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WINDSURFING GLOSSARY
ACROSS THE WIND: Perpendicular to the direction of the wind.

BATTEN: A long, slender, usually flat fiber glass stick used in the sail to help control its shape.

BEAM REACH: Sailing at 90 degrees off the wind. On the wind clock, toward three or nine o'clock.

BOOM: The two bowed, usually aluminum, poles that are connected at the ends, and which a boardsailor grasps while sailing.

BOW: The forward end of the board.

BROAD REACH: Sailing between 90 and 180 degrees off the wind. On the wind clock, roughly toward four or eight o'clock.

CAMBER INDUCER: A sail device that connects the batten to the mast and helps to hold the sail's shape.

CENTERBOARD: The pivoting, foil shaped, keel like plank that passes through the sailboard hull and either projects directly down or swings back mostly or entirely into the hull.

CENTERLINE: A line that can pass through the skeg, the centerboard and the mast step; it is the board's longitudinal axis.

CLEW: The corner of the sail farthest from the mast.

DAGGERBOARD: The non pivoting, foil shaped, keel like, wood, plastic or fiberglass plank that passes through the sailboard hull and projects directly down. The centerboard is often mistakenly referred to by this name.

DOWNHAUL: The line, or line and pulley(s), used to tension the leading edge of a sail by pulling down on, or hauling down, the sail's lower, front corner; it usually attaches to the mast base.

DOWNWIND: The direction in which the wind is blowing.

JIBE: A downwind turn in which the nose of the board goes through the down wind eye of the wind and the sailor switches from one side of the sail to the other.

LEECH: The imaginary line from the head of the sail to the clew.

LEEWARD: The side away from the wind.

LUFFING: The flapping of the sail that occurs when the mast is into the wind, and the clew is pointing downwind. At this point, the sail has no power in it.

MAST: The long, hollow, slender, fiberglass or aluminum pole used as the sail's primary support.

MAST BASE: The part that fits into the bottom end of the mast and attaches to the top side of the universal joint.

MAST FOOT: The part that attaches to the bottom side of the universal joint and fits into the mast step.

MAST SLEEVE: The sleeve of the sail into which the mast is inserted.

OFFSHORE: When the wind is blowing away from the shore.

ONSHORE: When the wind is blowing toward the shore.

OUTHAUL: The line, or line and pulley(s), that is used to pull on the sail's clew and spread the sail out (haul out) to the wind; it attaches to the back end of the boom.

PLANE: "To plane" means to skim the surface of the water like a water ski, rather than plow through it like a freighter. "On a plane" or "planning", means to be skimming.

POINTING: Sailing into the wind as high as possible.

PORT: The tack in which your left hand is forward on the boom.

RIG: To "rig" is to assemble mast, boom, sail, battens, mast base, etc. A "rig" is the assembled mast, boom, sail, battens, mast base, etc.

RUNNING: This term refers to sailing directly downwind. Luffing.

SHEET OUT: To let your back hand farther out and allow the sail to move toward luffing.

SIDESHORE: When the wind is blowing across the beach.

SKEG (FIN): The foil shaped, plastic, or fiber glass, fin like appendage attached to the bottom of the back end of a board. The skeg helps keep the board on a straight and steady course.

STARBOARD: The tack in which your right hand is forward on the boom.

TACKING: A turn in which the nose of the board goes through the eye of the wind and the sailor switches from one side of the sail to the other.

TIGHT REACHING: Sailing close to the wind.

UNIVERSAL JOINT: The device that attaches the mast foot to the mast base. It is usually made of a flexible plastic, and bends readily when the rig falls into the water.

UPHAUL: The thick line attached to the front end of the booms that is used by the sailor to pull (haul up) the sail out of the water.

UPWIND: The direction from which the wind is blowing.

WINDWARD: The side toward the wind.