Module 1 - Nautical Terms
Common Verbs and Actions
What you will learn
Translate make fast, cast off, fender, tack and gybe into a controlled, boat-specific sequence rather than a one-word action.
Seamanship verbs describe a change of state. The safe sequence still depends on wind, stream, berth geometry, sail load and the agreed crew plan.
To make fast means to secure a line to an appropriate point. To cast off means to release a mooring line as part of departure. It does not mean releasing every line at once: the order depends on the forces acting on the boat and the planned manoeuvre.
Fenders protect the hull while alongside, but their height, spacing and position must suit the berth and likely contact area. They do not compensate for an uncontrolled approach or an unsafe line plan.
A tack changes tack with the bow passing through the wind. A gybe changes tack with the stern passing through the wind. During a gybe, the boom and mainsheet can cross the cockpit rapidly and under load, so the manoeuvre requires a brief, controlled sail handling and a clear danger area.
Turn the command into a shared sequence
Before leaving an alongside berth, the skipper identifies which line controls the bow or stern, which line will be last away, where fenders remain useful and who reports each line clear. Later, a gybe is briefed before the helm turns.
1. Brief
Name the line, crew member, order and intended result; repeat back anything unclear.
2. Control
Keep the boat controlled by the remaining line, engine, sail or helm plan while a line is released or made fast.
3. Confirm
Report lines, fenders, boom and crew clear before the next load or movement.
Sense check: A command is not complete when a word has been obeyed; it is complete when the intended state is achieved and the new hazards are checked.
Common mistake or limitation
- 'Cast off' is not a command to release all lines together. An unplanned sequence can remove the only control resisting wind or stream.
- A gybe is not defined by the boom moving; it is the stern passing through the wind. The boom and mainsheet are the principal crew hazards to control.
- Fenders reduce contact damage but do not make a fast or poorly controlled approach safe.
Recap
- Make fast and cast off are steps in a controlled line plan.
- Fenders must suit the berth and likely contact area.
- A tack takes the bow through the wind; a gybe takes the stern through and needs positive boom and mainsheet control.
Optional quick check
Section 8 of 9
Which action changes tack with the stern passing through the wind?
Sources and factual review
Reviewed 2 September 2026 - Compass Revision editorial review.
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