max ebb: nautical jargon pt. 2

PHOTOS LATITUDE / TIM UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

We bring you part 2 of the Etymological Dictionary of Modern Nautical Jargon. This is a new edition of Lee Helm's Modern Sailing Lexicon that was fi rst published in 2010.

mad scientists' convention n. postrace discussion among technicallyinclined skippers and crew. made adj. condition in which the icebreaker bow n. bow with suffi cient spinnaker pole is re-connected to both rake to absorb a hard docking with no the mast and the after guy at the condamage. clusion of a jibe. Usually hailed by the icebreaker docking n. docking ma- foredeck crew indicating condition has neuver that causes been reached. bow to ride up on making trees v. dock, due to bow moving sufficiently rake, with no dam- faster than anothage to boat. er boat so that the in-line sail background scenery change n. a sail appears to be moving change made without signifi cant course forward behind them. alteration. Most applicable to large, fast malarea n. (from "more area") design multihulls which typically bear away to strategy for boats not racing under unload sails during a change. a measurement rule (first applied to

Italian douse n. spinnaker douse America's Cup boats in 1988). with sheets and halyard left attached for mark trap n. (team racing) delaying next hoist. competitor at mark by entering twojewelry box n. container for blocks, length circle first and stalling while shackles, cars, winch handles and other teammate gains place. small, expensive gear. mastectomy n. 1 the act of lowering jump, jump the halyard v. to raise mast for maintenance or repair; 2 disa sail quickly by rapidly and repeatedly masting. hanging from the halyard and pulling meat hook n. broken strand of wire down at the point where it exits the mast. projecting a short distance from the kitemare, n. narrative of a kiteboard surface of a wire rope. accident. millionaire's tape n. very expensive

Kiwi douse n. spinnaker douse extruded Tefl on tape with superior antisimilar to Mexican Takedown, but with chafe characteristics. a symmetrical spinnaker (fi rst used in mo-mo n. motor, especially a small 1987 America's Cup by New Zealand). outboard auxiliary. knock n. 1) header 2) sudden strong mowing the lawn v. windsurfi ng on gust of wind. alternating reaches without attempting lead mine n. heavily ballasted yacht, any particularly challenging maneuvers often applied to early IOR designs (used or making any net progress toward a by multihull sailors to refer to all bal- destination (Bill Prinzmetal at Cal Sailing lasted yachts). Club, May 2008). leech-fl ake v. fl aking a sail so that the leech is stacked on top of itself. lefty n. wind shift to the left. letterbox douse n. spinnaker douse in which the spinnaker is pulled between loose-footed mainsail and boom. leverage n. separation distance at right angles to the wind or course, producing a strategic advantage in the event of favorable wind shift or current gradient. low pole take-off v. process of removing spinnaker pole on a squared-back asymmetrical by rolling to windward (re- noodle n. exceptionally thin and fl exportedly coined by Stan Honey, as used ible mast. by Kame Richards at Pac Cup seminar offi ce n. chart table or nav station on Oct. 8, 2011). offside adj. port-tack controls during luff-fl ake v. fl aking a sail so that the pre-start, "offside trim." luff is stacked on top of itself. on the handles adj. grinding winches luggage-tagged v. tied with a cow- ooker n. Cunningham hitch (scuttlebutt 3241, on fi ber lifeline overhaul v. take up slack attachment). parade n. reaching leg with little

kitemare n. narrative of a kiteboard accident.

opportunity to pass or to be passed by another competitor. parking lot n. local region of negligible wind, usually containing at least several racing yachts. Races with several parking lots might have these areas designated "lot A," "lot B," etc. by racers. parking ticket n. 1) time lost in a parking lot. 2) bad call that results in time lost in a parking lot. passing lanes n. opportunities to pass, usually created by wind shifts. permanent n. permanent but adjustable backstay, to distinguish it from running backstays. pickle dish n. trophy pinball v. to tack two or more times at short intervals between obstructions or right-of-way boats.

Pinocchio boat n. sport boat with retractable bowsprit. ping pong v. taking frequent tacks to get clear air after a second-row start in a large fl eet (Chris Perkins, Scuttlebutt 3702, referring to J-105 North Americans). pointy end n. the bow poker n. retractable bowsprit pop-jibe n. method of jibing an asymmetrical spinnaker in which the sail pops open suddenly on the new jibe.

This could be a roll v. in progress, where one boat drives over a competitor on the same tack. Or the windward boat could be sitting on their face v. or closely covering their competitor. pumps n. pedestal winch handles or coffee grinder.

