Abaft

Abaft means toward the stern, expressed as a relative position behind a named reference point on the same vessel. “Abaft the beam” puts an object in the after half of the ship, between the beam (90 degrees) and dead astern (180 degrees); “abaft the funnel” means aft of the funnel. It differs from aft, which is the general direction toward the stern: abaft always takes a reference (“abaft the mast”), giving a relative bearing rather than a fixed area. The opposite is before or forward of.