Seat numbering and groupings

The image below gives an overview of the various terms used to refer to different parts of the boat. Note that strokeside has been coloured red and bowside red — this is because these are the colours often printed on the blades somewhere to easily identify which side a blade is for¹.

Table

The table below outlines the definitions in the image above in a tabular manner, which may or may not be easier for you to conceptualise.

Term	Stroke	7	6	5	4	3	2	Bow
Stern six	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Bow six			✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Stern four	✅	✅	✅	✅
Bow four					✅	✅	✅	✅
Middle/inside four			✅	✅	✅	✅
Outside four	✅	✅					✅	✅
Stern pair	✅	✅
Bow pair							✅	✅
Strokeside	✅		✅		✅		✅
Bowside		✅		✅		✅		✅

Note on bowrigging

If the boat is bowrigged, that is, the riggers are set up such that stroke’s blade is on their left, then bowside is formed of stroke, 6, 4, and 2, and strokeside 7, 5, 3, and bow. Bowside and strokeside do not change side if stroke’s blade is on their left.

A more proper definition is that strokeside have their blades to port, and bowside have their blades to starboard (indeed, these are the terms used in the US).

Footnotes

1. Readers with nautical experience will know that these colours come from the navigational lights used on water craft, with a red light being used on the port side and a green light on the starboard side. ↩