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Who says what, and when
A command is not a courtesy and not a question of rank. It is a short word with exactly one meaning on board, so that nobody has to guess what happens next.
The briefing before letting go
Who stands where, who takes which line, what happens if the manoeuvre does not work. Two minutes on the pontoon save ten minutes of shouting in the basin. With guests aboard it includes where lifejackets and distress gear are kept.
Tacking and gybing
"Ready about?" is a real question and needs an answer, usually "Ready!". Only then comes "Lee oh!", and only then does the helm go over. For a gybe it is "Ready to gybe?", and every head stays below the boom.
Berthing and letting go
Agree beforehand which line goes ashore first and which comes off last. In the manoeuvre one word is then enough: "bow line", "aft spring", "let go forward". Whole sentences shouted into the wind do not arrive.
The emergency
"Man overboard" is the one call anybody aboard may make, guests included. After it the order is fixed: shout, press, throw, point. Whoever points does nothing else.
Sailing commands: why crews speak in short words
Every voice on deck competes with wind, waves, engine and flogging sails. A polite “Would you mind letting that line go up at the front?” turns into a mumble in a force five. Sailing commands are therefore short, always phrased the same way and put the key word first. Once learnt, they still make sense when only half of the call reaches you.
A good command answers three questions: who, what and when. “Foredeck, let go the bow line!” leaves no doubt. A bare “Let go!” does, if three lines are still made fast. Many skippers use names rather than positions, particularly with a crew that has not sailed together before.
Just as important is the reply. Whoever carries out a command says so: “Bow line is off.” Only then does the helm know it is safe to motor ahead or bear away. This loop of call and confirmation prevents most of the misunderstandings that end up as scratches in the gelcoat.
Ready about: tacking commands in order
In a tack the bow passes through the wind. It is the most routine manoeuvre there is, which is exactly why it pays to give the full sequence every time. The calls most crews in British waters use are “Ready about?”, the answer “Ready!”, and then “Lee-oh!”.
“Ready about?” is a genuine question, not an announcement. The crew checks that the new jib sheet will run freely, that a winch handle is to hand and that nobody is sitting on the working sheet. Only after the answer does the helm put the tiller over. No answer, no tack. Before calling, the helm looks to windward and to leeward to make sure the new course is clear.
On “Lee-oh!” the tiller goes to leeward, or the wheel is turned accordingly. The old jib sheet is released as the headsail starts to luff, not before. Let go too early and the boat loses way and stalls head to wind. Too late, and the jib backs and pushes the bow back where it came from.
- Check that the water on the new course is clear.
- Call “Ready about?” and wait for “Ready!”.
- Call “Lee-oh!” and put the helm over steadily.
- Release the old jib sheet as the headsail luffs.
- Sheet in on the new side and settle on the new course.
Gybing commands: more care than in a tack
In a gybe the stern passes through the wind and the boom swings across. This is the most dangerous moment on deck for heads and hands. The calls are longer for that reason: “Stand by to gybe?”, “Ready!”, then “Sheet in the main!”, “Gybe-oh!”, and finally “Ease the main!”.
Hauling the mainsheet in before the stern crosses is the heart of it. The shorter the sheet, the shorter the arc of the boom and the less energy it carries. In a strong breeze some crews skip the gybe altogether and come round through a tack instead, sometimes called a chicken gybe. It costs distance, not nerves.
A preventer, a line that holds the boom forward on a run, guards against an accidental gybe. It has to be released before a planned one, and saying so belongs in the briefing. Until the boom is settled on the new side, nobody stands up and nobody grabs the mainsheet tackle.
Sailing commands for berthing and leaving
In harbour most commands are given in tight spaces. It helps to name every line clearly: bow line, stern line, fore spring, aft spring. Then come the actions: “Pass!” to hand a line ashore, “Make fast!” to secure it, “Ease!” to give slack, “Take in!” to remove slack and “Let go!” to release.
The clearest calls combine line and action: “Make fast the aft spring!” or “Ease the bow line!”. The person on the line repeats it briefly and reports when it is done. If a call was not understood, the right response is to hold the line and wait, not to guess.
Leaving follows a simple order. Lines carrying no load come off first, and last of all the one the boat is motoring against. A collective “Let go all!” only makes sense if everyone already knows which line goes last and who brings it aboard.
Commands for emergencies and anchoring
There are only a few calls that everyone aboard must know, guests included. Anyone who sees a person go over the side shouts “Man overboard!” and points at them with an outstretched arm. The skipper then hands out the jobs: throw the lifebuoy, mark the position on the plotter, start the recovery. The pointer keeps their eyes on the casualty and does nothing else.
When anchoring, the bow and the helm are often too far apart for shouting, especially with the engine running. Agreed hand signals work better: an arm for direction, a flat palm for stop, thumbs up for “anchor holding”. What matters is that everyone means the same thing by each sign.
Radio calls follow procedures of their own. How to send a Mayday distress call, a Pan-Pan urgency call or a Sécurité safety call under GMDSS is taught on the course for the Short Range Certificate (SRC). Every crew member should at least know where the VHF is and where the red distress button sits.
Frequently asked questions
Is it “Lee-oh” or “Helm’s a-lee”?
Both are in use and both are understood. What matters more than the exact words is that the same call is used every time on your boat and that “Ready about” always gets an answer first.
What does “Ready about” actually ask?
It asks whether the crew is ready to tack: sheets clear, winch handle in place, heads out of the way. It is a question, so the helm waits for the reply before turning.
What is the difference between a gybe and an accidental gybe?
A gybe is planned and called, with the boom controlled on the mainsheet. An accidental gybe happens when a wind shift or a steering error on a run sends the boom across without warning, at full force.
Do guests need to learn the commands?
Not all of them. Guests need at least the “Man overboard” call and the warning to keep their heads down during tacks and gybes. Everything else can be covered in a short briefing before you leave the berth.
Why should the crew confirm each command?
Because otherwise the helm cannot tell whether the call was heard. A short reply such as “Ready” or “Bow line off” closes the loop. Without it, people tend to motor off or tack a moment too soon.
Do singlehanded sailors use commands?
Many say them quietly to themselves. It may sound odd, but it keeps the sequence intact and stops steps being skipped, such as the look to leeward before tacking.
What this has to do with insurance
As owner or skipper you are responsible for the conduct of the boat, including towards your own crew. A short briefing before letting go is therefore not only seamanship but the part of your duty of care that is easiest to evidence afterwards, for instance with an entry in the log.
