Bow (position)

In this picture of a coxless pair, the rower on the left of the photo and closest to the bow of the boat is the "bow" rower and is rowing "bowside" or "starboard"

In rowing, the bow (or bow woman or bowman or bowperson) is the rower seated closest to the bow of the boat, which is the forward part of the boat. The other end of the boat is called the stern, and the rower seated there is called the stroke. In a bow-coxed boat, the coxswain is closest to the boat's bow, but the rower closest to the bow is still considered the "bow."