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Step 1
The first words you will want to learn are port and starboard. Port means the left side of your boat while standing inside facing the front of the boat. Starboard is the right side. You will also notice that there is a red light on one side and a green light on the other at the front of the boat. Red is left and green is right.
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Step 2
The front of the boat is called the bow. If you remember the movie "Titanic", it was the bow of the boat that had that famous scene were Jack and Rose were standing with their arms spread out and the wind blowing in their hair. The stern is the rear of the boat and in that same movie Rose stood over the railing contemplating jumping. That's when she met Jack. Then there's the helm. This is where the steering wheel, throttles, switches, compass and gauges are.
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Step 3
Let's move inside for some more interesting boating language. Most likely the first area you will enter is the 'galley' or kitchen for us land lovers. The V berth is the bedroom at the bow end of the boat. Lastly is the bathroom or in boating language it's called the head. This term came from long ago sailors who went to the bow of the boat to release their bodily waste. So when asking for permission to go to the front of the boat they just said "Captain, may I use the head?" The name 'head' stuck and is still used today.
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Step 4
These are just the basics of boating language, there are more. Bon Voyage!
Comments
starlet67 said
on 5/24/2009 What a nice article! Lovely pics! Enjoyed this!5*
Jolocol said
on 5/19/2009 Thanks for the help-we have a sailboat and I'm doing my best to learn the language!
edieness said
on 5/19/2009 Funny that we need to read this article to be able to understand boating lang. well written. 5*
jenng said
on 5/14/2009 Great article on boating language 5*
TobyLee said
on 1/6/2009 Brings me back to days when I owned a 24 foot cabin cruiser. You have nicely explained the basic boating terms.