From
WA State DOT, page 2:
81.2 INTRODUCTION
This Section contains the Contractor Design and Provide general requirements for the Vessel’s steering gear and deck machinery.
For WSF Fleet-wide Standardization purposes, End No. 1 of the Vessel shall always be considered the bow, and this designation shall delineate port and starboard, fore and aft wherever they are addressed in the Technical Specification.
So that's how WA state does it. That's good enough for me! And I'm not asking how they decide which is End No. 1 and why there is not a more creative name for it. [/end quest]