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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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wake The path of waves stirred up by a moving boat. A nowake zone is abody of water where low speed limits are enforced in order to keep wakes small. Compare with wash. walk See propeller. walkaround A small powerboat with a low deck around the cabin. walkway A narrow fore-and-aft pathway near the rail. warning, hurricane (storm) warning See weather alert. warp A heavy towline or mooring line. To warp a boat in is to move her into a dock or slip by hauling on the docking lines. wash Disturbed water caused by a moving vessel. Compare with wake. washboard, hatchboard, slat A removable plastic or wooden slat installed in a hatch or companionway to prevent water and wind form going below. watch 1) Hurricane (storm) watch, see weather alert. 2) An assigned group of crewmembers that alternates boathandling and lookout duties with another group (or other groups) according to a schedule. The process is standing (keeping) watch. There usually are two watches, the starboard watch and the port watch. The one on duty is the on watch, the one off duty is the off watch. The watch is changed when they swap. The watch captain is the crewmember in charge of a watch. The midwatch is on duty between midnight and 4 A.M., when the dawn (morning) watch comes on deck. An anchor watch keeps a lookout when the boat is anchored. To dog the watch is to follow an irregular schedule for a short period of time so the watches do not stand at the same hours each day and night. water 1) The water around the boat. Broken water has ripples or waves, raw water is the water pumped into the boat to cool the engine. 2) The water in the boat, the ship's water or fresh water. A water tank is a metal or fiberglass container for water, built into the boat. Water ballast, see ballast. waterfront The commercial part of the shore, often with wharves, piers, and docks. waterline The boat at the water's surface. Also the horizontal line between the points at the bow and stern where the water surface touches the hull. Compare with boottop. Waterline length (LWL), see length. waterlogged So saturated with water that there is almost no buoyancy. watermaker, desalinator A device that converts salt and other impure water into drinkable water. waterman A commercial fisherman. water taxi A launch. watertight bulkhead, collision bulkhead See bulkhead. waterway A river, creek, canal, or small lake. wave Undulations on the water's surface caused by wind and current. Very small waves are ripples, large ones are seas. A bow wave is stirred up by the bow, a stern wave by the stern. The wave train is the pattern and direction of the waves. Breaking waves (breakers) have tops that are unstable and fall over. A rogue wave is unusually high. way A boat's motion. A boat in motion is under way (has way on). Headway is forward, sternway backward. Steerageway is sufficient speed so the boat can be steered; below that speed the rudder is ineffective. To take way off a boat is to stop her. A boat carries her way when she has momentum after the sails are doused or luffed or the engine is taken out of gear. waypoint A destination or intermediate point on a passage. Its position may be stored in the memory of a GPS or other electronic navigation device, which calculates the course and distance (range and bearing) to the waypoint. ways At a boatyard or shipyard, a marine railway on which a vessel is hauled out of the water. weather 1) Generally the climate, but usually taken to refer to local conditions of wind an dsea. In heavy (rough) weather winds are strong, waves steep and large. In calm (flat) weather there is very little wind. Nasty (bad) weather is uncomfortable, fair (good, fine) weather is comfortable. A weather cloth, a wide strip of fabric, is tied to the lifelines to keep spray out of the cockpit in heavy weather. Weather eye, see eye. 2) To weather is upwind, to windward. weather alert, weather advisory, weather watch, weather warning In anticipation of storms, hurricanes, and other heavy weather, the National Weather Service uses and broadcasts three levels of alerts: advisory, watch, and warning. A weather (storm) advisory identifies the existence of hazardous weather. A weather (storm) watch is an alert to a possible threat. A weather (storm) warning is an alert to an expected threat. weatherfax A facsimile machine that prints weather maps. weather helm See helm. weatherly Able to sail close to the wind. weather saying An epigram that summarizes a weather observation, for example "The sharper the blast, the sooner it's past;" and "Red sky in morning, sailor take warning, red sky at night, sailor delight." weekend To go out in a boat for a two- or three-day cruise. A weekender is a boat with only modest accommodations. Compare with cruise and overnight. weigh anchor To raise the anchor. When it is aweigh it is off the bottom. wet See dry. wet locker Stowage area for wet foul-weather gear and other damp clothing. wet suit Tight rubber clothing that allows water between it and the skin. The body maintains its heat by warming the layer of water. Compare with dry suit and survival suit. wetted surface The surface area of a boat's underbody and appendages. wharf An area along the shore on a waterfront where vessels tie up. Compare with pier. |
