Module 1 - Nautical Terms

Parts of a Boat — Fore and Aft

The front of a boat is the bow. The back is the stern. Everything towards the bow is 'forward' (or 'fore'), everything towards the stern is 'aft'. The midpoint is amidships.

The bow typically has a pointed shape to cut through waves. On a yacht the area at the front of the deck is called the foredeck. The stern may have a bathing platform or dinghy davits.

  • Bow — the front of the vessel
  • Stern — the back of the vessel
  • Forward / Fore — towards the bow
  • Aft — towards the stern
  • Amidships — the middle of the vessel

Start with the free terminology module

Nautical terms are free to study and make the rest of the Day Skipper syllabus easier to follow.

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