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Safe track .... A safe course taken through confined waters. Safety harness .... A harness with a line, that is attached to the vessel in rough weather. Sail panels .... The areas of cloth which when sewn together form a sail. Sail track .... The track on a mast or boom to which the sail is attached by slides. Sampson post .... A post situated on the foredeck used for attaching mooring lines. Sandbar .... An underwater ridge of sand or mud often encountered at the mouth of a river or harbour. Schooner .... A vessel with two or more masts, with the mainmast to the aft. Scirocco .... A hot South-Easterly wind blowing into the Mediterranean from North Africa. Scoop bailer .... A hand held scoop shaped to enable water to be bailed out from difficult areas. Scope .... The length of chain paid out when anchored. Scull .... To propel a small boat using one oar over the stern in a figure of eight movement. Scuppers .... Holes in the bulwarks of a vessel which allow water to drain from the deck area. Sea anchor .... A drogue or floating anchor which is towed from the stern of a vessel to slow it down when riding out rough weather. Sea area .... The sea surrounding the British Isles is divided into a number of different sea areas to ease identification when forecasting the weather. Sea breeze .... Wind that blows from the sea to the land. Sea cock .... A valve fitted to an inlet situated below water level. Sea mile .... A nautical mile. Sea room .... Room to manoeuvre without danger. Secondary port .... The name given to a port or sea area for which tidal tables are not produced. Tidal information is obtained by correcting information given for a standard port. SECURITY .... A radio message transmitted as a safety warning, with information regarding navigational hazards, gale warnings etc. Distress Calls. Seize .... To bind firmly together with lashing. Self bailers .... An automatic bailing system. Self steering .... A system capable of keeping a vessel on a constant course usually incorporating a wind vane steering mechanism. Set .... To hoist and trim a sail. Set .... Direction of tidal current. Sextant .... An instrument used for measuring angles. Shackle .... A u-shaped link with a threaded cross pin. Shackle key .... A key used to tighten or unscrew the pin or bolt of a shackle. Shake out .... To loosen or cast off. Shank .... The shaft or leg of an anchor. Anchor Types. Shannon .... The name given to a sea area situated off the South West coast of Ireland. Sheer about .... To swing violently from side to side on a mooring, as the result of a combination of the effects of wind and current. Sheave .... A pulley wheel within a block. Sheer .... The line which the deck of a vessel presents when viewed from the side. Shell .... The metal casing of a block. Sheet bend .... A knot used to join two ropes of varying thickness. Sheets .... Lines used to control the trim of the sails. Sheet in .... To haul in the sheets. Shelving .... The sloping of the seabed. Shift, wind .... A change in wind direction. Ship .... To take into or on to a vessel: e.g. ship water. Shoal .... An area of shallow water. Shock cord .... A strong elasticated rope. Shrouds .... Wire rigging that supports the mast from the sides or athwartships. Shroud adjusters .... A metal plate fitting used to attach the shrouds to the hull that enables the length of the shroud and hence the angle of the mast to be adjusted. Shy .... A spinnaker is said to be shy when it is set as close to the wind as possible. Side benches .... Seats running fore-and-aft along the sides of a dinghy. Side decks .... Covered areas along the sides of a vessel. Side lights .... Navigation lights fitted to a vessel. Red on the port and green to starboard. Sideways force .... That part of the force that is generated by the wind on the sails that pushes the vessel sideways. Sierra .... The letter S in the phonetic alphabet. Phonetic Alphabet. Sights .... Angles measured with a sextant. Simple turn .... A simple turn is formed when a rope is passed around one side of an object. Single up .... To cast off all warps except one at each point. Skeg .... A underwater projection from the rear of the hull, from which the rudder is hung, it also gives protection to the propeller and rudder. Slab reefing .... When part of the sail is pulled down and secured to the boom in order to reduce the sail area. Slack water .... The period when the tide neither ebbs or floods, just prior to a change of direction. Slat .... A sail is