NAUTICAL DIRECTIONS AND TERMS

If someone asked to you, “Can you look in the aft stowage locker for a first aid kit” would you know where to look? If not, the following basic nautical terms that apply to direction, location, and speed may be of help to you.

Aloft: Above the deck, generally in the rigging. “Harry went aloft to fix the VHF antenna.” 

Abeam: Alongside or at right angles to the centerline of a boat. “The marine police brought their patrol boat just abeam of us.”

Aft: Toward the stern of the boat, or closer to the stern than another item being referenced. “The captain’s chair is just aft of the helm station.”

Amidships: The central portion of the boat. “Let’s keep all the crew amidships to balance the boat better.”

Forward: Toward the bow of the boat, or closer to the bow than another item being referenced. “The bow seats are just forward of the helm station.”

Knots: Term used to describe the speed at which a vessel is traveling in nautical miles per hour. One nautical mile is equal to 1.15 statute miles. “We were cruising at 20 knots, which is 23 MPH.”

Port: The left side of a boat when facing forward. “The gear locker is on the port side of the aft cockpit.”

Starboard: The right side of a boat when facing forward. “The boat hook is under the gunwale on the starboard side.

DOCKING AND MOORING TERMS

Docking a boat is an important skill all boaters must learn. If you’re new to boating and don’t know a spring line from a stern line, you should read Boating Tips: Tips for Easier Docking, Five Docking Disasters: Don’t Let This Happen to You!, and Tying Up Boats: Mooring Basics. In the meantime, you can browse the basic docking terms we’ve defined below.

Bow Line: Dock lines secured to the bow of a boat that limit its movement.

Cleat: A metal or plastic fitting used to securely attach a line.

Dock: A flat walkway usually secured to pilings that boats tie up to. Docks can either be fixed or floating.

Dock Line: A line made of braided or three-strand nylon designed to secure a boat along a bulkhead, to a dock, in a slip, or to another boat.

Fender: An inflatable cushion used to protect a boat from contact against pilings, docks, piers, bulkheads, or other boats.

Finger Pier: A flat slender walkway that branches out from a dock and divides two slips.

Mooring: This word refers to multiple forms of tying up a boat. You can call a permanently anchored float with an attachment point a mooring; you can call a docking line a mooring line, and when your boat is tied up in its slip you can say it’s moored.

Piling: A long cylindrical piece of wood or metal driven into the bottom that is used to secure docks in place or to which boats can be tied.

Spring Line: Dock lines used to prevent a boat from moving forward and aft.

Stern Line: Dock line secured to the stern of a boat that limit its movement.