PFD (personal flotation device) shaped like a horseshoe. The open end facilitates entry in the water. hot bunks Berths constantly in use by crewmembers as watches change during an ocean passage. hounds The point on the mast where the jib's halyard sheave is located. house See trunk. houseboat A boxy flat-bottomed or pontoon boat usually used in lakes and rivers. hovercraft A boat, propelled by a fan-type device, that skims across the water and weeds. hove-to See heave-to. hull The area of a boat that lies between the deck and the keel. The hull-to-deck joint is the connection between the hull's sides and the deck at the rail. Hull speed is the theoretical high speed that a displacement hull (nonplanning hull) can reach because it must plow through the water. See speed. A boat that is hull-down is far enough away so her hull is hidden behind the earth's curvature. hunt, hunt down To steer toward another boat in order to force her to alter course. hurricane The worst possible weather, with winds in excess of 64 knots and 45-foot waves at sea. Hurricane alert (hurricane watch, hurricane warning), see weather alert. hyrdraulic system, hydraulics A device that applies energy through a highly pressurized reservoir of light oil. Some engines have hydraulic drives in place of mechanical transmissions. In hydraulic steering, the rudder is turned using a hydraulic system. hydrodynamics The study of the flow of liquids. Compare with aerodynamics. hydrofoil A skilike device under a hull. When the boat is going fast enough, the hull lifts out of the water and rides on its hydrofoils at high speeds. Used mainly on powerboats. hydroplane A very high speed, flat-bottomed racing powerboat that skims across the water. |
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