wheel Steering wheel, but sometimes propeller. wheelhouse Pilothouse. See pilot. whip 1) To whip the end of a line is to lace it tight with light line (whipping twine) so it won't unravel. 2) A single block with a line rove through it, providing 2-to-1 purchase. whisker pole A spar used to hold out a jib when sailing wing-and-wing. whistle signal See sound signal. Whitbread Round on World Race A sailboat race starting and finishing in England. whitecap The foam at the top of waves in a fresh wind. Williamson turn A method for turning a large vessel around. First turn 60 degrees off course, then put the helm hard over in the other direction until the boat is on the course reciprocal to the original course. williwaw A gust of wind blasting down a hillside onto the water. winch A drum turned either manually with a crank called the winch handle or by electricity, to pull sheets, halyards, and other lines (but not ground tackle, which is the job of the windlass). To increase their power, many winches have two or more gears (two-speed winch, three-speed winch, etc.). A self-tailing wind (self-tailer) automatically secures the line as it is being pulled in. See grinder. Primary winch, see primaries. Wind, Breeze, Air Moving air. Although wind is created by complex changes in the weather and local geography, it is conveniently described as blowing from a source. The wind direction is the direction from which the wind blows. A southwest wind blows from the southwest, a nor'easter from the northeast. A prevailing wind is the wind that usually blows. Upwind (to windward, to weather) is in the direction toward the wind's apparent source (opposite of downwind). A heavy wind (strong wind, heavy air) blows more than 22 knots. Windy describes a strong wind. Light wind (light air) blows less than about 10 knots. Dirty wind (dirty air) is wind affected by another boat or object, for example by covering or backwinding. Clear (clean) wind (air) is unaffected. To be on another boat's wind or to cover her is to give her dirty wind. To sail on the wind is to sail close-hauled, off the wind is to be on a reach or run. A wind shift (slant) is a change in the wind's direction. See shift. Wind sheer is the difference between the wind velocity and direction at the deck and aloft. See apparent wind and true wind. A wind generator is an onboard propeller that generates electricity. Wind indicator, see apparent wind. windage Surface exposed to the wind. windchill An indicator of cooling of the body due to the combination of air temperature and wind. In the United States windchill is expressed in degrees Fahrenheit, in Canada in watts per square meter. Windex A popular brand of masthead fly (apparent wind indictor). windless A drum turned manually or by electricity, for pulling the anchor rode. It usually has a specially shaped drum (the wildcat) for hauling chain. window Besides the usual meaning, a clear portion in a sail, through which the crew can see to leeward. windscoop, windsail A cloth scoop that catches wind and passes it through a hatch to provide ventilation below. windscreen A clear plastic surface at the forward end of the cockpit or fly bridge. windseeker A light sail used in very light winds and drifting conditions. windsurfing, Windsurfer See sailboard. windvane See self-steerer. windward, upwind, weather Toward the wind. To beat to windward (upwind, to windward) is to sail close-hauled, as close to the wind as possible. The windward (upwind, weather) side (rail) is the side or rail closest to the wind. Compare with leeward. wing, wing deck An extension of the deck outboard from the hull. In a trimaran the wing, called the wing deck or bridge deck, connects the hull with the two outboard hulls. The underwing is the under side of the wing deck. An especially narrow wing is a crossbeam. wing-and-wing Sailing on a run with sails set to both sides. The jib is wung out or poled out on its side by a whisker pole or spinnaker pole. wing keel, winged keel See keel. wing mast, wing sail The mast, sail, or combination of the two shaped like an airplane wing. If the mast is large and the attached sail is small, the mast is a wing mast. If the mast and sail form a single wing-shaped structure it is a wing sail. Wing masts or sails are aerodynamically very efficient but complicated and expensive. They usually are found in sophisticated racing catamarans or trimarans. winterize To prepare a boat or engine for winter. wire rope Steel wire filaments twisted to form flexible cordage-like lengths. wishbone boom, wishbone rig Replacing the traditional boom, curved sprits side by side on either side of a sail and joined together at a point well up the mast and at the sail's clew. They hold the sail out and down. This is the rig used on sailboards. See snotter. woollies Telltales, which sometimes are made of yarn. workboat A small commercial boat that serves the needs of other vessels, for example as a launch, towboat, etc. working sails See sail. wung out See wing-and-wing. |
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