Knowledge category
Onboard Direction: facts
Bow, stern, port, and starboard are fixed to the boat; they do not change when a person turns around.
Forward and aft describe movement along the boat; port and starboard describe sides.
Windward and leeward change with wind direction, so say the fixed side when precision matters.
Clear deck instructions use one object, one direction, and one action.
Direction Words
Bow / Stern
The front and back ends of the boat.
Port / Starboard
The left and right sides of the boat when facing the bow.
Windward / Leeward
Toward the wind and away from the wind.
Onboard Direction terms
Each link opens the exact terminology entry with a definition, example, aliases, and related terms.
AftToward the stern.AmidshipsNear the middle of the boat, lengthwise or across the beam.BowThe forward end of the boat.ForwardToward the bow.LeewardThe side or direction away from the wind.PortThe left side of the boat when facing the bow.QuarterEither after side of the boat, between the beam and the stern.StarboardThe right side of the boat when facing the bow.SternThe aft end or back of the boat.UpwindToward the direction the wind is coming from.WindwardThe side or direction from which the wind is coming.
References
Sources and Method Notes
Boatpedia reference
Open sourceBoatpedia terminology reference
Marine vocabulary reference for definitions, aliases, examples, and related terms.
Next reference