Parts of a sailing yacht

This table shows the parts of a sailing yacht with the associated technical terms.

As in shipping in general, many technical terms are also used in sailing (see list of nautical technical terms ). The most important technical terms for the parts of a sailing yacht are in the following tables, together with a brief explanation of the function. The corresponding English names, as they are common in international usage, are also listed.

Parts of the boat

Starboard view

Starboard aft view

View from aft

Name of the most important traps

Deck layout and fittings on deck

Under deck

This table lists the main components of a sailing yacht. In reality, no two boats are often exactly identical, but these parts can be found in one form or another on the majority of the boats. The numbers are identical in all diagrams so that the positions in the different views can be compared.

number	German name	Detail picture	Remarks	English name
1	Mainsail	Yacht only with the mainsail set	A pitched sail with high rigging	main sail
2	Headsail		The foresail of a single mast is a jib or a genoa	jib or genoa
3	spinnaker		Bulbous headsail, instead of jib or Genoa at downwind be used	spinnaker
4th	hull		Classically made of wood, but today almost exclusively made of plastic	hull
5	Kiel	Ballast keel	Acts of heeling and drift towards and is a prerequisite for the wind to show up to	keel
6th	Rudder		Is connected to the tiller or, on larger ships, to the steering wheel and is used to change direction. A rowing boat is operated with oars in a technically correct manner .	rudder
7th	Propeller with shaft	The shaft with the propeller can be seen in front of the rudder	Today, two mechanically different designs are common: L-drive with straight shaft and saildrive , in which the propeller is attached to a kind of gondola. The propeller is driven by a marine diesel engine and is usually controlled via a single-lever switch in the cockpit	propeller
8th	Tree vang		Prevents the uncontrolled climbing of the tree on downwind courses. Can be designed as a simple tackle (pulley) or as a so-called rod kicker , which also prevents the tree from falling	vang
9	Jib sheets		One sheet each leads from the clew of the headsail to the jib winch (28) on each side. This adjusts the headsail	jib sheets
10	Spinnaker pole		Used when driving under spinnaker	spinnaker pole
11	Forestay		Secures the mast to the rear, the foresail is also pulled up on it	fore stay
12	Shrouds		Hold the mast in the direction of the transept, divided into upper (12a) and lower shrouds (12b). Up to three pairs are common.	shrouds
13	Spreaders	Mast with three pairs of spreaders	Spread the shrouds apart to optimize the pulling direction of the forces. Larger sailing ships have multiple pairs	spreader
14th	mast		Traditionally made of wood, today mostly made of aluminum or carbon. The latter mainly for racing yachts because of the high price. The mast is either placed directly on the keel through the deck or stands on deck, with a mast support underneath leading through the cabin and absorbing the forces.	mast
15th	Clicker		Shows the direction of the apparent wind and thus helps the helmsman to keep the optimal course	telltale
16	Backstay		Secures the mast towards the front, can also serve as a trimming device to adjust the mast fall (curvature of the mast)	standing backstay (the running backstay would be a backstage)
17th	Large tree	Main boom with mainsheet	Like the mast traditionally made of wood, today mostly made of aluminum	boom
18th	Mainsheet	Multiple squat main sheet	Used to adjust the mainsail, is operated with a pulley block or winch .	main sheet
19th	Dirk		Prevents the tree from falling on the deck when the sail is not set.	topping lift
20th	Foresail reefing line		Most yachts today are equipped with a furling system for the headsail. The line enables the sail to be rolled in and out safely from the cockpit.	reefing line
21st	Cunningham straightener		Rarely used auxiliary line to better tension the luff of the main sail	Cunningham rope
22nd	Big case		Used to set the mainsail. The sail is raised by pulling the halyard	main halyard
23	Jib halyard		Used to set the foresail. If a furling system is available, the sail usually remains pre-hoisted and the halyard is no longer needed on the way	jib halyard
24	Tiller with rudder stick		The ship is steered with the tiller. Yachts over 10 meters in length usually have one or even two steering wheels instead.	tiller
25th	Pushpit	Pushpit with man overboard buoy	The rear end of the sea fence is often used to attach a life throw device	pushpit
26th	Bathing ladder		Mostly folding ladder attached to the stern to get into or out of the water. Your suitability as a rescue ladder , as it is sometimes called, is controversial, because weak people can often no longer use them. The flapping stern can also injure someone in rough seas.	boarding ladder
27	Stern cleats		Used to moor the ship in the harbor	star cleats
28	Jib winches	Several rows of sheet winches on a racing yacht	One winch each on port and starboard is used to adjust the foresail. Larger yachts can also have separate pairs of winches for spinnaker sheets, cutter sheets or main sheet	jib winches
29	Plug bulkhead		Wooden or plastic board that is inserted into the companionway to close it or to prevent water from entering	bulkhead
30th	Sliding hatch		Horizontal covering of the companionway.	sliding hatch
31	Work winches		The foremost winches, usually on the cabin roof, are called work or halyard winches , as they are used to operate various lines depending on the situation. The ends of the various traps, reefing lines and straighteners end on the cabin roof and are held there by trap stoppers . The line you just need is placed on the winch and pulled (pulled)	halyard winches
32	Vorluk		Transparent flap that brings light and fresh air below deck. The hatch can be closed watertight so that no water penetrates even in heavy seas. Can serve as an emergency exit.	hatch
33	Bow cleats			bow cleats
34	Pulpit	Pulpit with navigation light and foresail furling system	Front end of the Sea Fence, usually carries the front navigation lights	pullpit
35	Railing / sea fence		Primarily intended to prevent someone from falling overboard. For seagoing yachts, the railing must be at least 60 cm high and have two passages. Since the railing cannot adequately prevent falling overboard, it is recommended to wear life jackets and a life belt .	railing or guard rail
36	Jib sheet guide rail		The sheet runs through a roller that can be adjusted over the rail, so the angle of the sheet to the sail can be adjusted	track for foresail sliders
37	Traveler		Rail running across the cockpit to which the pulley for the main sheet is attached. Used to trim the sail	traveler
38	Ship engine	Yacht diesel engine seen from the maintenance hatch	For safety reasons, yachts are almost exclusively equipped with diesel engines.	main engine
39	Dog bunk		A bunk built under the cockpit. Larger ships have one or even two full bedrooms aft	quarter berth
40	Navigation corner		Chart table for navigation and workspace for the navigator. He typically has a VHF radio , radar, and chart plotter available today . The lights of the ship and other consumers such as cooling units can also be switched from here. Often there is also a display for fuel and drinking water supplies and the battery charge.
41	Side bunks		Seating for the crew can also serve as sleeping arrangements. For a good night's sleep during the journey, lee sails are essential (a cloth that is stretched over the bunk)	berths
42	Storage options		Various storage options for clothes, equipment and food are arranged as cupboards or as lockable compartments above the side bunks	loosely
43	Forward berths		There is usually a double berth in the forecastle. On large yachts, additional cabins can be accommodated in the foredeck	berths
44	Anchor locker with collision bulkhead		The anchor chain is stowed in a separate area of the forecastle. A bulkhead immediately behind the chain locker prevents the ship from sinking if the bow is damaged in a collision	anchor loose
45	Sea toilet	Washroom on board a catamaran.	The toilet is flushed either manually with a hand pump or electrically. Because the discharge of faeces into the seas near the coast or on inland lakes is mostly prohibited, a collecting container is used that can be pumped out in marinas.	head
46	Dining table		The table can usually be folded on smaller boats to facilitate access to the forecastle. Rolling strips (raised edges) should prevent things from becoming independent in rough seas
47	Pantry		The food is prepared in the pantry. The stove is usually operated with gas or fuel and is gimbaled so that the pots are level even when they are heeled . There is also a washing facility.	galley
48	Locker		Storage space accessible from the cockpit for larger items of equipment such as fenders , lines or reserve anchors	loose seat
49	bowsprit		Bow extension for attaching additional sails. Here designed as a bathing platform with an additional anchor roller.	bowsprit

