Boating glossary in four languages
About 80 words you will hear on Ireland's waterways, with a short explanation and the German, French and Dutch equivalents.
Updated 23 Oct 2026
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Boating has its own vocabulary, and the hire-base briefing goes quickly. Here are the words you are most likely to meet, in English with German, French and Dutch equivalents, so the whole crew can follow. Irish usage comes first: a "lough" is a lake, a "jetty" is any landing stage, and on the canals a "lock key" is the handle that winds the sluices.
Good to know: The German, French and Dutch terms are our own choice of the usual boating words and have not yet been checked by native-speaking boaters. Tell us if a word sounds wrong.
English, German, French and Dutch side by side.
Mooring
20 words
| English | What it means | Deutsch | Français | Nederlands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| jetty | A landing stage where boats tie up | Steg, Anleger | ponton, appontement | steiger |
| floating jetty (pontoon) | A jetty that rises and falls with the water | Schwimmsteg, Ponton | ponton flottant | drijvende steiger |
| quay wall | A stone or concrete wall to moor against | Kaimauer | quai | kademuur |
| harbour | A sheltered basin with moorings | Hafen | port | haven |
| public mooring | A mooring open to everyone, within time limits | öffentlicher Liegeplatz | amarrage public | openbare aanlegplaats |
| marina | A harbour with berths, usually private and paid | Marina, Yachthafen | port de plaisance | jachthaven |
| visitor berth | A berth kept for visiting boats | Gastliegeplatz | place visiteurs | passantenplaats |
| berth | The space where one boat lies | Liegeplatz | place, anneau | ligplaats |
| to moor, to tie up | To make the boat fast to the shore | festmachen, anlegen | s'amarrer | aanmeren, afmeren |
| mooring line | A rope from the boat to the shore | Festmacherleine | amarre | meerlijn, landvast |
| bow line | The mooring line at the front | Vorleine | amarre avant | voorlijn |
| stern line | The mooring line at the back | Achterleine | amarre arrière | achterlijn |
| spring | A line that stops the boat moving forward or back | Spring, Springleine | garde | spring |
| bollard | A short post on the shore for lines | Poller | bollard, bitte | bolder |
| cleat | A metal fitting with two horns for lines | Klampe | taquet | kikker |
| fender | A cushion that protects the hull | Fender | pare-battage | stootwil |
| boat hook | A pole with a hook for lines and pushing off | Bootshaken | gaffe | pikhaak |
| rafting up | Mooring alongside another boat | im Päckchen liegen | s'amarrer à couple | langszij afmeren |
| anchor | Holds the boat on the bottom | Anker | ancre | anker |
| winter mooring | A booked berth for the winter months | Winterliegeplatz | hivernage à flot | winterligplaats |
Locks and bridges
12 words
| English | What it means | Deutsch | Français | Nederlands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| lock | A chamber that lifts or lowers boats between levels | Schleuse | écluse | sluis |
| lock chamber | The part of the lock the boat lies in | Schleusenkammer | sas | sluiskolk |
| lock gates | The gates at each end of the lock | Schleusentore | portes d'écluse | sluisdeuren |
| sluice (paddle) | The opening that lets water in or out | Schütz | vanne | schuif |
| lock-keeper | The person who runs a lock | Schleusenwärter | éclusier | sluiswachter |
| lock key | The crank handle for working canal locks | Schleusenkurbel | manivelle | sluissleutel |
| lead-in jetty | The jetty where you wait for a lock or bridge | Wartesteg | ponton d'attente | wachtsteiger |
| Smart Card | Prepaid card for locks and services (Shannon, Shannon–Erne) | Smart Card (Schleusenkarte) | Smart Card (carte prépayée) | Smart Card (sluiskaart) |
| swing bridge | A bridge that turns aside for boats | Drehbrücke | pont tournant | draaibrug |
| lifting bridge | A bridge that lifts for boats | Hubbrücke | pont levant | hefbrug |
| air draft | Height of the boat above the water; clearance under a bridge | Durchfahrtshöhe | tirant d'air | doorvaarthoogte, kruiphoogte |
| weir | A barrier across a river that holds the water level | Wehr | barrage, déversoir | stuw |
The boat
14 words
| English | What it means | Deutsch | Français | Nederlands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bow | The front of the boat | Bug | proue, avant | boeg |
| stern | The back of the boat | Heck | poupe, arrière | achtersteven |
| port | The left side, facing forward | Backbord | bâbord | bakboord |
| starboard | The right side, facing forward | Steuerbord | tribord | stuurboord |
| helm | The steering position or wheel | Steuer, Steuerstand | barre, poste de pilotage | roer, stuurstand |
| throttle | The lever for speed and forward or reverse | Fahrhebel, Gashebel | manette des gaz | gashendel |
| neutral | Engine running, propeller not turning | Leerlauf | point mort | neutraal |
| astern | Going backwards | rückwärts, achteraus | marche arrière | achteruit |
| draught | How deep the boat sits below the water | Tiefgang | tirant d'eau | diepgang |
| beam | The width of the boat | Breite | largeur | breedte |
| bilge | The lowest inside part of the hull | Bilge | cale, fonds | bilge, kim |
| holding tank | The tank that collects toilet waste | Fäkalientank | réservoir à eaux noires | vuilwatertank |
| fresh-water tank | The boat's tank for tap water | Frischwassertank | réservoir d'eau douce | drinkwatertank |
| dinghy | A small boat towed or carried by a cruiser | Beiboot | annexe | bijboot |
Navigation
12 words
| English | What it means | Deutsch | Français | Nederlands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| channel | The marked route of deep water | Fahrrinne, Fahrwasser | chenal | vaargeul |
| navigation mark | A post, pole or buoy that marks the channel | Seezeichen, Fahrwasserzeichen | balise | vaarwegmarkering, baken |
| buoy | A floating mark | Tonne, Boje | bouée | boei, ton |
| lateral mark | Red or green mark for one side of the channel | Lateralzeichen | marque latérale | laterale markering |
| upstream | Against the current, towards the source | stromaufwärts | en amont | stroomopwaarts |
| downstream | With the current | stromabwärts | en aval | stroomafwaarts |
| current | The flow of the river | Strömung | courant | stroming |
| shallows | Water too shallow to cruise | Untiefe | haut-fond | ondiepte |
| wash | The waves a moving boat makes | Wellenschlag, Heckwelle | batillage, sillage | golfslag, hekgolf |
| knot | Speed of one nautical mile (1.85 km) per hour | Knoten | nœud | knoop |
| lough | Irish word for a lake | Lough (See) | lough (lac) | lough (meer) |
| callows | Riverside meadows that flood in winter | Callows (Überschwemmungswiesen) | callows (prairies inondables) | callows (uiterwaarden) |
Services ashore
9 words
| English | What it means | Deutsch | Français | Nederlands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pump-out | Station that empties the holding tank | Fäkalienabsaugung, Absaugstation | station de pompage | vuilwaterpomp (pump-out) |
| water point | A tap to fill the fresh-water tank | Wasserzapfstelle | point d'eau | waterpunt |
| shore power | Electricity from a pillar on the jetty | Landstrom | électricité à quai | walstroom |
| service block | Building with toilets, showers and laundry | Sanitärgebäude | bloc sanitaire | sanitairgebouw |
| slipway | A ramp for launching boats from trailers | Slipanlage | cale de mise à l'eau | trailerhelling |
| diesel | The fuel most cruisers run on | Diesel | gazole | diesel |
| hire base | Where you collect and return a hire boat | Charterbasis, Vermietstation | base de location | verhuurbasis |
| handover | The briefing and trial run before you leave | Übergabe, Einweisung | prise en main | instructie, overdracht |
| towpath | The path along a canal or river bank | Treidelpfad | chemin de halage | jaagpad |
Safety, weather and rules
13 words
| English | What it means | Deutsch | Français | Nederlands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| lifejacket | Buoyancy jacket that keeps your head up | Rettungsweste | gilet de sauvetage | reddingsvest |
| lifebuoy | Ring to throw to a person in the water | Rettungsring | bouée de sauvetage | reddingsboei |
| man overboard | Someone has fallen into the water | Mensch über Bord | homme à la mer | man over boord |
| Coast Guard | Rescue service: call 112 or 999 | Küstenwache | garde-côtes | kustwacht |
| VHF radio | Marine radio; channel 16 for emergencies | UKW-Seefunk | radio VHF | marifoon |
| wind force | Wind strength on the Beaufort scale | Windstärke | force du vent | windkracht |
| gust | A short burst of stronger wind | Böe | rafale | windvlaag |
| sheltered (lee) side | The side away from the wind | Lee | côté abrité, sous le vent | lijzijde |
| marine notice | Official notice of closures and hazards | Bekanntmachung für die Schifffahrt | avis à la batellerie | bericht aan de scheepvaart |
| bye-laws | The official rules of a navigation | Schifffahrtsordnung | règlement de navigation | vaarreglement |
| canal permit | Permit needed for boats on the Grand, Royal and Barrow | Kanalgenehmigung | permis de canal | vaarvergunning |
| skipper | The person in charge of the boat | Skipper, Schiffsführer | chef de bord | schipper |
| crew | Everyone helping on board | Crew, Besatzung | équipage | bemanning |
No word matches. Try fewer letters, or the word in another language.
More words and how they are used: see Locks, Mooring and Navigation marks.
In an emergency
Call 112 or 999 and ask for the Coast Guard. Both numbers work in Ireland and in Northern Ireland.
Safety on the waterIn an emergency
Call 112 or 999 and ask for the Coast Guard. Both numbers work in Ireland and in Northern Ireland.
Safety on the water
