I was just re-reading a previous blog, and yes it is full of sailors jargon. Carleen was right, jargon slips in so easily. So I thought I would explain some of it to you.
Above is a picture of our yacht Kabuki, She is a Marconi Cutter rigged ship. This means that she has, one mast with three triangular sails. The Main sail hangs of the back/Aft side of the mast, along the Boom( the horizontal beam coming off at right angles to the mast). The Yankee sail (Headsail) hangs off the Forestay (the wire that runs from the top of the mast to the tip of the Bowsprit). The Staysail (another headsail) hangs off the Inner Forestay (the other wire running from half way down the Mast to the bow). On Kabuki we have roller furling Headsails, this means they can be doused by winding them up around themselves like a sausage.
The Bowsprit is the long pointy thing that sticks out the front of the boat. This is really good for standing on and doing a "Titanic" ( remember the scene in the movie Titanic). The two things sticking out sideways half way up the mast, are called spreaders.They help to hold out the wires that hold the mast in place (Stays). Basically anything that is called a stay on the boat keeps the mast upright.
Kabuki is a Double Ended Yacht, this means She is pointy at both ends. The rudder hangs off the back of Kabuki, on most other yachts it is under the water and not visible. Kabuki has a full keel, meaning that She does not have a fin keel ( She is not one of those racey boats you see on TV).
You may wonder why I refer to Kabuki as a "She", well ..... all boats are female. This has been a tradition for years, also you can become so involved, and spend so much time on a yacht, that they become a part of your life and become "humanised".
If anyone of you has any other question's, I can probably answer them or find out the answer.
So welcome to the world of sailing terminology.