Below Decks

The saloon is the main accommodation or living area; the galley is the cooking area; the heads contains toilet or washroom facilities; and a berth is a sleeping place. A forecabin is forward, while a quarter berth or aft cabin is towards the stern. Actual layouts vary considerably.

The chart table or navigation station may hold charts, publications, instruments or communications equipment, but equipment can be distributed elsewhere. The companionway is the access between deck and the accommodation; it may also be a route for water, smoke and people, so keeping it usable can matter in an incident.

A Coastal-level report should include the side, fore-and-aft location and compartment or system: for example, 'water entering the port locker below the aft saloon berth'. Do not rely on 'downstairs' or assume a seacock, battery isolator or bilge pump is in the same place as on another boat.