How Much Do You Know About Sailing?

By: Torrance Grey
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Much Do You Know About Sailing?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

Many people have fallen under the spell of the sea -- especially as explored by a classic wind-powered sailboat. How much do you know about sailing's terms, procedures, and world records? Find out with our quiz!
True or false: Is a sailboat steered entirely by its sails?
false
The rudder helps steer the boat as well -- it creates what is called "yaw" in an airplane. In addition, the movements of the crew on the boat can help it move in the desired direction.
true

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What is a point of sail?
a destination
a boat's angle in relation to the wind
The angle at which the bow is pointed into the wind is your point of sail. "Close-hauled," "beam reach" and "broad reach" are points of sail.
the leading or trailing edge of a sail
an essential bit of sailing knowledge

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What is the non-sail part of the boat, or its body, called?
fuselage
hull
The hull refers to the entire body of the boat. Mostly, we think of the hull as the sides of the boat, what you'd see if you swam up to it.
cabin
craft

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To move in a zigzag pattern across a headwind is called what?
cutting
basking
slooping
tacking
When your destination is upwind, tacking is a way to harness the wind to move in the right direction. Sails are airfoils, and they are trimmed and eased in various ways to use a wind that isn't coming from the preferred direction. This is the case in tacking.

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What is the opposite of tacking?
looping
jibing
"Jibing" is to move the boat's stern back and forth across the eye of the wind, when the wind is aft. During jibing, the crew manipulates the sails to get the most motive force out of the wind.
careering
none of these

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What is the best indicator of wind direction?
a wind arrow
the sensation of wind on a dampened finger
the surface of the water
Wind waves appear perpendicular to the direction the wind is blowing. They're the most common and reliable indicator that sailors use, though the movement of a wind arrow, smoke or other boats is also useful.
the movement of clouds overhead

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What is "heeling"?
a sailboat leaning to one side
Gusts of wind or excessive sails (known as being "over-canvassed" can result in heeling, which is usually inefficient. A solid keel prevents heeling, and if that fails, the crew might move to the windward side of the boat for counterbalance.
an alternate term for trimming sails
an alternate term for easing sails
making your dog walk right by your side

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What is "running"?
sailing in whitecaps
sailing directly in front of the wind
"Running" is keeping the wind behind you, filling the sails. A sailboat running ahead of a strong wind is a beautiful sight.
using an auxiliary motor
it's like walking, but faster and with your knees higher

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What is the opposite of "aft"?
betimes
fore
"Fore" and "aft" are sailing terms for front and rear, or near the bow/near the stern. You'll also sometimes hear them applied to airplanes, which have "fore" and "aft" exits.
boom
foot

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If your boat is "turtled," what is it?
in the doldrums
coated with a special resin
capsized
completely capsized
A sailboat that has "turtled" has *entirely* capsized. It isn't just on its side and taking on water -- the bottom of the hull is facing the sky, and the mast is submerged.

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What is the opposite of "true wind"?
apparent wind
"True wind" is wind relative to a stationary object. When the perceived velocity/strength of the wind is affected by the movement of the boat, that's apparent wind. (In other words, if the wind is directly aft of your boat, it will appear to be lessened because of the boat's forward motion).
gusts
evident wind
wind shear

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Which of these knots is most commonly associated with sailing?
bowline
A "bowline" in sailing is the line used to tie up boats at a dock. The bowline knot, sometimes called the "king of knots," is famously sturdy and easy to untie, even after being pulled tight.
surgeon's knot
palomar
quick-release

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If your boat is "in irons," what does that mean?
it's moored at at the docks
it's head-to-wind and can't be steered
A boat pointed straight into the wind has no maneueverability. This is where tacking comes in handy.
it's certified to compete in regattas
it's not paid off yet

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Are the tiller and the rudder the same thing?
no
The rudder is the vertical blade in the water that aids in steering; the tiller is a long wooden handle with which a sailor moves it. Or a boat can have a wheel -- in other words, it can have a rudder without having a tiller. Fun fact: If you watch water-loving dogs like Newfoundlands or Labrador Retrievers swim, you'll see them use their tails as a rudder!
yes

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Which of these terms did NOT come from sailing?
the bitter end
even-keeled
dressed to the nines
The "bitter end" is the far end of a rope, therefore, "the end of the line." The shape of a jib sail identified a ship by its nationality, and even-keeled means "steady," like a boat with a good stable keel. The origin of "dressed to the nines" is, frustratingly, not known.
the cut of his jib

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The opposite of trimming the sails is _____ them.
easing
To trim sails is to pull them in; to ease them is to let them out. Both of these are done to take best advantage of the wind.
raising
luffing
careering

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The width of a boat at its greatest point is called the ______.
beam
This might be where we get our expression "broad in the beam," for wide-hipped. When the wind is coming from the side, it is said to be abeam.
girth
step
wale

