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Look
also at Sailing Dictionary The Rookies.
AMERICA'S
CUP (tm) JARGON WATCH
The language of sailing is a living language if there ever was one,
and usage changes every season. This is a sample of some of the
jargon believed to be in current use by top-level sailboat racers.
If you have corrections, additions, or etymological treatises on
any current jargon, the America's Cup (tm) Free Press is interested
in your contributions to this feature for future issues.
ACCORDION: 1. n. the paths of two boats
that are alternately getting lifts/headers, or 2. n. a temporary
gain or loss relative to another boat on the same tack; "this
is an accordion for us" or 3. v. the act of sailing that kind
of course. Used on Stars & Stripes on 95-04-26, and explained
by Jobson.
ASSHOLE n. kink or hockle in a sheet
or halyard that prevents it from running freely though a fairlead
BANG
THE CORNER
v. to sail all the way to one side of a race course in search of
a strategic advantage
BIG
SQUEEZE:
n. the maneuver by which the boat in safe leeward position, ahead
and to leeward, works up into a position to give the windward boat
bad air, taking advantage of the lifted flow in the safe leeward
position
BLACKALLER
n. kink or hockle in a sheet or halyard that prevents it from running
freely though a fairlead
BOWCHICK:
n. female crew who works point position on foredeck (self-referential
only)
BRICK
v. to tightly fold or flake a sail into a compact, heavy, rectangular
shape
BUNCHED
UP:
adj. pinching
CADDIE:
n. mainsheet winch grinder, or in general, a mostly- physical helper
in any position on a large boat
CASPER
DOUSE:
n. spinnaker douse in which the sail collapses on the foredeck,
covering the crew with white sailcloth. Popularized by Peter Isler
during 1992 America's Cup coverage.
CLIMBING
OFF:
v. pointing higher
FAST
FORWARD:
v. sailing low and fast on a beat
FLAG
'EM:
v. to protest another yacht, signaled by displaying a protest flag
FLAT
STICK
adj. (Kiwi) slang for maximum speed or all-out effort, aeronautical
or automotive origin
GAS
n. bad air downwind of another boat
GAUGE:
n. relative distance between two boats, distinct from bearing, as
in "gaining gauge, losing bearing"
HAND
SAILING
v. describing sailing maneuvers, usually as part of a postmortem,
by using palms of hands to represent courses and heel angles
HAWAIIAN
ROUNDING: n. A windward mark rounding in which the boat inside
or astern forces the outside or leading boat well past the layline,
towards Hawaii.
HEIGHT
MODE:
n. trimmed for high pointing
HIP
n. windward quarter of a boat, referring to position of competitor,
as in "on our hip"
HOT
IT UP
v. to sail higher and faster on a running or reaching leg
HUNT
v. to maneuver towards another boat that is obligated to keep clear,
with the intent of causing a foul. The 1993 revision of the match
racing rules significantly enlarges the ability of the right-of-way
yacht to use this tactic, although it remains poorly understood
by untrained television commentators.
HYDRO
n. device on Stars & Stripes for reducing speed, alleged to
resemble a large suction bailer so as not to count as a moveable
appendage
KIWI
DOUSE
n. Spinnaker douse similar to MEXICAN TAKEDOWN, but with a symmetrical
spinnaker. First used in 1987 America's Cup races by New Zealand
crews.
KOCH
BLOCK
n. Running backstay or checkstay block positioned so that it could
hit the head of an inattentive member of the afterguard when not
under load. First used during the 1992 America's Cup defense.
LEFTY:
n. wind shift to the left
LEVERAGE:
n. transverse separation, allowing one boat to gain or loose with
respect to the other in the event of a wind shift
LIVING:
v. ability to maintain speed to windward and behind a competitor,
on the edge of bad air
MEXICAN
TAKEDOWN:
n. spinnaker douse in which the boat jibes, but the spinnaker is
left flying on the new windward side, where it collapses against
the jib as it is pulled down. Used on camera by Dennis Conner during
the race on April 13, 1995, but is believed to have been coined
by Buddy Melges during the 1992 campaign. In '92 it might have referred
to a conventional floater drop and port rounding, during which the
spinnaker blows off to the southeast, towards Mexico. See KIWI DOUSE.
NELSONS:
n., pl. rudder wings, first used by designer Bruce Nelson on Mighty
Mary
POSSESSION:
n. the lead position, as in "get possession." Used by
Peter Isler on 4-19-95.
PRESSURE:
n. slightly increased wind speed
PROTESTERONE:
n. Hormone responsible for propensity to file protests. Until 1995
it had been believed that because women have only vestigial protestes
glands (where protesterone is synthesized) this behavior was sex-linked.
However, researchers have now concluded that the smaller concentration
of protesterone in women has a proportionately greater effect on
their behavior.
REEL
'EM IN:
v. to gradually but significantly reduce the lead of the boat in
front
REVERSE
MEXICAN:
n. windward spinnaker douse, followed by a jibe. Different from
a conventional floater drop because it's done on a hot reaching
angle, and with an assym there's no need to trip the pole early.
Called for and executed by Mighty Mary at first leeward mark on
95-04-26.
RIGHTY:
n. wind shift to the right
RUNWAY
n. distance to layline, mark, or starting line, used in situations
where room will be needed for acceleration. Used by T. Whiddon on
Stars & Stripes, 95-04-26.
SEWER
n. the below-decks space on a large racing yacht with minimal accommodations
SHRIMPING:
v. using the spinnaker in a manner reminiscent of a trawl net, as
when trawling for shrimp. Often performed for a shrt time during
a spinnaker douse.
SIT
ON THEIR FACE
v. to closely cover a competitor, matching them tack-for-tack and
keeping them in bad air
SLAM-DUNK
n. the act of tacking on another boat's wind in sufficiently close
proximity to prevent the other boat from tacking away. First popularized
by Jim Kelly and Gary Jobson during 1987 America's Cup coverage,
in their attempt to make sailing tactics comprehensible to American
viewers. Usage in Australia dates to 1983 America's Cup coverage
or earlier, however.
SMALL
BITES:
n. pl. small oscillatory course changes resulting in distance and
position gained to windward relative to another boat
STING:
n. Local gust of wind in light conditions. Used several times aboard
Stars & Stripes on 95-04-26.
STRETCH
DRIVE:
n. First used on television by Jim Kelly on 4-15-95. The meaning
of this term in the context of sailboat racing is not fully understood.
TRIM
UP:
v. (Kiwi) sheet in
VANITY
JIBE
n. an unnecessary jibe done for the purpose of passing close to
yacht club, committee boat, or spectators
WALL:
n. The layline. "If you jibe early you don't have a wall to
work up against." T. Whiddon, 95-04-26.
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