Additional deck equipment

German name	Detail picture	Remarks	English name
Dinghy	Dinghies at the pier of a harbor	Used to transfer crew or provisions when the ship is in the roadstead . A rubber dinghy is often used so that it can be stowed well on longer ocean passages.	dinghy (A sailing dinghy is but a dinghy)
block		A pulley for ropes is called a block . Multiple blocks can be combined to form tackles	block , pulley
Latch stopper / curry clips		Halyard stoppers or curry clips help to fasten lines under load. This is more convenient than having to tie them up every time.	halyard stopper
cordage		Ropes are called “rope” or “line” on a ship. They are used for many different purposes, including setting and adjusting sails, or mooring on a jetty.	rope

Safety equipment

With the expression good seamanship , water sports enthusiasts express that someone steers his boat with responsibility and caution and also pays appropriate attention to the necessary safety equipment. Sailing is a safe sport, but if something goes wrong, the ship and crew are often on their own, as help can be hours or days away. The following table shows some of the items of equipment that are explicitly used for safety and are not self-explanatory - a more extensive list of recommended safety equipment can be found in the corresponding article .

German name	Detail picture	Remarks	English name
Life jacket with lifebelt		Increases the time it takes to rescue a fall overboard. The harness can effectively prevent anyone from falling overboard in the first place.	life west
Pütz		A normal bucket with a piece of rope on the handle. Has many uses : scrubbing the deck, putting out fires, draining water
Signal flares , signal missiles		Used for signaling at sea, for example in the event of a sea emergency . Pyrotechnic signaling devices are no longer freely available in many places because they are often misused.	emergency flare
Radar reflector		A radar reflector can help make a small ship easier to see on other ships' radar screens	radar reflector
Life raft	Inflated life raft	Life raft used for evacuation in an emergency. Neither replaces the dinghy, nor does a dinghy make it superfluous	life raft

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c English names after Schult, Joachim: Segler-Lexikon. Bielefeld: Delius Klasing, (13th edition) 2008, ISBN 978-3-7688-1041-8

literature

Introductory literature:

Sailing for Dummies , Wiley-VCH, ISBN 978-3-527-70949-6
Seamanship. Yachting manual. 30th edition, Delius Klasing Verlag , Bielefeld 2013, ISBN 978-3-7688-3248-9 .

[Schult-1] English names after Schult, Joachim: Segler-Lexikon. Bielefeld: Delius Klasing, (13th edition) 2008, ISBN 978-3-7688-1041-8