What Does Abeam Mean In Sailing?

Abeam is a term used to describe the position of an object, craft, or island on a boat, often at right angles to its centerline. It is often used to describe the location of an object or another vessel relative to the navigating bridge of a ship. A beam is a relative bearing at right angles to the centerline of the ship’s keel.

Aboard refers to being on or in a vessel, while close aboard means near a ship. Abeam can also be used to lashing the helm to the leeward side to ride out bad weather without the sails set.

The center of a sail is the point of sail, which is a sailing craft’s direction of travel under sail in relation to the true wind direction over the surface. The principal points of sail roughly correspond to 45° segments of a circle, starting with 0°.

In nautical and aerospace, abeam refers to a direction or position that is at right angles or directly to the side of a vessel, aircraft, or object. In aviation, abeam describes a general position of an aircraft instead of a precise location and means alongside or abreast. An aircraft is considered abeam a fix.

In summary, abeam is a term used to describe the position of an object, craft, or island on a boat, often at right angles to its centerline.

What does Abeam mean?

At right angles to a abeam. adverb or adjective. ə-ˈbēm. : at right angles to a ship or plane’s length.

: off to the side of a ship or plane especially at a right angle to the middle of the ship or plane’s length.

“Abeam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abeam. Accessed 31 Jul. 2024.

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What is the meaning of abeam in aviation?

ABEAM- An aircraft is “abeam” a fix, point, or object when that fix, point, or object is approximately 90 degrees to the right or left of the aircraft track. Abeam indicates a general position rather than a precise point.

What is the difference between beam and abeam?

• Beam – a timber similar in use to a floor joist, which runs horizontally from one side of the hull to the other athwartships.
• Carlin – similar to a beam, except running in a fore and aft direction.
• Beam – the direction across the vessel, perpendicular to fore-and-aft
• something lying in that direction is said to be abeam.

• ^ “ISO 8666:2016”. International Organization for Standardization. July 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
• ^ “Definition of BEAM-ENDS”. merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
• ^ “Science News Online: Ivars Peterson’s MathTrek (7/17/99): Row Your Boat”. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2006-10-18.

• Hayler, William B.
• Keever, John M.. American Merchant Seaman’s Manual. Cornell Maritime Pr. ISBN0-87033-549-9.
• Turpin, Edward A.
• McEwen, William A.. Merchant Marine Officers’ Handbook (4thed.). Centreville, MD: Cornell Maritime Press. ISBN0-87033-056-X.

What is the difference between abeam and astern?

You have learned that the front of the boat is the bow, and the back of the boat is the stern. The direction toward the bow is forward. Beyond the bow, you would see something ahead. Toward the stern is aft. Beyond the stern is astern.

The area about halfway between the bow and stern is the midships. Halfway between the sides of the boat anywhere from bow to stern is on the centerline. Something that is beyond either side of the boat at right angles (90°) to the centerline is considered abeam.

Knowing where the wind is coming from relative to the boat is always essential. Windward is the side from which the wind blows. The opposite side is leeward (pronounced “lou-ward”). The wind direction is referred to geographically as well. For example, a north wind blows from the north and a southwest wind from the southwest.

When the wind is coming from the port side (with the sails to starboard), a sailboat is said to be on port tack. When the wind is coming from the starboard side (with the sails to port), a sailboat is said to be on starboard tack. (click image to view full-size)

What is an example of abeam?

They had the wind almost abeam from the westward, and went along at a good clip in a smooth sea.

In a short time we also kept away with the wind almost abeam, a point on which the Foam sailed her best.

Ahead, abeam, on our quarter we looked, but nowhere could we discern the faintest trace of her.

There was half a gale blowing on the 4th and though the wind was abeam, the sail was reefed and we moved quickly.

What does abeam on a ship mean?

ə-ˈbēm. : off to the side of a ship or plane especially at a right angle to the middle of the ship or plane’s length.

: off to the side of a ship or plane especially at a right angle to the middle of the ship or plane’s length.

