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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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laboring Describes a boat whose progress is slow and uncomfortable. lake breeze See sea breeze. laminated Different materials glued together, for example layers of fiberglass in a hull and polyester-Mylar sailcloth laminate. To delaminate is to come unglued. See composite construction and fiberglass. land, breeze, shore breeze, offshore wind Wind blowing from the land over the water. Compare with sea breeze. landfall First sight of land during a passage. Boats make a landfall when land is first sighted. landlubber Somebody who knows little about the sea and boats and does things in a landlubberly way. lane Route. A shipping lane is a channel often used by big ships and is therefore risky for pleasure boats. lapper An overlapping jib. See jib. lash To secure using rope. lateral buoyage system, federal system See buoy, buoyage. lateral resistance See appendage. latitude The angular distance north or south of the equator, expressed in degrees and minutes. On a chart or map, parallels of latitude run west to east. Compare with longitude. launch 1) To put a boat in the water. A launching ramp is a sloping part of the shore where a trailerable boat may be launched by pushing the trailer into the water. 2) A launch also is a pwoerboat that ferries people from shore to boats; also water taxi. lay, laid 1) Prepare, arrange. To lay up is to prepare a boat for storage at the end of the boating season. To lay out gear is to prepare equipment for use. A layout is an arrangement of a boat's cabins and equipment. The layup is the order in which the elements of fiberglass are arranged. 2) Lay a buoy and layline, see fetch. 3) A lay day is a day off from boating. 4) Laid rope, see rope. lazy Untensioned, temporarily not in use. When two sheets or guys are attached to a sail, the lazy sheet or lazy guy is the one that does not have tension on it. The other is the loaded one. lazyjacks Several interconnected lines running from partway up the mast to partway along the boom to form a web that restrains the sail when it is lowered. lead 1) When pronounced "leed", to direct or reeve a line through a block or eye. It also is the block itself; a jib lead is a block for the jibsheet. 2) When pronounced "led", the lead (lead line) is a line with a weight on the end, used to measure water depth manually. leak Undesired entry of water into a boat or of air out of a container. leave To pass. To leave a buoy to port is to steer so the buoy is on the boat's port side. leeboard A retractable fin in the water that is hung not from the centerline (as a centerboard is) but outboard near the rail. Leeboards usually come in pairs, one on each side. leech Sometimes misspelled "leach". The after or back edge of a sail. A tight leech is straight, a hooked (cupped) leech curves abruptly, and a loose (floppy) leech shakes. A leech line (leech cord) sewn into the leech can be adjusted to shape the sail. leecloth, bunkboard A length of fabric or wood serving as a temporary side of a bunk to keep the sleeper from falling out as the boat heels. leeward, lee Leeward is pronounced "loo-ward"; lee is pronounced as spelled. Compare with windward. The leeward (lee) side (rail, bow) are on the side that is not closest to the wind. A lee shore is land onto which the wind is blowing from the water. Leeward (lee) helm, see helm. "Lee-oh" is the British equivalent of "hard alee" -- the command when tacking. To lee bow another boat is to place your boat on her leeward bow; your position is the safe leeward position. leeway Sideslippage downwind. When a boat makes leeway she slides to leeward while also making progress ahead. leg A section of a cruise, passage, or race course defined by intermediate stops or turning marks. length Every boat has two lengths. The length overall (overall length, LOA) is the distance on deck from stem to stern--the tip of the bow to the end of the stern (the bowsprit and boomkin are not included). The waterline length (length on the waterline, LWL; designed waterline length, DWL) is the straight-line distance between the boat's two extreme points at the water's surface. Length sometimes is an abbreviation for boat length. let fly, loose, lose To instantly free a line so it can run out, often in the context of an emergency. Compare with cast off, ease, let go, let out, pay out. let go To drop the anchor. let out To ease a sheet a short distance. Compare with pay out and let fly, lose. level racing, class racing Competition between sailboats of the same class or rating. license See certificate and operator's license. lie ahull See ahull. life belt PFD (personal flotation device) or safety harness. life harness Safety harness. life jacket, life vest, life preserver, life ring See PFD (personal flotation device). lifeline A wire encircling the deck above the rail, supported by metal posts (stanchions), to help keep the crew on deck. Double lifelines have two wires, one above the other. life raft An inflatable rubber raft or boat used in emergencies when abandoning ship. It may be stowed on deck in a large plastic container called a canister or below in a portable, fabric one called a suitcase or valise. liferails See pulpit. Lifesling, Seattle sling The Lifesling is a patented device for recovering someone who has fallen overboard. Because it was invented in Seattle, Washington, it sometimes is called the Seattle sling. |
