In irons

Stalled head-to-wind with insufficient way to steer — neither on one tack nor the other.

Test your knowledge

Know your nautical terms? Play the free SkipperCheck daily maritime quiz — COLREGs, navigation, VHF radio, seamanship. Earn points, climb the global leaderboard.

Play the Daily Quiz →

Related I-terms

Inverter
An electronic device that converts the boat's 12/24 V DC supply into 120/230 V AC mains fo…
Iridium
A global satellite network (e.g. Iridium Go!, Iridium Certus) widely used by offshore sail…
In-mast furling
A reefing system in which the mainsail is rolled onto a vertical spindle inside a hollow m…
Inboard
Located inside the rail or within the hull of the boat.
← Back to full glossary
Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo