ASA 101, Basic Keelboat Sailing
Standing Rigging - ✔️✔️Lines, wires, or rods which are more or less fixed in position
while the boat is under sail, in contrast to running rigging, which move and change fairly
often
Keel - ✔️✔️Heavy, fixed appendage on the bottom of the hull that not only provides the
sideways resistance, but also the vertical stability needed to counter the force of the
wind on the sails that would otherwise push the boat sideways
Hull - ✔️✔️Watertight floating body of the boat that gives it form and houses or
supports every other part of the boat
Deck - ✔️✔️Encloses the top of the hull and is generally horizontal
Transom - ✔️✔️Transverse, vertical section that makes up the stern of the boat, as
high as the hull or as low as the waterline
Mast - ✔️✔️Vertical metal or wooden pole that supports its primary sail, the mainsail
Boom - ✔️✔️Horizontal pole at the bottom of the mainsail, it swings from one side of
the boat to the other when the boat is turning through the wind
Gooseneck - ✔️✔️Swivel connection on a sailboat by which the boom attaches to the
mast
Bow - ✔️✔️Forward, front of the vessel
Stern - ✔️✔️Aft, back of the vessel
Helm/Tiller - ✔️✔️Attached to the rudder, it causes the boat to turn in the opposite
dirction
Rudder - ✔️✔️A movable, fin-shaped part attached to the hull near the stern
Cockpit - ✔️✔️The area around and just in front of the tiller, where the crew performs
most boat-handling operations
Cabin - ✔️✔️A compartment below the deck
, Shroud - ✔️✔️Wire cables that help support the mast on either side, they are sturdy to
help when boarding and walking around the boat
Spreader - ✔️✔️Horizontal, prevents shrouds from hitting the mast
Chainplate - ✔️✔️Fasten a shroud or stay to the hull
Headstay/Forestay - ✔️✔️Ensures the mast won't fall aft
Backstay - ✔️✔️Ensures the mast won't fall forward
Stanchion - ✔️✔️Holds lifelines
Lifeline - ✔️✔️To provide for safety, wire cable that runs around the perimeter of the
deck about two feet above it
Pulpit - ✔️✔️A raised platform in the bow
Winch - ✔️✔️Always cranked clockwise, a hauling or lifting device consisting of a rope,
cable, or chain winding around a horizontal drum
Cleat - ✔️✔️A T-shaped piece of metal or wood, to which ropes are attached
Block - ✔️✔️Wood, metal, or synthetic casing that contains one or more groove pulley
called sheaves, primary component of running rigging, a device to change a lines
direction
Fairlead - ✔️✔️A ring mounted on a boat to guide a rope, keeping it clear of
obstructions and preventing it from being cut or chafed
Fender - ✔️✔️Used to keep something off or prevent a collision
Docklines - ✔️✔️Ropes specifically made for use when securing the vessel to the dock
Mainsail - ✔️✔️Primary sail used to move the boat
Jib - ✔️✔️Like the mainsail, it is controlled with sheets, one on either side of the mast
Head - ✔️✔️Bathroom
Tack - ✔️✔️Change course by turning a boat's head into and through the wind
Clew - ✔️✔️The lower or after corner of a sail, haul these up into the mast for furling
Standing Rigging - ✔️✔️Lines, wires, or rods which are more or less fixed in position
while the boat is under sail, in contrast to running rigging, which move and change fairly
often
Keel - ✔️✔️Heavy, fixed appendage on the bottom of the hull that not only provides the
sideways resistance, but also the vertical stability needed to counter the force of the
wind on the sails that would otherwise push the boat sideways
Hull - ✔️✔️Watertight floating body of the boat that gives it form and houses or
supports every other part of the boat
Deck - ✔️✔️Encloses the top of the hull and is generally horizontal
Transom - ✔️✔️Transverse, vertical section that makes up the stern of the boat, as
high as the hull or as low as the waterline
Mast - ✔️✔️Vertical metal or wooden pole that supports its primary sail, the mainsail
Boom - ✔️✔️Horizontal pole at the bottom of the mainsail, it swings from one side of
the boat to the other when the boat is turning through the wind
Gooseneck - ✔️✔️Swivel connection on a sailboat by which the boom attaches to the
mast
Bow - ✔️✔️Forward, front of the vessel
Stern - ✔️✔️Aft, back of the vessel
Helm/Tiller - ✔️✔️Attached to the rudder, it causes the boat to turn in the opposite
dirction
Rudder - ✔️✔️A movable, fin-shaped part attached to the hull near the stern
Cockpit - ✔️✔️The area around and just in front of the tiller, where the crew performs
most boat-handling operations
Cabin - ✔️✔️A compartment below the deck
, Shroud - ✔️✔️Wire cables that help support the mast on either side, they are sturdy to
help when boarding and walking around the boat
Spreader - ✔️✔️Horizontal, prevents shrouds from hitting the mast
Chainplate - ✔️✔️Fasten a shroud or stay to the hull
Headstay/Forestay - ✔️✔️Ensures the mast won't fall aft
Backstay - ✔️✔️Ensures the mast won't fall forward
Stanchion - ✔️✔️Holds lifelines
Lifeline - ✔️✔️To provide for safety, wire cable that runs around the perimeter of the
deck about two feet above it
Pulpit - ✔️✔️A raised platform in the bow
Winch - ✔️✔️Always cranked clockwise, a hauling or lifting device consisting of a rope,
cable, or chain winding around a horizontal drum
Cleat - ✔️✔️A T-shaped piece of metal or wood, to which ropes are attached
Block - ✔️✔️Wood, metal, or synthetic casing that contains one or more groove pulley
called sheaves, primary component of running rigging, a device to change a lines
direction
Fairlead - ✔️✔️A ring mounted on a boat to guide a rope, keeping it clear of
obstructions and preventing it from being cut or chafed
Fender - ✔️✔️Used to keep something off or prevent a collision
Docklines - ✔️✔️Ropes specifically made for use when securing the vessel to the dock
Mainsail - ✔️✔️Primary sail used to move the boat
Jib - ✔️✔️Like the mainsail, it is controlled with sheets, one on either side of the mast
Head - ✔️✔️Bathroom
Tack - ✔️✔️Change course by turning a boat's head into and through the wind
Clew - ✔️✔️The lower or after corner of a sail, haul these up into the mast for furling
