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Do you know your port from your starboard or your stern from your bow? Here is a list of the mostly commonly used nautical terms and their definitions, so that you will be familiar with the cruise jargon before you sail out to sea.

Aboard:  On or within the boat.

Aft:  Toward or in the rear (stern) of the ship.

Beam:  The greatest width of the boat.

Berth:   Dock, pier or quay (pronounced key).

Bow:   Toward or in front (fore) of the ship.

Bridge:  The location from which a vessel is steered and its speed controlled. "Control Station" is really a more appropriate term for small craft.

Bulkhead:  A vertical partition separating compartments.

Course:   The direction the ship is headed in, typically expressed in compass degrees.

Crow’s nest:  A small lookout platform at the top of the ship’s mast.

Dock:  A protected water area in which vessels are moored. The term is often used to denote a pier or a wharf.

Even keel:   The ship in an even vertical position.

Fathom: A unit of measurement equal to six feet; used to calculate depth.

Forward: Toward the bow of the boat. 

Free port:  A port free of customs duty and most customs regulations.

Galley:   The ship’s kitchen.

Gangway:   The opening through the ship’s side, or the ramp by which passengers enter or leave the ship.

Helm:   The ship’s steering system.

Hull:  The frame and body of the ship.                          

Keel:   The ship’s "backbone" extending underneath from bow to stern.

Knot:   A unit of speed equal to one nautical mile.

Latitude: The angular distance north or south of the Equator measured in degrees, with one degree being approximately 60 nautical miles.

League: A measurement of distance- approximately 3.45 nautical miles.

Leeward:    Located on or in the direction of that side of the ship opposite from which the wind blows.

Longitude:   The angular distance east or west of the prime meridian of Greenwich, England, measured in degrees, with one degree being about 60 nautical miles.

Manifest:  A list of a ship’s crew and passengers or invoice of cargo.

Midship:  Approximately in the location equally distant from the bow and stern.

Moor:   To secure a ship to a fixed place.

Muster drill: The process by which passengers are acquainted with a ship’s regulations and safety provisions prior to sailing.

Nautical mile:   6,080.2 feet, versus a land mile of 5,280 feet. 

Pier:  A loading platform extending at an angle from the shore.                                   

Pitch:   The rise and fall of a ship’s bow that may occur while sailing.

Port: The left side of the ship when facing toward the bow.

Registry: The country with whose laws the ship and its crew are obligated to comply.

Rudder:   An oar-shaped device mounted beneath the ship’s waterline, enabling it to turn.

Running lights:   Lights are required by international law to be lit while the ship is in motion from sunset to sunrise.

Stabilizer:   A fin like device extending beneath the waterline from both sides of the ship to provide stability.

Starboard:   The right side of the ship when facing toward the bow.

Stern:   See "aft".

Tender:   A small vessel, sometimes the ship’s lifeboat, used to ferry passengers to shore when the ship is at anchor.

Tide:  The periodic rise and fall of water level in the oceans.

Wake:  Moving waves, track or path that a boat leaves behind it, when moving across the waters.

Waterline:   The line on the side of the ship’s hull corresponding to the surface of the water.

Weigh:   To raise, as in "weigh the anchors".

Windward:   The side of the ship in the direction from which the wind blows.

Yaws:   To deviate from the ship’s intended course.