QFB adj. quite far back racer chaser n. person, most often female, with disproportionate attraction to race crew. See dock bunny racing stripes n. fenders accidentally left out during race. rail meat n. crew selected primarily for their weight.

rag the main v. to let the mainsail luff or fl og ineffectively. relax v. ease sail adjustments for downwind or light air, "relax the main." righty n. wind shift to the right

roll v. drive over a competitor on the same tack. rollies n, pl. symptom of marginal control while sailing downwind in heavy weather, characterized by rhythmic rolling through large angles. room, the n. protest room, protest procedure in general. As in "Take it to The Room." rope monkey n. minimally skilled crew not heavy enough to be rail meat. round the world n. unintentional maneuver on trapeze wire, involving swinging around the bow to the leeward side. runway n. available distance on present course before running out of water depth (used on Maltese Falcon while daysailing in San Francisco Bay, October 5, 2008). sacred wood n. the tiller (even if not made of wood) (popularized by Rob Moore on Olson 25 E-Ticket). sand bag n. crew position, usually entry level, involving little more than positioning oneself on the correct side of the boat. sardined v. caught between layline and right-of-way competitor (used by afterguard of AmericaOne on Jan 30, 2000). sea douche n. accident involving serious body-cavity injuries caused by a PWC waterjet discharge. send it v. 1) to hoist or raise, as referring to a sail being set. Usually used as a command. 2) to attempt big, risky, audacious maneuvers with confi dence and gusto (as in wind or kitesurfi ng). sewer n. the belowdecks space on a large racing yacht with minimal accommodations. schmundo n. any kind of sealing, fi lling or caulking compound (regional to Annapolis area, reported in Scuttlebutt 752). showtime n. dock time, time at which crew are expected to arrive at the boat. shrapnel n. bits of metal hardware, such as blocks and shackles, normally stored in the jewelry box. sit on their face v. to closely cover a competitor, matching them tack-for-tack and keeping them in bad air. skirt v. to fl ip the foot of the jib inboard of lifelines or other obstructions. small craft advisory n. weather condition in which commercial ships are advised to watch out for small craft, because the wind is up and everyone is out sailing (Cal Sailing Club, 1973).

Spooner slide n. baseball-style slide across the trampoline deck into the new windward cockpit during a tack (developed by Joe Spooner on Oracle AC-72, 2013 defense). starfi shed adj. positioned for optimum weight placement and low wind resistance on a narrow windward hull or ama. Arms, feet and head resemble a fi ve-point star (Cam Lewis, A-cup coverage, February 12, 2010). sled n. large ultralight racer with best performance "downhill." sleep v. 1) "sleep the boat," to heel the boat to leeward in light air 2) "put the main to sleep," to fl atten the main-

Sled n. large ultralight racer with best perfromance downhill adj. or downwind. Philippe Kahn's sled

'Pegasus' struts her stuff on her way to winning the 2001 Transpac.

sail to the point where it has almost no power, but does not luff despite very high windspeed (popularized by Bob Klein on Amateur Hour and Leading Lady). snacktician n. member of crew primarily responsible for food. soak v. to sail below polars for tactical advantage, probably from "soaking up" extra speed and turning some of it into a positional advantage (used in '03 America's Cup). soft, soft trim adj. trimmed so that there is slight luffi ng, or luffi ng more often than stalling. spaghetti n. disorganized sheet and halyard tails, usually piled together in a common tangle.

spaghetti patrol n. the crew position responsible for, or the process of, methodically untangling and making up sheet and halyard tails. speed bump n. sailmaker's term for unwanted wrinkle in a new sail. spike v. to release a trigger lock-type shackle under heavy load using a fi d, marlinspike or similar tool.

