Hail, Half Ebb, Half-Decked, Half Flood, Half Hitch, Half Tide, Halyard,
Hampered Vessel, Hand, Hand-Bearing Compass, Hand-Held Compass,
Hand-Over-Hand, Handrail, Handy, Handy-Billy, Hank, Harbor,
Harbormaster, Hard Aground, Hard-Alee, Hard-And-Fast, Hard By, Hard Chine,
Harness Jack Line, Harp Shackle, Hatch, Haul, Hauling Part, Hawse,
Hawse Hole, Hawsepipes, Hawser, Hawser-Laid, Hazard, Head, Headboard,
Heading, Head Foil, Head-On Situation, Headroom, Headsail, Head Seas,
Headstay, Head-To-Wind, Head-Up, Headway, Headwind, Heave, Heavenly Body,
Heave-To, Heaving Line, Heavy Seas, Heavy Weather, Heel, Heeled-Over,
Heeling, Heeling Error, Helm, Helm's Alee, High, High Tide, High Water,
Hiking-Out, Hiking Stick, Hitch, Hoist, Hold, Hold Fast, Holding Ground,
Holding Power, Holding Tank, Homing, Hook, Horizon, Horizontal Angle,
Horizontal Load, Horn Cleat, Horse Latitudes, Horseshoe-Life-Preserver,
Hourglass, Hull, Hull Speed, Hurricane, Hydraulic Current.
HAIL
1. To contact other boats or Shore by voice or radio.
2. To shout or call out to another boat in order to greet or attract
attention, within the range of hearing.
[e.g., "The crew Hailed 'Starboard' to the Give-Way Vessel."]
(Also, see AHOY)
HALF EBB
Ebb that is half way between High Water and Low Water.
(Also, see HALF FLOOD)
HALF-DECKED
A term used to describe a Sailing Dinghy without Cabin but has Decking
that surrounds the Cockpit. A Half-Decked Sailboat has a Foredeck,
Side Decking, and a small Afterdeck.
(Also, see SCOW)
HALF FLOOD
Flood that is half way between Low Water and High Water.
(Also, see HALF EBB)
HALF-HITCH
A Knot or Hitch made by forming the Bight and passing the end of
the Line around the Standing Part and through the Bight.
(Also, see CLEAT HITCH and CLOVE HITCH)
HALF TIDE
Tide water level that is between High Water (HW) and Low Water (LW).
[e.g., A Harbor that is classified Half Tide, is one where Vessels
can only enter or leave during the last half of Flood and the
first half of Ebb.]
HALYARD
A Line used to raise and lower sails and flags.
HAMPERED VESSEL
A Vessel that is unable to maneuver because it has sustained damage,
or restricted in its movement because of its occupation such as
Dredging, Fishing, Towing, and so on.
(Also, see BURDENED VESSEL and STAND-ON VESSEL)
HAND
(Deck-Hand)
1. A Crew Member on a Vessel.
2. To Furl or lower a Sail.
(Also, see Douse)
HAND-BEARING COMPASS
A portable Magnetic Compass used to sight Bearings on land and at Sea.
HAND-HELD COMPASS
(See HAND-BEARING COMPASS)
HAND-OVER-HAND
Hauling on a Line continuously, alternately replacing one hand over the
top of the other with thumbs out, standing with the top part of the
body bent forward at the waist and eyes facing front.
(Also, see TAILOR)
HANDRAIL
A solid rail made of wood or metal alloy affixed along the Cabin Trunk,
and/or Companionway stair-ladder, and Below Deck in the Cabin. The
Lifeline is sometimes called a Handrail.
HANDY
A term used by Sailors to describe a Vessel that handles well at the Helm.
HANDY-BILLY
A movable Block-And-Tackle.
HANK
(Snap)
1. One of a number of Links, rings, Snaps, or small Snap Hooks, attached
equal-distant apart along the Leading Edge of a Staysail for the
purpose of Securing the Sail to the Stay.
(Also, see LUG)
2. To fasten a Sail to a Stay with Hanks.
[e.g., "Hank the Jib to the Forestay before getting Under Way."].
(Also, see BEND-ON)
HARBOR
A body of water situated inshore with respect to coastal features,
natural or artificial, providing Anchorage and protection from Waves,
Wind, and Currents.
