Autopilot: An electro-mechanical or electro-hydraulic method of self-steering which steers a boat relative to compass direction.

Binnacle: The pedestal in the cockpit of a boat where the compass and wheel are mounted.

Ground Tackle: A general term for the equipment used for anchoring a boat. Anchors, anchor chain, snubbers, etc., are all considered ground tackle.

Halyard: A line (rope) used to raise and lower a sail.

Harness: A safety device you wear which allows you to attach yourself to the boat with a tether to prevent falling overboard.

Pactor, Pactor Modem: A protocol used to send digitally encoded messages via short-wave radio. A Pactor Modem connects a PC to a short-wave radio in order to transmit and recieve messages.

Reef: 1) To reduce the area of a sail by rolling or folding a portion of it, usually in response to increased wind conditions. 2) A chain of rocks or coral or a ridge of sand at or near the surface of water.

Rigging: Refers to the various lines (ropes), wires, turnbuckles, shackles and fittings which support the mast and raise, lower and control the sails. Can be subdivided into two subcategories, Running Rigging and Standing Rigging.

Rocna: A New Zealand anchor manufacturer (www.rocna.com).

Rudder: An underwater blade that is positioned at the stern of a boat and used to steer the boat.

Running Rigging: A general term for the halyards, sheets and other lines used for raising, reefing, and controling sails.

Sheet: A line (rope) used to control the trim, or position, of a sail.

Shroud: A wire rope used to support the mast in a side-to-side direction. Shrouds are usually attached from the top of the mast to each side of the boat and also from the base of each spreader to the side of the boat.

Snubber: A short (approx. 20 feet) length of rope attached between the boat and the anchor chain used to provide shock absorption so that sudden loads are not transmitted to the anchor.

Spreader: A horizontal arm attached midway up the mast used in conjunction with a shroud to increase the angle at which the shroud attaches to the mast.

SSB: Acronym for Single Side Band, a type of short-wave radio transmission. The term is commonly used among sailors to refer specifically to a marine SSB radio, which can transmit and receive on the designated marine band frequencies.

Standing Rigging: A general term for the stays and shrouds which support the mast.

Stay: A wire rope used to support the mast in a fore and aft direction. The forestay is attached between the top (usually) of the mast and the front end of the boat and the backstay is attached between the top (usually) of the mast and the aft end of the boat. There can also be intermediate stays on boats.

Whipping: A wrapping of twine around the end of a rope to keep it from unraveling.

Windvane: A purely mechanical method of self-steering which steers a boat relative to the wind direction.