Glossary of Nautical Terms - Y

Y

Yacht

A recreational boat or ship; the term includes sailing yachts, motor yachts, and steam yachts.

Yard

1. Yard: The horizontal spar from which a square sail is suspended.

2. A dockyard or shipyard.

Yardarm

The very end of a yard. Often mistaken for a "yard", which refers to the entire spar. As in to hang "from the yardarm" and the sun being "over the yardarm" (late enough to have a drink).

Yarr

Acknowledgement of an order, or agreement. Also aye, aye.

Yaw

A vessel's rotational motion about the vertical axis, causing the fore and aft ends to swing from side to side repetitively.

Yawl

A fore-and-aft rigged sailing vessel with two masts, main and mizzen, the mizzen stepped abaft the rudder post.

Yawl boat

A rowboat on davits at the stern of the boat.