Posted by Jon on January 05, 2001 at 14:28:54 from 199.158.80.11:
In Reply to: Re: COOT CLUB - observations part ONE posted by Adam Quinan on January 05, 2001 at 12:54:45:
Observations:
>>P52 Chapter 4
>>"The bows of the big cruiser were moored to the bank above the
>>opening."
>>
>>Bows? Plural?
>>My conclusion: "Bows" is the noun; "bow" is the adjective.
>
>Bows, one on either side of the point at the end? Hence a port bow and >a starboard bow.
>
The bows (plural) or, port and starboard bow refer to relative positions of an external object to the boat/ship. You will also hear of references to the port or starboard beam (bearing from midships aft, but not over the stern). An example of the latter, codified in the Rules of the Road, would be the "danger zone", from the bow (head on) to two points abaft the starboard beam; any vessel approaching from that area has right-of-way over the burdened vessel. Thus, for example, Tom passed across the "bows" of Teasel, while Dick would have stood on the "bow".
The bow, where you found it, refers to a physical location on the boat (wit hthe exception of "on the port bow", referring to a relative location almost dead ahead, but slightly to the left. Qualifiers may be "fine (or hard) on the port bow" or "broad on the port bow", reflecting almost dead ahead, or somewhat closer to abeam.
It is curious that with double-enders, we don't hear of "port or starboard sterns"; maybe that's because the norm is to have a blunt stern and pointed bow and common usage reflects this. By the same token, even on Dreadnought, with a square bow, one would refer to the "bows" when describing an external relative position.