Printable points of sail cheat sheet and parts of a sailboat worksheets

Points of sail cheat sheet

Speed and heel are for a typical 40-foot cruising yacht in a steady 12-knot breeze. The no-go zone is the arc of roughly 40° to 45° either side of the wind direction in which a sailboat cannot sail, because its sails can only flap instead of filling.

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Parts of a sailboat: hull and deck

1. 1. The bow is the forward-most part of a boat.
2. 2. The pulpit is the raised guardrail at the very bow (or stern, where it's called the pushpit) of a boat.
3. 3. A cleat is a fitting with two projecting horns around which a line is wrapped and secured.
4. 4. Lifelines are the wire or rope railings, supported by stanchions, that run around the outer edge of the deck to help stop crew falling overboard.
5. 5. The hull is the main body of a boat — everything below the deck that displaces water and keeps you afloat.
6. 6. The keel is the fixed fin beneath the hull that provides stability, resists sideways sliding, and (on most sailboats) houses ballast weight.
7. 7. The mast is the vertical spar that holds up the sails and rigging.
8. 8. The boom is the horizontal spar that extends from the base of the mast and holds the foot of the mainsail taut.
9. 9. A winch is a geared mechanical drum used to multiply the crew's pulling force when hauling in a sheet or halyard.
10. 10. The cockpit is the recessed area, usually near the stern, where the crew sits or stands to steer and handle the sails.
11. 11. The helm is the wheel or tiller used to steer a boat, and by extension the term for whoever is steering it.
12. 12. The pushpit is the raised guardrail at the stern, mirroring the pulpit at the bow.
13. 13. The stern is the rear-most part of a boat.
14. 14. The transom is the flat (or sometimes curved) structure across the stern of the hull.
15. 15. The rudder is the underwater blade at the stern that steers the boat by deflecting water flow.

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Parts of a sailboat: sails

1. 1. The head of a sail is its top corner, where the halyard attaches to hoist it.
2. 2. The luff is the forward (leading) edge of a sail, the part that meets the wind first.
3. 3. A batten is a rigid strip inserted into a pocket in the sail's leech to help it hold its shape.
4. 4. The leech is the trailing (back) edge of a sail, running from the head to the clew.
5. 5. The mainsail is the primary sail set on the aft side of the mast, attached to the boom along its foot.
6. 6. The tack is the forward lower corner of a sail, where the luff meets the foot.
7. 7. The foot is the bottom edge of a sail, running from the tack to the clew.
8. 8. The clew is the aft lower corner of a sail, where the sheet attaches.
9. 9. A jib is a triangular headsail set forward of the mast, smaller than a genoa and typically not overlapping the mast.
10. 10. Telltales are short lengths of wool or ribbon attached to a sail to show the airflow across its surface.

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Parts of a sailboat: rigging

1. 1. The forestay is the standing rigging wire running from the bow to the top (or partway up) the mast, and it usually carries the headsail.
2. 2. A halyard is a line used to hoist a sail up the mast.
3. 3. Spreaders are horizontal struts partway up the mast that hold the shrouds out at an angle, improving their ability to support the mast sideways.
4. 4. A shroud is a wire or rod that runs from the mast to the sides of the deck to support it laterally.
5. 5. A topping lift is a line that supports the boom (or spinnaker pole) when the sail isn't hoisted or under load.
6. 6. The backstay is the standing rigging wire running from the top of the mast to the stern, balancing the forward pull of the forestay.
7. 7. The outhaul is the line that tensions the foot of the mainsail by pulling the clew towards the end of the boom.
8. 8. The mainsheet is the line used to control the angle of the mainsail relative to the wind.
9. 9. A boom vang — called a "kicking strap" in British and Australian usage — is a line or hydraulic ram that pulls the boom down to control mainsail twist.
10. 10. A sheet is a line used to control the angle of a sail to the wind by pulling it in or letting it out.
11. 11. A traveller is a track and car system, usually mounted across the cockpit, that lets the mainsheet's attachment point move side to side.

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Write the name of each numbered part on its line.

sailingvirgins.com/resources/sailing-glossary/how-sailing-works · Free to use with credit (CC BY 4.0)

Write the name of each numbered part on its line.

sailingvirgins.com/resources/sailing-glossary/how-sailing-works · Free to use with credit (CC BY 4.0)

Write the name of each numbered part on its line.

sailingvirgins.com/resources/sailing-glossary/how-sailing-works · Free to use with credit (CC BY 4.0)