Windsurfing Glossary

BEAR OFF/BEAR AWAY
To turn the board away from the direction the wind is coming from. Same as head down, fall off, bear off.

BEACH START
A method of mounting the board in knee-deep water with the sail flying.

BEAT
To zigzag your path of travel against the wind to reach a point upwind of you.
BOOM
The “handle” of your sail. It’s where you’ll hold on most of the time.

CENTERBOARD
Large retractable fin found on longboards and learning boards. Helps provide stability and enhances a board’s upwind capabilities.

CLEW
Back corner of the sail.

DOWNHAUL
The rope attached to the mast base that pulls the sail down onto the mast.

DOWNWIND
Direction the wind is blowing to, or a path of travel.

FIN
Attached to the bottom of the board at its tail, it provides directional stability.

FOOT STRAPS
Foot straps allow more board control and foot steering at high speeds for advanced sailors.

GRID CONSTRUCTION
A modern sail material such as X-Ply or Pentex that is reinforced for toughness.

HARNESS LINES
Lines attached to the boom used for hooking in to a harness.

HEAD UP
To turn the board toward the direction the wind is blowing from.

JIBE
To change the board’s direction 180 degrees by turning downwind.

LITERS
The unit of measurement of a board’s volume – the number of liters of water it would displace if submerged.

MAST BASE
Attaches the U-joint to the board.

MONOFILM
Clear, lightweight plastic material used in modern sails.

NOSE
The front of the board, often slightly pointier than the board’s tail.

OUTHAUL
The line that connects the back corner of the sail (the clew) to the boom.

PLANE
In windsurfing, it’s when the board gains enough forward speed to break free of the water and skim the surface, reducing drag and allowing the fastest speeds.

Other good stuff to know

PORT
To the left of the forward motion. Sailing on port tack is sailing left hand forward. Port tack yields right of way to starboard tack.

RIG (noun)
The combination of sail, mast, mast base and boom after it is assembled; (verb) to assemble these components.

STARBOARD
To the right of the forward motion. Sailing on starboard tack is sailing right hand forward. Starboard tack has right of way over port tack.

TAIL
The back end of the board, usually the squarer end. This is the end with the fin.

TACK ( verb)
To turn the board upwind, through the direction the wind is coming from, so you can start sailing in a new direction. Opposite of the jibe, and useful for gaining upwind ground.

UNIVERSAL JOINT (U- joint)
Component that connects the sail to the board that allows it to move in any direction.

UPHAUL
A rope attached to the rig that is used to pull the sail up and out of the water.

UPWIND
Toward the direction the wind is coming from.

VOLUME
A measurement of a board’s displacement, which correlates directly with its flotation. The more volume, the more float.

WATER START
A technique used by intermediate or advanced sailors in which the sail lifts them from the water onto the board. A necessary skill for sailing smaller boards that don’t provide enough float to stand on and uphaul the sail.