How it works
An unlabeled sailboat diagram for a sailing class handout or a study night. The bow points right, and a line runs out from each of 18 parts with nothing written at the end of it.
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The 18 names to write
Hull and steering: hull, bow, stern, keel, rudder, tiller, cockpit. Mast and sails: mast, spreader, boom, mainsail, jib. Rigging: forestay, backstay, shrouds, halyard, boom vang, mainsheet.
Three wires and three lines
Two wires run from the masthead: the forestay to the bow, the backstay to the stern. The third wire, a shroud, comes down the side of the mast and bends out over the spreader. Of the lines, the halyard runs up the front of the mast, the boom vang slants from the boom to the foot of the mast, and the mainsheet drops from the boom's end into the cockpit.
Drawn but not asked
The cabin and the waterline have no line. A sloop has shrouds on both sides; a side view shows only the near one.
Questions and answers
What is the pole at the bottom of a sail called?
The boom: the horizontal spar under the mainsail. Its forward end is joined to the mast.
What is the front sail on a sailboat called?
The jib: a three-cornered sail set in front of the mast. On this sloop it is the smaller of the two sails and is carried on the forestay.
What do the spreaders do on a sailboat?
Spreaders are short struts that stick out sideways from the mast and push the shrouds outward. The wider angle lets the shrouds brace the mast better.
What is the cockpit of a sailboat?
The sunken part of the deck where the crew sits and steers. On this drawing it is the well near the stern, with the tiller in it.