| Sailing terms beginning with A |
| Abaft |
| Toward the stern of a boat, but outside the boat |
|
| Abeam |
| Direction at right angles to the centreline of a boat. |
|
| Adrift |
| Floating without any means of propulsion, and without mooring. |
|
| Aft |
| Toward the stern of a boat. |
|
| Aground |
| When a boat is stranded on the shore, or on the bottom of the body of water, it is
said to have run aground. |
|
| A-lee |
| To leeward, toward the opposite to the source of the wind side of a boat. |
|
| All standing |
| To have all sails flying when running before the wind. |
|
| Aloft |
| Overhead, above deck level |
|
| Amidships |
| In the middle of the boat |
|
| Anchor |
| Any type of hook or weight used to grip the bottom and attached by a cable prevent the boats drifting. There
are different types of anchors. |
|
| Apparent wind |
| The combination of the true wind and the wind caused by the boat's own speed. This is the wind felt on the
boat, as well as the one shown by the telltales. |
|
| Ashore |
| To be on or to go to the shore. |
|
| Aspect ratio |
| Concerns sails - the ratio of height to the length. A narrow but tall sail has a high aspect ratio, and a wide but
shorter sail has a low aspect ratio. |
|
| Astern |
| Behind the boat |
|
| Athwartship |
| At right angles to the centerline of the boat. |
|
| Autopilot |
| A device - may be electronic or mechanical - used for keeping the boat on course without having to steer it. It
uses a compass, and is attached to the boat's steering mechanism. |
|
| Auxiliary/Auxiliary power |
| An engine that is permanently installed on the boat. Unfortunately it has to be used sometimes to power the boat. The
engine is also usually used to recharge the batteries. |
