Wake

Waterline

The line on the hull where it meets the water surface at the design load.

Weather side

See windward side — the side of the boat the wind strikes first.

Working sails

The mainsail plus the standard (working) jib — the boat's all-round sail wardrobe for mode…

Watermaker

A reverse-osmosis desalinator that forces seawater through a semi-permeable membrane at hi…

Whip

To bind the strands at the end of a rope with a tight wrapping of twine to prevent unravel…

Wind generator

A mast- or pole-mounted propeller-driven turbine that converts apparent-wind energy into b…