View source for Engineering:Cockpit (sailing)

[[Image:Cockpit.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|Cockpit of a small sailing boat]]
A '''cockpit''' is a name for the location of controls of a vessel. While traditionally an open well in the deck of a boat outside any deckhouse or cabin,<ref>{{cite book|title=Chapman Piloting & Seamanship|first=Charles|last=Husick|publisher=Hearst Books|edition=66th|page=25}}</ref> in modern boats it may refer to an enclosed area.<ref name="nicholas">{{cite book | title=The Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat: The Definitive Guide for Liveaboards | publisher=Paradise Cay Publications | author=Nicholas, Mark | year=2005 | isbn=9780939837663}}</ref> Smaller boats typically have an "aft cockpit", towards the stern of the boat, whereas larger vessels may have a "center cockpit" with greater protection from weather.<ref name="nicholas"/> On a recreational sailboat, the cockpit is considered the safest external location for crew.<ref>{{cite book | title=Sailing Fundamentals | publisher=Simon & Schuster | author=Jobson, Gary | year=1998 | isbn=0684849941 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780743273084 }}</ref>

{{anchor|bridge_deck}} A '''bridge deck''' is a raised separation between an external cockpit and cabin or saloon, used to keep water from astern from entering from the cockpit, especially in following seas.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cruisingworld.com/sailboats/companionway-design-down-main-hatch | title=Companionway Design: Down The (Main) Hatch | work=Cruising World | date=11 March 2014 | accessdate=27 March 2016 | author=Simon, Alvah}}</ref>

==History==
In the Royal Navy, the term "cockpit" originally referred to the area where the coxswain was stationed. This led to the word being used to refer to the area towards the stern of a small decked vessel that houses the rudder controls. The midshipmen and master's mates were later [[Engineering:Berth (sleeping)|berthed]] in the cockpit, and it served as the action station for the ship's surgeon and his mates during battle.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title= Cockpit |encyclopedia= Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea |year= 1976 |publisher= Oxford University Press |location= Oxford }}
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==References==
{{Reflist}}


{{Sailing ship elements}}

[[Category:Sailboat components]]

{{Sourceattribution|Cockpit (sailing)}}