lift 1) A wind shift that allows a sailboat to head up. Compare with header. 2) Topping lift. 3) The aerodynamic or hydrodynamic force generated as wind or water passes over a sail, keel, centerboard, or rudder. Compare with drag and stall. light 1) Weight or force. A lightly built boat is constructed with lightweight components. See displacement and sail. A light wind (light air, light breeze) is less than 8 knots. A sail that is light is luffing. Compare with heavy. 2) Illumination. Many buoys and lighthouses have fixed or blinking electric lights with colors, patterns, and intervals called characteristics and phase characteristics, which are recorded in a publication, the Light List. For boat lights, see navigation lights. lighthouse An aid to navigation that is a conspicuous building displaying a light and often sounding a horn in poor visibility. lightstick A small container of chemicals that when broken sheds a bright light. limber hole A small hole inside a boat that permits water to flow to the deepest part of the bilge, where the bilge pump's intake is located. line 1) A length of rope used for a particular purpose (the only piece of rope on a boat is the boltrope). Light line is utility line larger than string but smaller than sheets or halyards. A line has three parts: the bitter end (the very end), the standing part (the inactive part), and the bight (the central or curved part in use between the bitter end and standing part). To reeve a line is to lead it through a block. 2) A race begins at the starting (start) line and ends at the finishing (finish) line. line honors A distinction or prize going to the first boat to finish a race. line of position LOP position. line of sight The distance a person can see in clear visibility--about 5 miles from the deck of a boat. line stopper See lock-off. liner A layer of material on the inside of the boat that prevents condensation in the cabins. The headliner is the liner under the deck. lines, line drawings, plans The arrangement and shape of a boat as shown in scale drawings by a naval architect or yacht designer. Some drawings show the arrangement of rigging and accommodations, others the hull's shape at several sections and from several perspectives, as though slices were taken through the hull. The sail plan depicts the sails to be used, the accommodations plan the cabin arrangement, the profile plan the appearance from the side, the deck plan the arrangement on deck, etc. The waterlines plan shows the hull's shape at several sections, parallel to the water with the boat upright, and reveals how wide the hull is. The buttocks lines show the hull's shape at several vertical sections and reveal how full the underbody is. The midships section shows the shape as though the hull were cut across amidships, from port to starboard. A boat with sweet lines is handsome and well designed. When a boat floats on her lines she is floating as her designer intended her to. list The lean of a boat when more weight is on one side than on the other. liveaboard Someone living aboard a boat full time, or a boat ready to be lived aboard full time. live well An on-deck tank for bait and live fish. LOA, length over all See length. lobster boat A powerboat built along the lines of a Marine fishing boat, with a high bow and low topsides aft. If the boat is handsomely finished she may be a lobster yacht. locker A boat's storage (stowage) areas. A hanging locker is a closet, a sail locker is for sails, a chain locker is for ground tackle, a ski locker is for water skis. lock-off, line stopper, halyard stopper, sheet stopper A device that secures and holds a line by squeezing it with a toothed lever. log, log book 1) A distance-measuring device. The sum log is part of a knotmeter. A taffrail log (patent log) is towed astern; it also measures speed. 2) A book (log, log book) in which the crew records observations concerning the weather, navigation, and other matters. To log or make a log is to write down this information. long-ended Having long overhangs. Compare with short-ended. longitude The angular distance on the earth's surface east or west of the prime meridian at Greenwhich, U.K., expressed in degrees and minutes. On a chart or map, meridians of longitude run north to south, top to bottom. See prime meridan. Compare with latitude. longitudinal Running fore and aft. longshore Alongshore, near shore. lookout A crewmember watching for danger. loose-footed Describes a sail whose foot is attached to a boom only at the tack and clew. loose-footed Slack. A loose leech is a floppy leech on a sail. Compare with tight. LOP See position. Loran-C An electronic navigation system and instrument. It works by measuring the time difference (T.D.) in reception of radio signals sent by remote transmitters. lose See let fly. loudhailer, hailer An electronic voice amplification device. low Below, away from. A low-cut jib has its clew and foot near deck; if the foot touches the deck, the sail is a decksweeper. To steer low of course is to steer below course. The low side is the leeward side when the boat heels. Compare with high. lowers See stay. luff 1) The forward edge of a sail, except in a parachute spinnaker where it is the windward edge above the spinnaker pole. The luff curve (luff round, luff hollow) is a curve that sailmakers build into the luff of a sail to compensate for mast bend or the sag in stay. 2) A sail that luffs (luff up) is to head up. A luffing match occurs when one racing sailboat luffs sharply to prevent another boat from passing to windward. lull A temporary decrease in wind velocity. See hole. lunch hook A lightweight anchor. See anchor, hook. LWL, length on the waterline See length. |
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