spinny n. spinnaker spinnaker neck n. sore or stiff neck suffered by spinnaker trimmer (despite widespread epidemiology, spinnaker neck is not yet recognized by the American Council of Sports Medicine). spinnaker thong n. drawstring used to reduce the power of a spinnaker by creating a deep crease along the centerline. See elephant ass (coined by Sylvia Petroka and Synthia Seaberg during 2004 Pacifi c Cup). spitting out the back v. (team racing) forcing a competitor into last place. splash v. to launch, especially by a boatyard, as in "no cash, no splash." square back v. bring the pole back to a dead-run position, usually immediately preceding a jibe. square waves n. 1) very steep waves or chop (square waves can be approximated by inputting the appropriate Fourier coeffi cients into a model tank wave generator, but this tends to damage the machine). 2) sea condition in which the wave period in seconds is equal to or less than the wave height in feet. squash v. fl atten out or reduce heel, "squash the boat." squirrel 1) n. crew position responsible for gathering spinnaker through forward hatch, from below deck 2) v. to gather spinnaker through forward hatch from below deck. steam gauge n. 1) knotmeter 2) anemometer steel balls n. pre-start maneuver involving backing down and falling off on port tack to pass below stern of starboard-tack competitor in controlling position. stick n. mast stick boat n. 1) utility launch steered by a vertical lever (common usage at California Maritime Academy in 2016). 2) any boat steered with a tiller. stink, blowing like adv. extremely windy strapped adj. overtrimmed stretch and blow n. spinnaker douse with tight afterguy and tight sheet during halyard release. string n. any line or rope string sail n. a sail reinforced with discrete fi ber bundles aligned with principal load paths and bonded to a membrane (used disparagingly by North Sails to describe non-3Di sail construction). sucking up v. working up from just ahead and to leeward of a competitor to a covering position by taking advantage of the lift in the "safe leeward" position. swallow the anchor v. to give up all forms of boating. swannaby n. yacht that mimics the superfi cial styling characteristics of the "Swan" line by Nautor. tee up v. to prepare a sail for hoisting; "Tee up the #3."

tea bagging v. to lose control of one's feet while trapezing from a dinghy, and drag alongside the boat on the wire. teak surfi ng v. dragging in the water behind a boat by holding on to the swim step. More commonly applied to powerboats (involves serious risk of carbon monoxide monoxide poisoning). telephone pole n. very stiff or overbuilt mast. three-sail reach n. point of sail on which main, jib and spinnaker all work effectively. thrompkin n. anti-abrasion plate on mast at whisker pole fi tting. Usage is local to Thistle and Lido 14 classes. thumbtack v. to capsize and turn turtle so that the mast becomes stuck in the mud. tiller bum or tiller butt n. medical condition caused by prolonged steering

Tinkerbelle v. to hang from a trapeze wire while swinging through an arc, sometimes ending on the opposite side of the boat. See round the world tomato mark n. small red spherical racing mark. tower hike v. to trapeze with feet on the shoulders of another crew who is hiking out. tractor v. to assist the clew of an overlapping jib around the mast and rigging during a tack. trans-nasally adv. method of paying for marine hardware. trawler trash n. liveaboard cultural equiv. of trailer trash. trip reef n. fl attening reef trip v. to release the spinnaker pole from the guy and/or the mast. Often used by the driver as a command to the foredeck crew at the beginning of a jibe. tumbleweeding v. unintentional aft displacement of crew as a result of water impact (fi rst seen in print on February 23, 2006 by Pirates of the Caribbean and Alinghi bowman Curtis Blewett in Scuttlebutt 2038). tupperwares n. pl. fi berglass boats twing, tweaker n. fl oating lead block that the spinnaker sheet is led through, used to improve the lead angle when the sheet is functioning as an afterguy, or to keep the sheet clear of the main boom. uphill adj. upwind. vertical learning curve n. condition in which boat speed improves dramatically with each race (used extensively by commentators during America's Cup 2013). vanity jibe n. an unnecessary jibe or modifi ed jibe timing, done for the sole purpose of passing close to yacht club, committee boat, waterfront restaurant, or spectators on shore. victory roll n. tight 360-degree turn performed under sail in front of the yacht club after returning from a race, to indicate a confi rmed fi rst-place fi nish (Berkeley Yacht Club, 1980s). wallet-based adj. driven more by money than by expertise. walk strings v. to shift spinnaker gear so that the sail is ready to set on the opposite tack. wheelie n. abrupt nose-down pitch, stuffi ng bows of catamaran while foiling, usually well short of a pitchpole (used by Gary Jobson and/or Ken Reed during 2013 America's Cup challenger elimination series).

whirlies n. condition of disorientation while steering at night. whisky tango foxtrot. expletive, expression of disbelief and/or surprise. white sails n. non-spinnaker sails wind-up sail n. roller furling sail wire n. trapeze wire, as in "on the wire," referring to trapezing. wound, wound up adj. lifted yard sale n. cabin of boat that has experienced a severe knockdown or rollover causing many items to have shifted from their stowed positions. zero-gravity room n. forepeak, aft cockpit locker or lazarette space on ocean racer.

— max ebb

LOCH LOMOND MARINA

www.lochlomondmarina.com