Bearing

Bearing, of a ship at sea, is the direction in which she sails, in reference to the points of the compass. On shipboard, seamen often conveniently refer the bearing of another ship or of an object on shore, not to the points of the compass, but to the line followed at the moment by their own ship's keel. Thus the bearing of the distant object may be ahead, astern, on the starboard bow, on the port quarter, &c.