Stay

A piece of standing rigging supporting a mast in the fore-and-aft direction.

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 S-terms

Starlink
A low-Earth-orbit satellite broadband system widely adopted on cruising and commercial ves…
Starboard tack
Sailing with the wind coming over the starboard side; under COLREGs, a starboard-tack sail…
Standing rigging
The permanent wires (stays and shrouds) that support the mast — forestay, backstay, cap sh…
Spar
Any pole that supports a sail — mast, boom, gaff, sprit, yard, whisker pole, or spinnaker …
Slab reefing
A traditional reefing method (also called jiffy reefing) in which the tack and clew reef c…
Sheave
The grooved wheel inside a block or at the head of a mast over which a line runs.
← Back to full glossary
Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo