Cruising

The cruise is underway! Here is the view we had when we left Manila:


In order to leave Manila Bay, we needed a pilot to guide us out. Normally the word “pilot” refers to the person flying an airplane, but it’s sometimes used for boats, too. Because Manila Bay is such a busy place, the government requires pilots who know the bay very well to help the captains steer the ships. Here is the pilot boat on our starboard side:


Our what? At sea, you don’t use right and left to describe locations within the ship. It would be too easy to get confused – if you’re facing the back of the ship, then left becomes right! So we have four directions: forward, aft, starboard, and port. If you’re facing forward (the front of the ship), port is on your left, starboard in on your right, and aft (or after) is behind you. The front of the ship is called the bow, and the back is called the stern:


If your classroom were a ship, where would the bow be? The stern? What direction (forward, aft, port, or starboard) would you have to go to reach the door?