(Also, see GUNKHOLE)
HARBORMASTER
A supervisor of Harbor operations and an administrator of its rules.
(Also, see DOCKMASTER)
HARD AGROUND
(Hard-And-Fast)
A Vessel that is inextricably caught on the Bottom.
(Also, see RUN AGROUND)
HARD-ALEE
(Hard-About, Hard-Over)
A Hail by the Helm that the Sailboat is Coming About very quickly.
(Also, see HELM'S-A-LEE)
HARD-AND-FAST
(See HARD AGROUND)
HARD-BY
Very Close proximity. Alongside to the fullest degree possible.
HARD CHINE
(See VEE BOTTOM)
HARNESS JACK LINE
(See JACK LINE)
HARP SHACKLE
A curve-sided Shackle.
(Also, see D-SHACKLE)
HATCH
(Hatchway)
1. A sliding or hinged (usually watertight) opening in the Deck,
providing access to the Cabin or space below.
2. A watertight opening that serves as a doorway between Bulkheads.
HAUL
To pull a Line with force.
(Also, see HEAVE)
HAULING PART
The part of the Line (i.e., Fall or Tackle) that is pulled.
HAWSE
The distance between the Bow of an anchored Vessel and the point on
the surface of the water above the Anchor.
HAWSE HOLE
A hole in the Bulwarks, near the Bow, where the Anchor Cable
and/or Chain passes through.
HAWSEPIPES
Pipes to guide Chain through the Hawse Hole. On large Vessels,
Kedge Anchors are stored with their Shanks in the Hawsepipes.
HAWSER
Heavy Z-Laid Rope, five inches or more in circumference,
used by large Vessels for Mooring and Warping.
(Also see WARP)
HAWSER-LAID
Z-Laid Rope made up of three strands twisted right-handed.
(Also, see SHROUD-LAID)
HAZARD
Objects on or in the water that present a danger to Vessels
Making Way.
[e.g., Submerged rocks, ship wrecks, sand bars, etc., are Hazards
to Navigation.]
(Also, see OBSTRUCTION)
HEAD
1. The top of a Sail.
2. The lavatory On Board the boat.
3. The front (Bow) of a boat.
HEADBOARD
A solid brace fastened at the Head of a Fore-And-Aft Sail, usually
the Mainsail.
(Also, see CLEWBOARD)
HEADING
A Vessel's forward direction toward which it is pointing or moving.
HEADFOIL
(Luff-Groove-Device)
A device attached to the Forestay/Headstay with one to three
Foresail luff tracks.
HEAD-ON SITUATION
Two Vessels meeting Bow to Bow, each on a Reciprocal Course to one
another. With regard to Sailing Vessels in a Head-On Situation, the
Vessel with the wind on its Starboard side is the Stand-On Vessel.
(Also, see CROSSING SITUATION and OVERTAKING SITUATION)
HEADROOM
(Standing Headroom)
The vertical distance between the Deckhead and Sole.
HEADSAIL
A term used to identify sails that are Set before the Mainsail Mast.
(Also, see FORESAIL, GENOA, JIB, SPINNAKER)
HEAD SEAS
Waves coming toward the front of the Vessel.
HEADSTAY
(See FORESTAY)
HEAD-TO-WIND
(In Irons)
When the Bow of the boat is pointing into the Eye-Of-The-Wind with
Sails Luffing.
HEAD-UP
(Point, Point-Up)
To steer closer to the Eye-Of-The-Wind.
HEADWAY
The forward motion of a Vessel Through-The-Water.
HEADWIND
Wind that is blowing opposite of the Vessel's forward motion
and the source of power when Sailing to Windward.
HEAVE
To raise and/or throw with effort or force.
HEAVENLY BODY
A general term for the sun, moon, and any other planet or star
observed from the earth.
HEAVE-TO
[Pronounced: "Hove-To"]
To stop Headway by bringing the boat into Irons, Trimming the Jib
Close-Hauled to Windward, Sheeting the Mainsail all the way, and
pushing the Helm Hard-Over so that the Rudder is approximately 90°
to Leeward in order for the Sails to work against each other; thus,
maintaining the boat Head-To-Wind with little movement Astern.
HEAVING LINE
A light Line attached to a Hawser, which is thrown first, in order
for Crew to pull the larger Line Ashore or onto another Vessel.
