BEARING is also the situation of any distant object, estimated from some part of the ship according to her position. In this sense, an object so discovered must be either ahead, astern, abreast on the bow, or on the quarter. These bearings, therefore, which may be called mechanical, are on the beam, before the beam, abaft the beam, on the bow, on the quarter, ahead, or astern. If the ship sails with a side-wind, it alters the names of such bearings in some measure, since a distant object on the beam is then said to be to leeward or to windward; on the lee-quarter or bow, and on the weather-quarter or bow.