“Abeam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abeam. Accessed 31 Jul. 2024.

Subscribe to America’s largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

What is the difference between Abeam and astern?

You have learned that the front of the boat is the bow, and the back of the boat is the stern. The direction toward the bow is forward. Beyond the bow, you would see something ahead. Toward the stern is aft. Beyond the stern is astern.

The area about halfway between the bow and stern is the midships. Halfway between the sides of the boat anywhere from bow to stern is on the centerline. Something that is beyond either side of the boat at right angles (90°) to the centerline is considered abeam.

Knowing where the wind is coming from relative to the boat is always essential. Windward is the side from which the wind blows. The opposite side is leeward (pronounced “lou-ward”). The wind direction is referred to geographically as well. For example, a north wind blows from the north and a southwest wind from the southwest.

When the wind is coming from the port side (with the sails to starboard), a sailboat is said to be on port tack. When the wind is coming from the starboard side (with the sails to port), a sailboat is said to be on starboard tack. (click image to view full-size)

What is the etymology of abeam?

Abeam (adv.) “at right angles to the keel” of a ship, hence in line with its beam, 1826, nautical, literally “on beam;” see a- + beam (n.) in the nautical sense.

Prefix or inseparable particle, a conglomerate of various Germanic and Latin elements.

In words derived from Old English, it commonly represents Old English an “on, in, into” (see on (prep.)), as in alive, above, asleep, aback, abroad, afoot, ashore, ahead, abed, aside, obsolete arank “in rank and file,” athree (adv.) “into three parts,” etc. In this use it forms adjectives and adverbs from nouns, with the notion “in, at; engaged in,” and is identical to a.

It also can represent Middle English of (prep.) “off, from,” as in anew, afresh, akin, abreast. Or it can be a reduced form of the Old English past participle prefix ge-, as in aware.

What is the difference between beam and Abeam?

• Beam – a timber similar in use to a floor joist, which runs horizontally from one side of the hull to the other athwartships.
• Carlin – similar to a beam, except running in a fore and aft direction.
• Beam – the direction across the vessel, perpendicular to fore-and-aft
• something lying in that direction is said to be abeam.

• ^ “ISO 8666:2016”. International Organization for Standardization. July 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
• ^ “Definition of BEAM-ENDS”. merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
• ^ “Science News Online: Ivars Peterson’s MathTrek (7/17/99): Row Your Boat”. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2006-10-18.

• Hayler, William B.
• Keever, John M.. American Merchant Seaman’s Manual. Cornell Maritime Pr. ISBN0-87033-549-9.
• Turpin, Edward A.
• McEwen, William A.. Merchant Marine Officers’ Handbook (4thed.). Centreville, MD: Cornell Maritime Press. ISBN0-87033-056-X.

What does Abeam on a ship mean?

ə-ˈbēm. : off to the side of a ship or plane especially at a right angle to the middle of the ship or plane’s length.

: off to the side of a ship or plane especially at a right angle to the middle of the ship or plane’s length.

“Abeam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abeam. Accessed 31 Jul. 2024.

Subscribe to America’s largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

What is the simple definition of abeam?

ə-ˈbēm. : off to the side of a ship or plane especially at a right angle to the middle of the ship or plane’s length.

: off to the side of a ship or plane especially at a right angle to the middle of the ship or plane’s length.

“Abeam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abeam. Accessed 31 Jul. 2024.

Subscribe to America’s largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

What is abeam on a sailboat?

Abeam – At right angles to the centerline of the boat but not on board the boat. Abeam means a perpendicular direction that is straight out from the middle of the vessel on either side. For example, a direction straight out from the left-hand side at the middle of a vessel is referred to as “on the port beam”.

Abeam to port – When one says that an object in the water is abeam to port, one means that the object is straight out from the port beam.

Abeam to starboard – When one says that an object in the water is abeam to starboard, one means that the object is straight out from the starboard beam.