So prepared for you is a basic list, that if you are a boater, you should learn. This can help you tremendously in understanding the lingo used by seaman and boaters.



If you Google On Line Boating, you will find courses where all of these terms are defined. You will become more an expert for your effort in learning them.

1- The Stern - The stern is in the rear of the boat or ship.

2- The Bow - The boats forward section.

3- Beam - Where the boat is the widest is called the beam.

4- Flooding - An incoming overwhelming force and volume of water, that could possibly sink the boat, if not stopped.

5- Abaft - If you are walking towards the rear of the boat, you are going abaft.

6- Intracoastal Waterways - Canals, rivers, bays tht run along side the coasts.

7- Port - The left side of vessel when you are facing the bow.

8- Abeam - is not on the boat, but at right angles to the boats keel.

9- Stem - At the fron of the boat is the bow. The most forward part of the bow is the stem.

10- Capsize - If your watercraft is flipped over for any reason, rather a rogue wave, or from being blown over from huricane gail force winds. It has capsized.

11- Abaft - To go abaft would be to go toward the boats stern- behind.

12- Beam - The widest part of the boat is it's beam.

13- Flares - When a boat is in trouble, the use of emergency flares fired from a flare gun, is used as a distress signal; can usually show a boats location from miles at night.

14- Abeam - Not on the boat, but at right angles to the boats keel.

15- Aboard - If you are on the boat somewhere, you are aboard.

16- Capsize - The act of the sea vessel over turning in the water.

17- Flood - Incoming water currents,usually from an unwanted opening, on a boat usually unless corrected, is a precurser to the boat sinking.

18- Intracoastal Waterways - Inland waterways, rivers, canals, ajacent to the coasts that water vessels travel through with out going out to sea. Also called I.C.W.

19- Nautical Mile - 1 minute of latitude, around 6075 feet , or an eighth longer that a 5280 foot long statute mile.

20- Below - Often referred to the decks below the top deck or any lower deck of a ship or boat.

21- Galley - Where a crew member or passenger can go eat while onboard a boat. The food is prepared there as well by trained cooks, or maybe you or your wife?

22- The Stem - The forward most forward part of the bow.