Setting Sail
When you head out onto the open water for leisure, you might find yourself on a luxury vessel like a yacht (iahtul). To catch the wind, a sailing ship relies on its tall mast (catargul) to properly support the sail (vela).
| The most expensive yacht arrived in the port. | Cel mai scump iaht a ajuns în port. |
| Our yacht has a very tall mast. | Iahtul nostru are un catarg foarte înalt. |
| The captain climbed the mast to raise the sail. | Căpitanul a urcat pe catarg ca să ridice vela. |
Steering and Floating
To control the direction of the boat, the person navigating must stand at the helm (cârma). If you let go of the controls or lose power, the boat will simply float (a pluti) adrift on the surface of the water.
| The woman stood at the helm the whole time. | Femeia a stat la cârmă tot timpul. |
| He left the helm and the boat continued to float. | El a lăsat cârma și barca a continuat să plutească. |
Bow to Stern and Docking
Nautical terminology gives specific names to the ends of a ship. The front of the vessel is called the bow (prova), and the back is the stern (pupa). When the journey ends, you will need to safely dock (a acosta) the boat alongside the pier (cheiul).
| The wave hit the bow first, then the stern. | Valul a lovit mai întâi prova, apoi pupa. |
| We tied the stern to the pier in the port. | Noi am legat pupa de cheiul din port. |
| At one point, they docked near the old pier. | La un moment dat, ei au acostat lângă cheiul vechi. |
Rowing Manually
Not all boats rely on the wind or an engine. For smaller vessels or dinghies, you will need an oar (vâsla) to manually propel yourself forward.
| If you lose the oar, you just float on the sea. | Dacă pierzi vâsla, doar plutești pe mare. |
| The boy pulls the oar much better now. | Băiatul trage de vâslă cu mult mai bine acum. |
