Holidays on the boats have become a modern phenomenon over the last few years and are considered part of the lifestyle of the new generation. A Motor yacht, Sailing yacht or catamaran can serve you as a luxurious five-star, fully-equipped floating hotel apartment, thanks to which you can discover the beauty of lonely azure bays.

 

Whether you go on holiday with your family, friends or business partners, it would be useful if you prepare for a sailing in advance. Do you know what bimini, fenders or gangway is? If you are going to sail, you may hear those terms from the captain. Take a look at a few nautical terms or commands that might be useful while you are sailing.

 

„Did you know that luxury represented by sea cruise and yacht vacation is now becoming affordable for everyone? The price of this type of vacation will cost you just like a vacation in any other regular holiday destination.“

 

When the captain gives you command

 

Sailing on a boat is an adventure and also relaxation that can be accompanied by a professionally trained captain. However, sometimes he can give you instructions that you may not understand. Therefore, it is important to be prepared for such situations. There are a few instructions you may come across while you will be sailing. We have chosen the most common one’s for you:

 

• As the name suggests, “mainsail” is the main sail of the boat. The captain may command you: “Pull the mainsail up!“.
• “Jib” is the name for the front sail. As in the first case, when the captain tells you: “Pull the jib out!”, you should pull out the front sail.
• If you hear the captain saying: “We are sailing 9 knots!”, it means that you are sailing around 16.5 km/h.
• If you hear the captain saying: “ he wants you to pack the sails.
• Before entering the port, the captain may want you to “tie the fenders”. “Fenders” are rubber protectors on the both sides of the boat. He can also command you to swap fenders. “Swap the fenders!” means swapping rubber pads over steel cables before entering the port to protect a motor yacht, catamaran or sailboat from damage from the other boats.
• If you are anchored in a port, you can be sure you will hear the command: “Catch the mooring lines!”. In this case, the captain wants you to use the pole to catch the rope that fellow gives you at the pier in the port. The rope is attached to concrete blocks, which ensures the stability of the boat in the port, also in bad weather.
• “Tying lines” means tying the rope to the front ratchet. “Ratchet” is a stainless steel hook with two corners to which the rope is tied.
• If the captain says: “Let go of the lines!”, that means that you have to untie the rope from the ratchet and throw it into the water to avoid getting entangled in the propeller that powers the boat.
• The captain may also command you: “Place the gangway!”. In this case, he wants you to attach a bench to get out from the ship to the mainland.
• If you hear: “Stretch the spray hood!”, you should put on the protective cover when it starts raining. If it is sunny, the captain may command you to “Spread the bimini!”, which means to spread the roof to protect you from the sun.

A few technical terms

 

We have mentioned the instructions, now we should talk about the basic terms that you will surely hear during the sailing trip. If you are not a newcomer, you may know them, but when you go on the water for the first time, they may be helpful for you.

 

• Stern – the back part of the boat
• Bow – the front part of the boat
• Port – facing forward it is anything to the left of the boat
• Starboard – facing forward it is anything to the right of the boat
• Keel – represents the part of the boat underwater that helps you navigate so that the boat does not overturn in the event of a strong gusty wind. The deeper and heavier the keel, the more stable the boat is and the better it cuts the waves in a stormy sea.
• Mast – a long vertical mast on which the boom and sail are hung. (The boom is a horizontal beam attached to the mast of a sailboat, used to hang sails, keep sails in unfolded and to transfer wind from sail to mast.)
• Knot – represents a unit of speed of sailing at sea. One knot is 1,852 km/h.
• Nautical mile – represents the unit of distance at sea. One nautical mile is 1852 meters.
• Feet – represents the unit of length used to indicate boats. One feet is 0,3048 meters.

 

Knowing the basic concepts on the sea will certainly be helpful. But if you have a handy captain in the game, you may not even need them. If none of you is a captain, then our professionals are ready take care of you and guarantee a safe sailing trip. And you can just enjoy the wind in your hair, delicious food and glass of wine at sunset. Check out our First minute offers and start enjoying now!