YPI Yachting Glossary
All the yachting terms explained...from A to Z
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
| J | In sail measurements, the base of the foretriangle. It is measured from the forestay at the stem to the forward side of the mast, horizontally to the waterline. |
| jack line, jack stay | A strong line, usually of flat webbing, or a wire stay running fore and aft along the sides of a boat to which a safety harness can be attached. |
| jack-tar | a sailor from the clipper ship days, so named because they would tar their hair to prevent infection and make it easy to cut |
| jacob’s ladder | A rope ladder that leads off the deck to allow passengers and crew to disembark or board |
| jam cleat | A cleat designed to hold a line in place without slipping. It consists of two narrowing jaws with teeth in which the line is placed. Also see cam cleat. |
| jaws | A fitting holding a boom or gaff to the mast. |
| jenny | A genoa jib. A large jib that overlaps the mast. |
| jetsam | debris, jettisoned items, floating at sea |
| jettison | To throw overboard. |
| jetty | A structure, usually masonry, projecting out from the shore; a jetty may protect a harbor entrance. |
| jib | A triangular sail attached to the headstay. The front sail. A jib that extends aft of the mast is known as a genoa. |
| jib halyard | The line that raises and lowers the jib. |
| jib netting | A rope net to catch the jib when it is lowered. |
| jib sheets | A sheet (line) used to control the position of the jib. The jib has two sheets, and at any time one is the working sheet and the other is the lazy sheet. |
| jib stay | The stay that the jib is hoisted on. Usually the headstay. |
| jib topsail | A small jib set high on the headstay of a double headsail rig. |
| jibe | also gybe; to turn the boat downwind from one side of the wind to the other |
| jiffy reefing | A method of lowering the sail in sections so that it can be reefed quickly. |
| jig | fishing technique of lowering a weighted lure until just above the bottom, then alternately jerking the rod upwards and lowering it to give action to the lure |
| jigger | A small sail on the mizzen mast of a yawl or a ketch. |
| jumbo | The larger of the headsails. |
| jumper stay | A short stay supporting the top forward portion of the mast. The stay runs from the top of the mast forward over a short jumper strut, then down to the mast, usually at the level of the spreaders. |
| junction buoy | Also known as a preferred channel buoy. A red and green horizontally striped buoy used in the United States to mark the separation of a channel into two channels. The preferred channel is indicated by the color of the uppermost stripe. Red on top indicates that the preferred channel is to the right as you return, green indicates the left. Also see can and nun buoys. |
| junk | A sailing vessel common in the Far East, has two or three masts carrying battened lugsails. |
| jury rig | A temporary or emergency repair using improvised materials and parts. |