Abstract
A variational principle is derived for two-dimensional incompressible rotational fluid flow with a free surface in a moving vessel when both the vessel and fluid motion are to be determined. The fluid is represented by a stream function and the vessel motion is represented by a path in the planar Euclidean group. Novelties in the formulation include how the pressure boundary condition is treated, the introduction of a stream function into the Euler- Poincaré variations, the derivation of free surface variations, and how the equations for the vessel path in the Euclidean group, coupled to the fluid motion, are generated automatically.