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
- Mizzen – artemon, tape-cul
- Mainsail – grand voile
- Topsail – fleche
- Staysail – Voile d’etat
- 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
