Introduction Chartering Sailing is fun. But – a lot of people are put off sailing by the complexity and strange terms.  What exactly is a cunningham and how do you make it fast? Most people who get on a boat for the first time are baffled by the terminology and the obscure, arcane  language. Yet, there is a point to this language. Sailing has evolved over hundreds of years and, deep within  the heart and mind of the universe, there is a reason for all this ‘stuff’. Quotes from “Overheard Sailing” (http://www.overheardsailing.com) : Dock person :  Ok, Take this line and secure it to your aft cleat. Dock person : No! At the STERN of the boat! Dock person :  NO! NO! That CLEAT there. There, on the back of the boat! Dock person : THE F--KING SILVER THING!!! -and- Crew:  It’s all very well, but you’re not making any friends here. I mean, the  language alone is alienating. What the hell is a halyard? You yell at me to pull  it, you yell at me to let some sheets go. I’m not impressed. Teaching should be  complemented with sign language - pointing, for example. Call it ‘thingy’, call it  ‘that’. Complement it with direct action requests, i.e. ‘pull’ and ‘let go’. Then,  people will reach out for you. Skipper:  <sigh> Pull that, will you? Yes, it’s true – there’s a lot of bollocks that goes around sailing. If you listen to two ‘salties’ talking about  sailing you might conclude that they are talking in another language or, at the very least, in another time. I wrote this guide because I like sailing and I meet a lot of people who want to try sailing. The problem is they  don’t know much about it and are daunted by the prospect of setting foot on a boat. Even if they manage get  on a boat often they are so confused by the whole thing that they never come back. Hopefully this guide will let you understand the basics of sailing, let you talk about sailing without feeling like  an idiot and, most importantly, make you useful on a sailing boat. I also wrote this guide because I often go cruising with friends who have never sailed before. If they’ve never stepped on a boat before, they feel as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking  contest. So, before we go, I distribute this guide so they understand what’s happening and, more importantly,  can do some of the work. Skippers should feel free to use this guide with new crew, on the proviso that : its source is acknowledged  (i.e. me); it is not used for commercial purposes; if you take and part of it to modify you must distribute it  under a similar agreement.