Rudy,
Neither the Associated Press Style Guide nor the Waterway Guide Style Sheet list the term, so there’s no official help from my standard references (I’ve been a boating journalist for 30+ years).
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It seems logical to me that “onboard” is a conventional adjective to use with a noun, such as: "We use onboard food supplies only when we are not in a marina” or, “We have extensive onboard electronics.”
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I think that “on board” refers to a state of being, such as: “We keep food on board” or, “We have electronics on board.”
I avoid the entire issue and use the salty-sounding “aboard” in the second case ;-)
But I’m completely open to other interpretations. Ain’t the English language fun?
— Tom Dove
Septuagrammarian
Rudy,
Neither the Associated Press Style Guide nor the Waterway Guide Style Sheet list the term, so there’s no official help from my standard references (I’ve been a boating journalist for 30+ years).
1. It seems logical to me that “onboard” is a conventional adjective to use with a noun, such as: "We use onboard food supplies only when we are not in a marina” or, “We have extensive onboard electronics.”
2. I think that “on board” refers to a state of being, such as: “We keep food on board” or, “We have electronics on board.”
I avoid the entire issue and use the salty-sounding “aboard” in the second case ;-)
But I’m completely open to other interpretations. Ain’t the English language fun?
— Tom Dove
Septuagrammarian
