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lanyard
A line
attached to a tool.
lash
To tie something with a line.
latitude
Imaginary lines drawn around the world and used to measure distance north and
south of the Equator.
The North Pole is 90° north, the South Pole is 90° south, and the Equator is
at 0°.
lazarette
A small aft
storage space for spare parts and other items.
lazy jack
A line
running from above the mainsail
to the boom
to aid in the lowering of the sail.
lazy sheet
A line
attached to a sail
but not currently in use. The line currently in use is known as the working
sheet. The working and lazy sheets usually change when the boat is tacked.
lee
The direction toward which the wind is blowing. The direction sheltered from the
wind.
leeboard
A board placed alongside a berth to keep its occupant from falling out when a
boat heels.
leeward
The direction away from the wind. Opposite of windward.
life boat
A small boat used for emergencies, such as when the parent boat is sinking.
life
jacket, life preserver, life vest
A device used to keep a person afloat. Also called a personal
floatation device or PFD.
life raft
An emergency raft used in case of serious problems to the parent vessel, such as
sinking.
lifeline
A line
running between the bow
and stern
of a boat to which the crew can attach themselves to prevent them from being
separated from the boat.
light
A lighted navigational aid such as a lighthouse that can be used at night or in
poor visibility.
lighthouse
A navigational light
placed on a structure on land.
lightweight anchor
An anchor
that has pivoting flukes that dig into the ground as tension is placed on the
anchor. It does not have a stock.
line
On a boat, most ropes
are called lines.
list
A leaning to one side when not underway.
Usually the result of an improperly loaded boat. Heeling
is different from a list because it is caused by the forces of wind acting upon
a sailboat
that is underway. When a boat changes tacks,
the direction of the heel will change sides, whereas a list is a continual
leaning to the same side under any condition.
lock
A device that allows boats to pass between bodies of water having different
water levels, such as in a canal. A boat enters a lock, then large doors close
behind it. The water level is then either raised or lowered until a second set
of doors can be opened and the boat can pass through.
locker
Any storage place on a boat.
log
1) A device used to measure the distance traveled through the water. The
distance read from a log can be affected by currents, leeway and other factors,
so those distances are sometimes corrected to a distance made good. Logs can be
electronic devices or paddlewheels mounted through the hull of the boat or
trailed behind it on a line.
2) A written record of a boat's condition, usually including items such as boat
position, boat speed, wind speed and direction, course
and other information.
logbook
A book in which the boat's log
is kept. Each entry usually contains the time and date of the entry, weather
conditions, boat speed and course,
position and other information.
longitude
Imaginary lines drawn through the North and South Poles on the globe, used to
measure distance east and west. Greenwich, England, is designated as 0°, with
other distances being measured in degrees east and west of Greenwich.
LORAN
An electronic instrument using radio
waves from various stations to find one's position. The LORAN system is being
replaced by the GPS
system and will be obsolete in a few years. Many LORAN stations have already
stopped providing service.
low tide
The point of a tide
at which the water is the lowest. The opposite of a high
tide.
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