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What is luffing?
a combination of tacking and jibing
hanging off the side of the boat to steer
sails flapping in the wind
The term "luff" has several meanings. It can also refer to the forward edge of the sail or to the motion a boat makes as it turns into the wind. But luffing sails usually means they've been eased too much and aren't working to their best.
looking for indications of wind direction

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What was America's Cup named after?
the United States
a racehorse
a schooner
The "America" won a race around the Isle of Wight. Since then, America's Cup has become one of the marquee events in sailboat racing.
a sailor's wife

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The horizontal strut that supports the bottom of the sail is called the _____.
boom
In Hollywood, many an unfortunate character has been knocked into the water -- sometimes to their death -- by a boom shifting position. But experienced crew members know to stay out of the way.
halyard
spar
transom

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To a sailor, what is meant by "hiking boots"?
extra-strong cleats
boots that let you hang off the side of boat
"Hiking out" means to hang over the side of the boat to prevent heeling. A sailor's "hiking boots" add stability during this maneuever.
inexperienced crew members
those boots you'd wear if you liked to spend days off on land, which you don't

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What is the best definition of dinghy?
a boat with no daggerboard
a sailboat designed just for racing
a small deckless or partially-decked sailboat
A dinghy also commonly has just one mast. They are sleek and fast boats, popular for racing.
a multiple-masted boat

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At what wind speed do whitecaps form?
12 to 14 knots
Whitecaps are bits of foam that form at the top of wind waves when the wind is strong. It's a sign for less-experienced sailors to head in.
16 to 18 knots
24 to 28 knots
it varies depending on current strength

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A catamaran is distinctive because of its ________.
bright color
single sail
maneuverability
two hulls
A catamaran has two hulls. A trimaran has -- wait for it! -- three.

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The lines used to raise sails are called _______.
cleats
boom vangs
halyards
Almost everything's got a special name in the world of sailing. Maybe this is why sailing has contributed so many slang terms and phrases to the English language.
fleet lines

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A metal ring in a sail where you'd attach halyards is called a what?
cleat
haunch
grommet
Basically, a grommet is a circular hole shored up by a metal ring to prevent fraying and tears. If you like camping, you've seen these in tents and tarpaulins.
block

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What fruit is considered unlucky to have on a boat?
apples
bananas
No, we can't explain it. But snopes.com verifies that this is a real superstition, and can even extend to not wearing Banana Republic clothing on a sailboat.
kiwis
mangoes

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Laura Dekker, the youngest person to sail around the world solo, was how old when she made her trip?
fifteen
sixteen
Dutch authorities put Dekker under legal guardianship to keep her from making the trip, considering it too dangerous for her age. Fortunately for her, the ban was lifted, and she achieved the unofficial record (governing bodies in sailing do not recognize "youngest" or "oldest" records).
seventeen
eighteen

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What was the name of Laura Dekker's boat?
the Aspiration
the Guppy
Dekker's boat was called the Guppy. Maybe she subscribed to the "underpromise and over-deliver" school of thought.
the Duchess
the Undaunted

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Paul Larsen holds the 500 meter speed record in sailing. What top speed did he reach?
28 knots
34 knots
55 knots
65 knots
Paul Larsen is an Australian sailor and proponent of extreme sailing projects. He set the 500-meter record in Namibia, Africa.

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Francis Joyon holds the record for fastest west-to-east Atlantic crossing. About how long did it take him?
12 days
10 days
5 days
The preferred crossing route among sailors trying to set this record goes from New York, USA, to Cornwall, in England. Joyon made the trip in a boat unromantically named the IDEC 2.
a day and a half

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Where on a sailboat would you find its name painted?
the boom
the keel
the mainsail
the transom
The transom is the nautical term for what most people would call "the back of the boat." It's there that you see all those bad-pun names like "Sea You Later."

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A "painter" is another word for what?
dinghy
inexperienced sailor
bowline
A painter is the rope -- excuse us, "line" -- that you'd use to tie up a small boat to the dock. Of course, it's also the professional you'd call to paint "Gone Fishin'" or your chosen name on the transom.
tiller

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Is it possible to sail on land?
sure!
Yep, "land sailing" is a thing. The crafts have wheels like bicycle wheels but get power from a sail. We predict it's the next thing hipsters will take up after they get tired of "fixie" bicycles with no brakes.
of course not!

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What material coated with resin and then hardened is often used in sailboat construction?
fiberglass
Fiberglass is very hard and yet resilient. We'd love to see a kevlar sailboat, though -- you could cast off without fear of pirates! (Which are still a thing on the open seas, though they rarely target private crafts).
vulcanized rubber
kevlar
tungsten carbide

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You Got:
/35
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