said to be slat when it flaps or flogs in the wind. Slip-line .... A mooring line which is doubled and has both ends made fast onboard, so that it may be released from onboard. Slipway .... A ramp leading down into the water used for launching vessels. Slot .... The gap between the jib and the mainsail through which the wind is funneled. Sloop .... A vessel with one mast and one headsail, possibly bermudan or gaff rigged. Snatch block .... A block into which a rope may be placed from the side without the need to thread it. Sole .... The name given to a sea area stretching out West and South West of Lands End. Sounding .... The depth of water taken at a specific spot. South East Iceland .... The name given to a sea area situated to the South East of Iceland. South Utsire .... The name given to a sea area off the south coast of Norway. Spar .... A mast, boom, bowsprit etc. Spill the wind.... Deliberately not make use of the wind, allowing the sails to shake. Spinnaker .... A light weight three cornered sail that is set flying forward with the aid of a spinnaker pole when sailing downwind. Spinnaker chute .... An opening in the deck close to the bow from which the spinnaker is hoisted. Spinnaker pole .... A pole that is used to extend the spinnaker away from the side of the boat. Spinnaker pouch .... A container in which the spinnaker is stowed and from which it is hoisted. Spit .... A small projection of land or a sandbank that projects out into the sea at low water. Splicing .... A method of joining two ropes together by weaving together the strands of the individual ropes. Split tack .... To sail on the opposite tack to an opponent in a race. Spoon bow .... A bow with a convex curvature. Spreaders .... Struts attached on either side of the mast to increase the distance between the mast and the shrouds and hence increase the support given by the shrouds. Spring .... A mooring line used to stop a vessel from moving back or forth along a quay into another vessel. Run either from the bow, aft; or from the stern, forward. Spring range .... The height difference between MHWS and MLWS. Spring tides .... Tides with the greatest range, usually occurring when the moon is new or full. Sprit .... A spar that extends from the mast to the upper outer corner of the sail. Square rig .... A rig where four sided sails supported by yards, are set across the vessel. Stall .... A sail is said to stall when the airflow is disturbed and the sail does not act as an aerofoil ,failing to produce any lift over all or part of the surface. Standard port .... A port or sea area for which full tidal prediction tables are produced. Standing part .... That part of a rope that is unaffected when a knot is bring tied. Standing rigging .... The permanent wires that support a mast. Stanchion .... An upright support or post, a series of which are usually situated along the edge of the deck to support the guardrails. Starboard .... The right-hand side of a vessel when facing forward. Starboard bow .... The right hand side of the bow looking forwards. Starboard tack .... The course taken when the wind comes from the starboard side of the vessel and the boom is to the port. Start sheets .... To ease the sheets by a very small amount. Stays .... Wires that form part of the standing rigging that supports the mast in a fore-and-aft direction. Staysail .... A triangular sail, set on a forestay. Steerage way .... When a vessel has just enough movement through the water to enable the helmsman to steer a course. Stem .... To hold your own against the tide. Step .... The place in which in mast stands. To step the mast is to raise it into position. Stern .... The rear or aft part of a vessel. Stern line .... A mooring warp running from the stern of a vessel to a point ashore behind the vessel. Sternpost .... The aftermost timber of a vessel. Stern quarters .... The aft corners of a vessel. Sternway .... The movement of a vessel backwards. Stiff .... A yacht which is said to be stiff has a high resistance to heeling. Stock .... The top part of the rudder to which the tiller is attached. Stockless .... A type of anchor, usually used by large vessels. Straight stem .... A bow that is vertical between deck and keel. Stratocumulus .... A continuous layer of heaped up cloud with a flat base. Cloud Types. Stratus A continuous sheet of flat cloud. Cloud Types. Swell .... A wave motion caused by weather in a distant sea area. Sweat .... To haul up tight. Synoptic chart .... A weather map showing isobars, fronts and areas of high and low pressure. |