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Know
your Boating Lingo?
Thinking
of purchasing a boat and listening to other boat owners talk? They
use terms like "bow", "starboard", and "port".
What are they talking about? Boating has its own unique language
and knowing those terms can make it easier to communicate.
Here
are some common boating terms to know:
Aft
- At or near the back of the boat
Aground
- Touching the bottom
Ballast
- Extra weight carried on a boat to increase stability
Bow
- The forward section of the boat
Cast
off - To let go of a line
Course
- The intended direction
Hull
- The main section of the boat
Knot
- A measure of speed for nautical miles per hour. A nautical mile
is slightly longer than a mile on land.
List
- A boat's leaning to one side
Port
Side - The left side of a boat as you are looking foward
Starboard
Side - The right side of a boat as you are looking forward
Stern
- The back end of a boat
Wake
- The area of waves following a moving boat

ANPAC® supports the North American
Safe Boating Campaign.
* Statistics
taken from the Comdtpub P16754.18 2004 Boating Statistics, United
States Coast Guard. Images courtesy of the United States Coast Guard.
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