Stand-On Vessel
The vessel with the right-of-way.
Starboard
The right side of a boat when you are facing
the bow.
Stern
The after end or back of the boat.
Stow
To store items neatly and securely.
Strake
Planks running fore and aft on the outside
of a vessel.
Taffrail
The rail around a boat’s stern.
Tide
The alternate rise and fall of waters caused
by the gravitational attraction of moon or
sun.
Topsides
(1) The sides of a vessel above the water-
line;
(2) On deck as opposed to below deck.
Transom
The transverse planking which forms the
afterend of a small, square-ended boat.
(Outboard motors are usually attached to a
transom.)
Trim
To arrange weights in a vessel in such a
manner as to obtain desired draft at bow
and stern.
Trimaran
Boat with three hulls, the center one is the
largest.
Unbend
To cast-off or untie.
Underway
Vessel in motion, i.e., when not moored, at
anchor or aground.
USPS
United States Power Squadron, a private
membership organization that specializes in
boating education and good boating prac-
tices.
Vessel
Every kind of watercraft, other than a sea-
plane on the water, capable of being used as a
means of transportation on water.
VHF Radio
A Very High Frequency electronic communi-
cations and direction finding system.
Wake
Moving waves, created by vessel motion.
Track or path that a boat leaves behind it,
when moving across the water.
Wash
The loose or broken water left behind a ves-
sel as it moves along; the surging action of
waves.
Waterline
The intersection of a vessel’s hull and the
water’s surface; the line separating the bot-
tom paint and the topsides.
Way
Movement of a vessel through the water.
Technically it is underway when not at
anchor, aground, or made fast to the shore.
The common usage is interpreted as
progress through the water. Headway when
going forward and Sternway when it is going
backwards.
Well
Area at the rear of a boat where the motor
may be located.
Wharf
A structure, parallel to the shore, for dock-
ing vessels.
Wheel
(1) The steering wheel;
(2) The propeller.
Whistle Signal
A standard communication signal between
boats, to indicate change of course, danger,
or other situations.
Windward
Situated on the side closest to the wind.
(Opposite of leeward.)
Yaw
To swing or steer off course, as when run-
ning with a quartering sea.
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