HEAVY SEAS
Large and breaking Waves usually found in Heavy Weather.
HEAVY WEATHER
Stormy conditions, consisting of Heavy Seas and strong winds.
HEEL
(Heeled-Over, Heeling)
The tilt of the boat to Starboard or Port.
(Also, see MAST HEEL)
HEELED-OVER
(See HEEL)
HEELING
(See HEEL)
HEELING ERROR
The error in a Compass Reading caused by boat Heel.
HELM
The Tiller or wheel by which the Rudder is controlled.
HELM'S ALEE
(Helm's Down)
A Hail by the Helm that the Sailboat is Coming About.
(Also, See HARD-ALEE)
HIGH
A meteorlogical term used to describe an atmospheric pressure system
characterized by relatively High pressure at its center. A High is
associated with fair weather and light wind.
(Also, see ANTI-CYCLONIC)
HIGH-TIDE
(See HIGH-WATER)
HIGH-WATER
The maximum water height reached by a rising Tide.
(Also, see EBB, FLOOD, and LOW-WATER
HIKING-OUT
Moving body weight outside the Windward Rail to reduce boat Heel.
HIKING STICK
An extension to the Tiller that allows one to steer while Hiking-Out.
HITCH
A Knot attaching a Line to a Cleat or other object.
(Also, see BELAY)
HOIST
To raise any banners, Burgees, flags, Pennants, and Sails Aboard.
(Also, see SET)
HOLD
The term Hold, with regard to Anchoring, is when an Anchor Bites
into the Sea-Bed and doesn't move.
(Also, see HOLDING POWER)
HOLD FAST
(See MAKE FAST)
HOLDING GROUND
The type of Sea-Bed that can Hold an Anchor.
HOLDING POWER
The degree to which an Anchor can Hold its Ground.
[e.g., A Danforth Anchor has more effective Holding Power in a hard
Bottom than a Mushroom Anchor.]
HOLDING TANK
A storage container on board the Vessel where waste is held until it
can be removed at a Pumping Station.
HOMING
Using a radio direction finder to Steer toward a radio beacon or
other source of radio signals.
HOOK
(See ANCHOR)
HORIZON
The apparent line or boundary where the earth (i.e., land or water)
and sky meet.
HORIZONTAL ANGLE
The angle, measured with a Sextant, between two landmarks, providing
a Line-Of-Position (LOP) to determine the Vessel's location on the
arc of a circle.
HORIZONTAL LOAD
The horizontal pull of the Vessel on the Anchor.
(Also, see VERTICAL LOAD)
HORN CLEAT
A Cleat consisting of two horns where a Line is Belayed using a
Cleat Hitch. The Horn Cleat is designed for Lines to be Led
horizontally with little or no angle of Tension.
(Also, see CAM CLEAT, CLAM CLEAT, and JAM CLEAT)
HORSE LATITUDES
Latitudes in the temperate zones between 30° and 35° North and
South where the wind is light and variable.
HORSESHOE-LIFE-PRESERVER
A "U" shaped floatation device used for emergencies, such as Crew
Overboard. Usually hung on the Stern Pulpit rail for easy access.
HOURGLASS
A term used to describe the configuration of a Spinnaker Sail when
it is twisted in the middle thereby producing an Hourglass shape.
This usually occurs when the Spinnaker is packed incorrectly.
HULL
The lower structural body or shell of a Vessel that floats partially
submerged and is the foundation for the upper Deck(s), Mast(s),
Cabin(s), and Rigging.
HULL SPEED
(Displacement Speed)
The theoretical speed that a boat can travel without planing, based
on the shape of its hull. This speed is about 1.34 times the square
root of the length of a boat at its waterline.
HURRICANE
A strong tropical storm of Force 12 or greater, which revolves in a
clockwise direction in the Northern hemisphere. In the Southern
hemisphere these storms revolve counterclockwise and are identified
as Typhoons.
HYDRAULIC CURRENT
A Current in a Channel or Strait, connecting two large bodies of tide
water, caused by the changing surface elevation at the two ends of the
Channel or Strait where the tides differ in time and/or range.
[e.g., At the Mouth of the East River is an Hydraulic Current
connecting Long Island Sound and New York Harbor.]
