Crossing the Channel – Handy French Vocabulary for Sailors

Sailors Jargon in French

The French you learn at school is not always the vocabulary you want when surrounded by French sailors at a festival, or trying to talk to red trousered locals on the quayside in a seafaring Breton port. If you want to brag about your adventures crossing the Channel, force 7 won’t mean much, even to a french sailor.

Equally trying to explain to a taxi driver in a big French port that you need taking to accommodation that is not a hotel but a bateau grande called ‘Morgenster’ in a French port could create an international incident, especially if you sound a bit German.

Another moment when you might have to stand your ground and shout something ‘technical’ in a language we can all understand is out on the water at a maritime festival with an over friendly bowsprit bearing down on you.

Swear words are not what we mean…..

Types of Boat

• Sailing yacht – voilier
• Gaff Cutter – Cotre franc or aurique
• Brig (like Morgenster) – Brick
• Schooner – goelette
• Long keel  – quille longue

Exaggerating about the weather

• Gale – coup de vent
• Storm – tempete
• Hurricane – ouragan
• Lightning strike – foudre

Pesky Port Officials

• Harbourmaster – Capitaine du Port
• Harbour dues – Droits de port
• Customs – Douanes
• Length overall (LOA) – longuer hors tout
• Waterline length – ligne de flottaison
• Draft – tirant d’eau
• Next port of call – prochaine escale
• Crew list – list d’equipage

Scrounging from Boat Builders

• Bolt – boulon
• Nail – clou
• Screw – vis
• Wooden dowell – cheville
• Scarf joint – écart

Sails – See Provident Line Drawing

1. Mizzen – artemon, tape-cul
2. Mainsail – grand voile
3. Topsail – fleche
4. Staysail – Voile d’etat
5. Jib – foc

Roller furling headsail – génois â enrouleur

Crewing on a French Boat

• Head to wind – nez dans le vent
• Port tack – babord amures
• Starboard tack – tribord amures
• To go about – virer au vent
• “ready about?” – Paré a virer
• Lee ho – Envoyer
• Full and bye – au pres bon plein
• Running (downwind) – vent arriere
• To gybe – empanner, gambeyer

When it gets too crowded in an anchorage or port

• Bowsprit – beaupré
• Mast – mât
• topmast – mât de fleche
• Boom – bome
• Gaff and gaff jaws – corne et machoires
• Yard – vergue

Things that should have been in the Bosun’s Bag

• Shackle and pin – manille et vis
• Jubilee clip – coullier de serrage
• Spilt pin – goupille fendue
• Marlin spike – épissoir