Sailing command language

[DirkJ]

Hi to you all and pardon my bad english (I''m German)!
Can somebody please give me advice where in the Web I could find a list of the sailing commands and replies (in English, that is) given by the skipper for standard situations like tacking, gybing, hoisting sails, falling off, docking ... Sure I do know all this stuff in my mother language but I do believe that it helps for sailing with international crew if I would know this stuff in English language, too. If you don''t know any website, maybe you could write some of it down yourself? If each of you write down just one command a complete list should be fixed in no time.

Thank you
Dirk

[Snap]

This book may help: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0924486961/schoonermanA/002-2818487-0790426#product-details

[thomsonjd]

Dirk,
Please note that English as spoken by our American friends can be signficantly different to English as spoken by the Brits. You will need to decide if you are more likely to have Brits or Americans in your crew before deciding on the terminology to use. Examples:

Brit-speak - heave-ho
Ameri-speak - hard a'' lee

Brit-speak - fender
Ameri-speak - bumper

Brit-speak - kicking strap
Ameri-speak - vang

and there must be many others! Come to think of it, a Brit-speak / Ameri-speak sailing dictionary would be a great project!

Jonathan

[DirkJ]

Hi Jonathan, yes, I agree. Such a dictionary would be great. Perhaps one should include Kiwi-speak? Right know I don''t care much about British or American English (for the purpose of commands, that is). I just want to establish a common command language for international crew on board of my vessel. Brits or Americans are not that often on board. Most of the times we are Greeks and Germans (I sail in Greece). Dictionaries exist already, but you always find just single expressions explained (Starboard - Steuerbord, Boom - Baum ...). You even find tack or gybe explained and translated, but no dictionary lists the correct flow of the commands to perform this manouvres. (Okay, for tacking and gybing I''ve learned it, but I''ve no idea what to say in cases of anchoring, docking, hoisting sails... Even English/American books about sailing don''t list them (the two or three I have, that is). So, what to do? Dirk

[DuaneIsing]

DirkJ,

Guten Tag, mein Freund!

Regarding commands used for anchoring, we don''t use very many "standard commands". The crew is instructed as to what actions are required, then hand signals are used.

For hoisting sails, the skipper might say:
"turn into the wind", "hoist the main (sail)", "tighter" (to adjust the luff tension), "OK" (when it is tight enough).

For docking, you might say: "prepare to dock port (or starboard) side to", "deploy fenders", "prepare the bow, stern, and forward/after spring lines", "Johann, to the foredeck", "Willi, handle the stern line", Greta, stand by with the forward spring"

I hope this helps a little. Good luck.

Duane

[DirkJ]

Duane, Danke, Freund! Yes, this is what I''m looking for. Dirk