BOAT SAFETYBecause the majority of Navy personnel are con-cerned with small boats only in the role of passengers,this section is written from the standpoint ofpassengers, rather than crew members. Every Sailorshould be familiar with the following boat safetyprecautions:Obey all orders from the coxswain and boatofficer.Embark in a quiet, orderly manner and move asfar forward as possible. Once embarked, stay inplace. Keep all parts of your body in the boat; donot perch on the gunwales.Don’t engage in horseplay.Never needlessly distract the attention of crewmembers from their duties.Don’t sit on life jackets—to do so mats the fillerand reduces buoyancy.When told to do so, don your life jacketimmediately.Don’t smoke in a boat.During heavy weather, boat loads must bereduced.If told not to embark or requested to disembark,do so without argumentIf a boat swamps or capsizes, don’t panic. Fear istransmitted easily from person to person, and aterrified individual drowns easily. Never strikeout alone.Never strike out alone. Stay with the boat orhuddle with other passengers because a largegroup can be found much more easily thanindividual swimmers.BOAT TERMS AND NOMENCLATUREBoat crew members often develop the habit ofcalling objects and the activities around them by theirproper names. In times of emergency, yourunderstanding and correct response to such terms couldsave valuable time.Abaft. Any part of the boat aft of amidships.After end (aft). The after end (aft) of a boat is the stern.Amidships. Amidships is a point about halfway betweenthe bow and stern and the sides of the boat.Athwartships. When something is said to beathwartships, it’s across the boat from side to side.Forward end (fore). The forward end (fore) of the boat isthe bow.Inboard. Inboard usually describes the area inside theboat or an object nearer the centerline of the boat.Outboard. Outboard describes the area furthermost fromthe boat’s centerline or beyond the side of a boat.Starboard. When facing forward of the boat, yourright-hand side is the starboard.Port. When you are facing forward of the boat, yourleft-hand side is the port.Figure 7-13 shows a 26-foot personnel boat withfeatures that are similar to most Navy boats.By studying the nomenclature shown infigure 7-13, you will become familiar with much of thedeck and hull equipment used on Navy boats. Theglossary in appendix I of this training material will helpyou identify some of the terms.7-7Student Notes:Figure 7-13.—Boat nomenclature.
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