Useful French Vocabulary: Sailing and Boating
Essential Reading
Here is a list of some of the key words that you may come across during your boating holiday in France:
l’amarrage mooring
l’amarre mooring rope
amarrer to moor
en amont upstream
l’ancre the anchor
l’anneau ring (mooring ring)
l’arrière stern
en aval downstream
l’avant bow
le bâbord starboard side
la barre helm
le bolard bollard
le bief de partage summit of a canal
la cale hold
la cale-sèche dry-dock
le canal canal
les canaux canals
le capitaine captain
le chenal channel
le coque hull
la corde rope
le courante current
la crue highest level of a river
la dérive drift
la digue dyke, breakwater
l’eau water
l’eau douce freshwater
l’eau de mer sea water
l’écluse lock
l’éclusier lock keeper
l’estuaire estuary
la fleuve large river
le gouvernail rudder
l’hélice propellor
horsbord outboard motor
l’huile oil
le mal de mer sea sickness
la manivelle handle on locks to wind sluice gates
la marée the tide
marée bas low tide
marée haute high tide
le matelot deckhand
la mer the sea
le nœud knot, as in reef-knot, also used for the knot as in speed
la péniche barge
le plat-board gunwales
le pont the bridge, also used to describe the bridge on the boat
le pont supérieur upper deck
le poupe the poop
le poste de pilotage wheel house
la quille the keel
le remorqueur tug boat
la rivière small river
la salle de machine engine room
le timonerie wheel house
le timonier helmsman
le tribord port side
le voilier sailing yacht
la voilure sails
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Whether you’re a second-home owner or an expat living in France, learning French is an essential part of integrating into local life. FrenchEntrée is here to help with our handy verb and vocabulary lists, essential French phrases, and top tips and advice for learning French.
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