Knowledge Base

Knowledge Base - Terms for Boating

The front end of a boat is its bow, the other end is the sternPort and starboard are lateral terms, port designating the left side and starboard the right when on the boat and facing the bow.

The basic directions on a boat. Port and starboard may
be kept straight in one's mind by remembing that port is the shorter word and "left" is shorter than "right."

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The disturbed water that a boat leaves astern as result of motion is called wake. Sidewise rotational motion in rough water is called roll, vertical motion as the bow rises and falls is called pitching. A boat yaws when it runs off course to either side. If a boat yaws too widely and is thrown broadside into the trough of the water (between the crests and parallel to them), she broaches to, a dangerous situation that should be avoided.

The three basic motions of a boat are roll, pitch, and yaw. At sea, these are often combined with uncomfortable results.

As taken from: Piloting, Seamanship and small boat handling, Chapman
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