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Glossary


Bollards Most locks have wooden or metal bollards, which you can tie a restraining rope around to keep your boat secure.
Bow Otherwise known as the sharp end or the front of the boat.
The Cut The common name used to refer to the canal wherever you are.
Gas locker The locker where the gas bottles are stored.
Gunwhale A narrow walkway along the side of the boat.
Lock A man-made structure that allows a change of canal water level.
A lock uses gates at each end of a chamber that can be filled or emptied by opening of sluice gates.
Mooring The process of stopping the boat and "parking" it next to the canal bank and tying it securely so that it is in the same place the next morning!
Paddles To let water in and out of the lock through the Sluice gates you wind up paddles (which are like valves) some times they are attached to the date and sometimes they are free standing ground paddles.
Port The left side of the boat when looking forward.
Propeller The driving mechanism that moves the boat through the water.
Rudder The steering mechanism under the boat turned by the tiller.
Sluice gates There are gates at each at the top and bottom of each lock. Top gate(s) will only open when the lock is full, and the bottom gate(s) only when the lock is empty.
Starboard The right hand side of the boat looking forward.
Stern That's the back end of the boat.
Tiller The handle that you hold to steer the boat
Tillerman The Company that has provided you with your most memorable holiday.
Windlass The lock key which allows you to wind open the paddles on the lock structures, your canal boat comes with windlasses supplied.