Nautical Terms You Use Every Day

"Jumping" the halyard and "tailing" it on the winch.

Sailing has it's own language...


...any newbie will tell you, and it is extensive.  Ropes are actually not ropes but "lines" and can be halyards, sheets or guys depending on how they are used... Right is starboard and left is port...Cam cleats, blocks, winches, and cleats are all used with those lines...jib, main, genoa, spinnaker and mizzen are all types of sails...topping lift, down haul, shrouds, toe rail....topsides, waterline, keel and mast...I could go on and on and on.  Luckily for Scott and I we were speaking this language early on because we were both raised on or around boats so it is second nature to us, but I don't envy someone who is just starting out - because it can be downright confusing!  BUT - despite this - it is incredible how much we all use phrases derived from nautical terms in every day life...and we don't even know it!

Scott and I began to notice it right when we began this journey when we'd say something like "This locker is now chock-a-block full" (chock-a-block referring to a sail boat's block and tackle system, used to raise sails, when it's raised to fullest extent).  Or every now and then we'd refer to someone who is particularly "Even keeled" (meaning a vessel that doesn't list to one side or another, evolved to mean someone who is calm and steady).  When you say "high and dry" you probably never realized your words once were used to refer to a boat that was beached.  Ever had a "gripe" with anyone?  Has anyone "taken the wind out of your sails"?  Or maybe you feel a little "groggy" this morning?  All these have roots in sailing lingo...

Want to know more everyday terms that actually come from the mariners of yesteryear?  Check them out HERE- you might be surprised at just how many nautical phrases you've been using your entire life!

Love,
Brittany & Scott