GENoa, or geNOa??

john6206

john6206

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Feb 19, 2008
508
Catalina 320 Tawas Bay Yacht Club
So, the headsail that's bigger than a jib (we could probably also debate "headsail" vs "heads'l"). . .

I've heard several people lately say geNOa, most recently a sailmaker with 40 years experience. I'm assuming he knows more than I do.

I've always gone with GENoa. The city in Italy is GENoa.
What's up with that?

And how do you pronounce the salami of the same name?
 
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High Current

High Current

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Sep 11, 2022
128
Catalina 34 mk 1.5 Rockland ME
A post intended to cause trouble if ever there was one…

My dad puts the emphasis on the first syllable so that’s how I have always said it too. It also feels more natural/phonetic that way. GeNOa sounds weird, like so many town names here in MA. But I would be curious about the etymology and make no pretenses toward correctness.
 
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Davidasailor26

Davidasailor26

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May 17, 2004
6,112
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
john6206 said:
So, the headsail that's bigger than a jib (we could probably also debate "headsail" vs "heads'l"). . .

I've heard several people lately say geNOa, most recently a sailmaker with 40 years experience. I'm assuming he knows more than I do.

I've always gone with GENoa. The city in Italy is GENoa.
What's up with that?

And how do you pronounce the salami of the same name?
Click to expand
I’ve always heard and said GENoa. I think SV Delos was the first time I heard it different and at first I thought they were just mispronouncing it.

Both ChatGPT and Gemini think it’s GENoa too, so it must be true. ;)
 
Johnb

Johnb

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Jan 22, 2008
1,505
Hunter 37-cutter Richmond CA
What I need to know is what is the correct pronunciation - SHILshole or SHILShole. If the latter does anyone know who Shils was?
 
Windpilot

Windpilot

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Aug 18, 2018
161
Hunter 410 MDR
Mines a cutter rig, others may call the setup something else. But to avoid any confusion with the sails, I go by big front sail, little front sail mostly because I really don't know what they are technically. Jib, Genoa, staysail, cutter sail, seriously I don't know. ( or really care)
Lol.....
 
garymalmgren

garymalmgren

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May 29, 2018
661
Canel 25 foot Shiogama, japan
Hi Dave
Re: Origins: The sail is named after Genoa, Italy, where it was first used by Sven Salén in 1926. Which I also saw in Wiki.
I will beg to differ on this on.

The Genoa sail is a modification of the Dhow sail,
1773215380937.png


The Italians (from Genoa) saw the boats and sails in the Persian Gulf and modified it for their coast trading ships.
The sail was known (as a Genoa sail) and used in and around Genoa well before 1926. Although that could well be the first time it was fitted on a yacht.

"Medieval & Renaissance (11th – 15th Century): Venetian and Genoese merchants dominated Mediterranean trade, accessing Indian spices via the Persian Gulf and Levant. They established trading communities in regions like Tabriz (Persia) during the 13th-century Mongol Īl-Khānate."

As for the pronunciation: I use both.

gary
 
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capta

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
5,066
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Since I can't say anything nice about this post, I won't say anything.
 
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Joe

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,304
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
It depends on what continent you're on. Just watching a few sailing blogs on YouTube... the Brits and Euro's seem to emphasize the second syllable... westerners seem to prefer the first. So.... since I'm american... it's a-lu-min-um not al-u-min-i-um..... it's meh-thane, not mee-thane, and definitely GEN-o-a NOT gen-Oh-ah. OR..........eliminate any confusion by using racing lingo, like the "number 1" or size, like the "110%, 135%, 150%" No confusion there... besides what do you say if you have more than one large headsail.... genoa, lapper, blade???.... or light number 1, decksweeper, jib top, yankee, medium number 2, .... OH MY G......! Why waste your time... 95 percent of the sailors on this forum just have one headsail anyway, and it's roller furling. Easier to say the name on the bag so the crew doesn't get confused. :yikes:
 
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capta

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
5,066
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Joe said:
So.... since I'm american... it's a-lu-min-um not al-u-min-i-um.....
Click to expand
Well, it was developed by a Dane, and they pronounce it "ium" so that should be the end of it. But, American Charles Martin Hall and Frenchman Paul Héroult, developed the electrolysis method, making mass production possible, So I guess we might have some say in the matter, dropping that pesky "i".. lol.
 
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william24424

william24424

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Jan 25, 2007
366
Cal Cal 33-2 cape cod
The Italian city of Genoa is pronounced
JEN-oh-vah (ˈdʒɛːnova) in Italian, rather than the English pronunciation "Jen-oh-ah". The key difference is the distinct "v" sound in the middle. The accent is placed on the first syllable: Jén-o-vah. I suppose we go with the English? Now is schedule pronounced, sked-ule or shed-ule? .,.., I guess it depends what shool you went to! Get it? Shhhhooolll! Hahah
 
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