Apparent Wind - combination of true wind and induced wind

Balance Point - the point where the sail is drawn across the board and feels light

Battens - stiff, flexible rods providing strength and shape to a sail

Beam Reach - a direction approximately 90° away from the direction of the wind

Bear Away - to steer the board away from where the wind is coming from

Beaufort Scale - an international scale of wind speed described in numerical forces from 0 (calm) to 12 (a hurricane)

Blasting - moving quickly across the water

Boom - the "handlebars" of a windsurfer

Booties - shoes designed especially for water activities

Broad Reach - a direction approximately 135° away from the direction of the wind

Buoyancy Aid - foam-filled jacket providing positive buoyancy when immersed

Butterfly Rescue - a form of rescue where the sail is laid on the back of the board and the sailor paddles

Catapulted - being propelled forwards off the board by the sail

Centre of Effort - a central point on the sail from where the drive comes from

Centre of Lateral Resistance - a combination of the fin, dagger board and wetted area of the board that creates directional stability and resists sideways movement

Centreline - imaginary line going through the centre of the board from nose to tail

Clew - rear (lower) corner of sail, which attaches to the end of the boom

Close Hauled - a direction approximately 45° away from the direction of the wind

Counter Balance - to oppose the weight of the rig with our body - rig goes one way, body the other

Cross-Shore - when the wind direction blows directly across the shore/land

Daggerboard - large flat retractable plate providing the board with sideways resistance

Deck Plate - fitting in board into which mastfoot is secured

Deck - top of the board

Downhaul - a rope used to attach the tack of the sail to the mastfoot

Downwind - in a position further away from the wind then you are

Fin - curved foil attached to underside and tail of board providing directional stability

Flagging - a downwind rescue, the sailor, board and rig drift with the wind

Gear Gazing - Looking at rig too much instead of where you are going

Goal Point - a point chosen to aim for when sailing

Gybe - a turn that takes the nose of the board away from the wind

Harness Lines - lines linking harness to rig

Harness - equipment to attach the body to the rig

Head Up - to steer the board closer to where the wind is coming from

Hooking In - attaching harness to harness lines

Horizontal Tide - the parallel or sideways motion of the tide along the coastline

Hull - bottom of the board

IMCS - Indexed Mast Curve System - international standard for measuring stiffness of mast

Induced Wind - wind created by forward movement of board

Isobars - lines of equal atmospheric pressure on weather maps

Jury Rig - temporary repair to rig enabling self-rescue

Knots - nautical miles per hour

Laminar Flow - smooth airflow across sail providing lift

Leech - trailing edge of sail

Leeward - a place or side of a board/craft that is away or sheltered from the wind

Lift - force acting on sail to power the board forward

Luff Tube - tube in leading edge of sail into which mast is fitted

Luffing - altering course towards wind

Mast Extension - an adjustable version of a mastfoot

Mast Track - a recess on the top of the board to attach the rig

Mast - long tapered pole used to hold the sail up

Mastfoot - an attachment joining the board and rig together

Miles Per Hour - a measurement of speed

Neap Tide - smaller tide range caused by phase of Moon

No-Go Zone - an area approximately 45° either side of the wind direction into which it is not possible to sail or windsurf

Nose Over Toes - stance keeping head above feet

Nose - front of the board

NPCG - non-planing carve gybe

Offshore - when the wind direction blows directly off the shore/land

Onshore - when the wind direction blows directly on to the shore/land

Outhaul Rope - used to attach clew of the sail to end of boom

Outhaul - a rope used to attach the clew of the sail to the end of the boom

Planing - where board reaches sufficient speed to travel on the minimal of wetted area or surface of water

Port Tack - a nautical term used to describe the direction to which we are sailing - left side of our body is furthest forward on the board/craft

Port - a nautical term - the direction to the left of somebody facing the front of a board/craft

Rail - edge of board

Rash Vest - a T-shirt like garment worn either on its own or under a wetsuit to provide protection

Rig Rotator - specific movement of the rig in gybes

Rotational Sails - sails where battens provide aerofoil shape by being set (rotating) around mast

Run - a direction approximately 180° away from the direction of the wind

Sail Quiver - set of different-sized sails

Sail - the 'engine' of the windsurfer - delivering power to the windsurfer

Sailing Position - the position we adopt to go windsurfing

Sea-Breeze - thermal wind generated by temperature difference between land and sea

Secure Position - a stationary positioning of the board where the sail has no power and the board is directly across the wind

Sheeting In - pulling the boom in, back and down

Shifting and Switching - specific footwork movement during a transition

Spinning Out - board slides sideways after loss of grip

Spring Tide - larger tide range caused by phase of Moon

Stance - body position while sailing

Starboard Tack - a nautical term used to describe the direction to which we are sailing - right side of the body is furthest forward on the board/craft

Starboard - a nautical term - the direction to the right of somebody facing the front of a board/craft

Tack - a turn that takes the nose of the board through the wind

Tail - back of the board

Tidal Range - vertical movement of water

Tidal Stream - movement of water parallel to coastline

Towing Eye - a small hole in the nose of the board used to attached a rope to enable towing

Transit - position judged by lining up two objects

Transitions - tacking and gybing

True Wind - prevailing wind when standing still

Tuning - adjustment of rig to find most efficient set-up

Turbulent Flow - disturbed airflow over sail

Turtle Rescue - a form of rescue where the sailor detaches the sail, lays it on the board, climbs inside it and paddles

Twin-Cam Sails - sails with larger luff tubes accommodating device to hold the batten against the mast

Universal Joint (UJ) - part of mastfoot, allowing flexible movement of the rig

Uphaul - combined rope and elastic attached to the boom enabling the rig to be pulled out of the water

Upwind - in a position closer to the wind than you

Vertical Tide - the effect of tidal rise or fall on the land

Windward - a place or side of a board/craft that is closer to the wind

The glossary of windsurfing is available in the books "RYA Start Windsurfing" and "RYA Intermediate Windsurfing published by the Royal Yachting Association.