I always remember that port and left both are the shorter word, and have the same number of letters.
Do we have any red port wine left?
There’s only a right way to find out
Honestly, yeah. That’s what I relied on as well and what was taught to me. Also what I then taught to the people under me. I have no other real way of understanding it. I know why we use port/starboard but I’ve never looked into why port/starboard are the words we’ve stuck with.
That’s easy. We use ‘port’ because that’s the left side, and ‘starboard’ because that’s the other side of the boat.
No, no. No need to thank me. I’m just one humble man trading information gleaned from a long life of learning.
IIRC, it was because the tiller for the rudder (with which you steer) was on the right side. (Styrbord in Swedish = steer board) As to why you have port in English, I have no idea. It’s babord in Swedish, from bakbord (back board) as when steering, the left side was behind you.
Edit: Apparently it’s port because you’d dock with the left side to the port as otherwise you’d crush the rudder, which again was on the right.
My grandfather was a bomber pilot and he always remembered it by picturing himself flying north along the east coast, where all the ports would be on the left.
Did he never have to fly back?
In his mind’s eye he could fly north forever.
That’s essentially how I always remember it. Port and left both have 4 letters.
How do you explain red?
I dunno if the color has anything to do with it necessary. Maybe it does but I’m no seamen.
Lights on large vehicles (both sea and sky) always have red on the left and green on the right so that people can tell which direction you’re facing even if it’s too dark to see the vehicle itself
The more you know! I guess I have seen it. I just never really connected the dots there
The H is both silent and invisible
By not boating at night
I just think of “PS” like in a letter.
Just like fork, so the fork goes on the left!
I learned that from Roseanne.
Additionally, “starboard” has 'r’s (for “right”).
… so does “port”
yes for “right, then (slaps knees), let’s turn left”
Ope think you left a little on you there, lemme just get that fer ya
But starboard has 2
And two times right is right; less times right is left
Also, the old name for “port” is “larboard”, which starts with an L for left.
Port is short. My BIL taught me that this summer!
and even, as in even numbers.
Port, left, even…all words an even number of letters Starboard, right, odd…all words are an odd number of letters.
Starbucks is always on the right side of the road!
I always picture a drunken sailor asking how much port is left. It works for me.
Okay that’s infuriatingly clever… I’m going to have to use that.
And port is red. Green means you’re on Starboard and GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!!
That’s better than mine
**red port
Is there a reason they don’t just say left and right?
Left and Right rely on the orientation of the person. So if I’m looking ahead at you, and you’re looking at me, my left is different than yours. However, port and starboard don’t change based on position of the viewer but the position of the vessel. Cuts out any ambiguity.
Like driver’s side and passenger side on a car. It doesn’t even matter where it was made and it will work out as long as they look for the steering wheel.
*Except the McLaren F1 and probably a few others.
Still doesn’t seem necessary. Your orientation doesn’t matter if you always take the direction as if you were in the drivers seat (captains chair). It’s the same with cars, left side is drivers side, right side is passenger (unless you’re in one of those backwards countries, then left would be passenger, right would be driver, but it’s still the same side of the vehicle).
Your orientation doesn’t matter if you always take the direction as if you were in the drivers seat
Correct. And you would refer to that as something specific because if you just said left people might think that you are talking about your personal left. So you come up with short hand to mean the left when facing the front of the ship, and right when facing the front of the ship. The words that were agreed upon for this purpose? Port and starboard.
On a ship people will not be facing the same direction at all times. This is why the shorthand was invented. As someone who actually spent time on boats and where this was important, trust me. It’s necessary.
It’s the ship version of stage left and stage right for theatre. Or drivers side and passenger side for cars.
We use these types of phrases all the time to avoid any ambiguity.
you can spice it up in a theatre with “prompt side” and “bastard prompt”
Left is left, right is right. If you’re basing it off how you or others are facing, you’re a moron. The orientation is based off where it would be if you were in the drivers seat. It’s really not hard.
You’re just demonstrating why using left/right is just confusing and why separate terms were invented to remove the ambiguity
Morons exist, you may not have time to clarify my right or your right. When relying on critical timing, you want to cut that out. If you have ever heard someone say “my right or your right” when you’ve said right, concede the argument. There is a reason and if there was not they wouldn’t have been created.
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Left and right are referenced to yourself, or relative. Port and starboard are referenced to the ship, or absolute.
It’s the same reason people who work in theater say “stage right” and “stage left” instead of just “right” and “left.”
Imagine being on a boat for weeks, in the middle of the ocean, with no land in sight; it makes a lot of sense that you would think of locations in terms of the ship, as that is your only reference point.Nice added touch about the stage directions!
Historically, boats had rudders (or “steer boards”) along the side of the ship instead of in the middle like we’d see them today. It was always on the right side of the boat, so to avoid smashing your rudder into the dock, you’d dock your ship on the other side. That means it was always the left side that literally faced the port, while starboard faced out into open water to protect that side from damage.
TIL about steer boards, thanks!
Same!
rudders (or “steer boards”)
The “board” part comes from “side of a ship”, as in “the board where the steer is attached”.
Same meaning as in “going over-board”.
Steer board => star board?
Correct. Sailors aren’t known for their diction lol
Maybe. Others have said that when in port the starboard side of the ship is where you would see start out at sea - the port side facing the bright city.
A lot of this is partially lost to history and a guess. I am not enough of a historian to know what the truth is.
“From Middle English sterbord, stere-bourd, stere-burd, from Old English stēorbord, from Proto-West Germanic *steurubord, equivalent to steer + board (“side (of a ship)”), referring to ancient ships with the steering oar set to the right (to accommodate right-handed crew)”
Port used to be larboard. I’m sure that wasn’t at all confusing.
whaat.
This makes so much sense.
Then you have to say something like “your left or mine?” This removes any ambiguity, and that might matter when one is at sea.
Your port or mine?
OUR port
Also, port is red and Starboard is green. Usually boats will colour the sheets to match. It helps to identify the lines when someone tells you to ease the port sheet.
Also for beacon lights so others can tell if you are coming towards them or going away.
I remember being young taking my boaters safety course and having to take this section over three times. Why does left and right stop existing once you are on a floating pos?
Because left and right can be interpreted as direction from your point of view. Port and starboard are always understood as left and right of the vessel you are currently in.
In performance arts, stage left and stage right perform the same function as well. “Stage” directions are always from the perspective of a performer, so that referring to right/left is absolute.
Is the joke here that it would be embarrassing for the captain to forget this?
Yes.
I need something like this to remember left and right correctly.
Port and left have four letters.
Mars also has 4 letters, which is useful when you’re trying to remember which portal to travel through at the end of the Vault of Glass raid.
And when you are out at sea, you have left port.
Great, you made me ruin the rotation, I was supposed to go to Venus.
Fuck it, wipe.
Your pointer finger and thumb make an L on your left hand.
You grew up on a boat?
Nah, but we did live on an island where sailing and fishing is very important. Our boat was trash but we did have a boat.
“Red right returning”. You must be leaving port.
But the red on your boat is always port.
Maybe this one’s at the stern?
The white light goes on the stern.
I kinda want this in my bathroom. On the toilet.
Ah, so you want it in the ol’ poop deck.
No, I want it on the poop deck! Put it on the poop deck!
… that doesn’t sound any better…
Newly added meaning to ‘thar she blows’.
