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Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

oceanservice.noaa.gov

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Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#161

Post by InCityDreams »

rcthompson wrote: post #158
antognini wrote: post #89

It's interesting to compare how different professions handle the ambiguity in left/right. In the maritime world they went with an approach at one extreme, where they just use two completely separate words, "port" and "starboard." (Though that's far from the only case where there's a special word for something on a boat.) At the other extreme you have the medical profession where the first thing you learn in medical s…

The advantage of using separate words for the frame of reference of the boat is that you can still use left and right with their normal meanings as well.

"It'll be starboard side, hung up on the left."

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#162

Post by orbital-decay »

LeoPanthera wrote: post #25
java-man wrote: post #5

I wonder why more people are right-handed. What could be a biological basis for that?

"It's complicated." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handedness#Causes

AFAIK the left/right hemisphere division is extremely complicated and cannot be reduced to being responsible for different activities.

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#163

Post by yafbum »

antognini wrote: post #89

It's interesting to compare how different professions handle the ambiguity in left/right. In the maritime world they went with an approach at one extreme, where they just use two completely separate words, "port" and "starboard." (Though that's far from the only case where there's a special word for something on a boat.) At the other extreme you have the medical profession where the first thing you learn in medical s…

In medicine there is one obviously very important perspective, and in theatre two. But mariners still need words for relative left and right directions all around them, like "the preferred channel is to the left of the buoy" (the channel and the buoy don't have port or starboard sides, and it wouldn't be useful to communicate about their relative angle as seen by the boat's crew).

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#164

Post by yafbum »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #122
tzs wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's also the approach taken in some Australian native languages, e.g. [1], where they use absolute directions instead of relative directions, so they would call what we call the port side of a boat the north side if the boat was heading east, and call it the west side if the boat was heading north. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuuk_Thaayorre_language

Ask a farmer for directions. In my experience it's more likely they will tell you to turn north/south/east/west than left or right.

Maybe in the US and other places that have a grid system as their main road planning principle and route naming principle? In Europe, where roads tend to follow the terrain more, I've not really heard this.

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#165

Post by gav »

jdietrich wrote: post #130
abhibeckert wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> At the other extreme you have the medical profession where the first thing you learn in medical school is that left/right always refer to the patient's perspective In (musical) theatre we do it the other way around. The we call it "stage left" and "stage right" or "SL and SR" since we use abbreviations everywhere in our notes. It's always from the "stage manager's perspective" which is traditionally (but not always…

In the automotive trade, a vehicle has a "driver's side" and "passenger side". This only partly solves the ambiguity, because of course some countries drive on the left.

If you're giving directions to somebody driving, like when reversing into a tricky spot, you can tell them to "turn driver" or "turn passenger" so there's no ambiguity.

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#166

Post by beefield »

hanoz wrote: post #104
antognini wrote: post #89

It's interesting to compare how different professions handle the ambiguity in left/right. In the maritime world they went with an approach at one extreme, where they just use two completely separate words, "port" and "starboard." (Though that's far from the only case where there's a special word for something on a boat.) At the other extreme you have the medical profession where the first thing you learn in medical s…

> At the other extreme you have the medical profession where the first thing you learn in medical school is that left/right always refer to the patient's perspective. Didn't know that! So how pervasive is this principal? Would it apply to a descriptive reference to a diagram in a book for example?

I think the principle is pretty pervasive also outside medicals. I do not recall anyone ever refer to my left hand as right hand (other than maybe by mistake), regardless how they are oriented around me.

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#167

Post by hinkley »

cromulent wrote: post #147
hinkley wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With double ended ferries you're going to dock bow first because that's the direction all the cars pointed. If you got halfway through a crossing and they announced there's a problem at the destination (broken thruster, docks on fire, dragons, docks on fire because of dragons), you would have to turn the ship around 180º and go back to your origin with the same bow that you started the trip with so everyone could dis…

Cable/chain ferries would not be able to turn around of course, the drivers would have to deal with it.

Are there any cabled ferries that go beyond line of sight?

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#169

Post by wldcordeiro »

bckygldstn wrote: post #117
antognini wrote: post #89

It's interesting to compare how different professions handle the ambiguity in left/right. In the maritime world they went with an approach at one extreme, where they just use two completely separate words, "port" and "starboard." (Though that's far from the only case where there's a special word for something on a boat.) At the other extreme you have the medical profession where the first thing you learn in medical s…

> stage left / stage right Outdoor recreation often uses climbers left/right and skiers left/right (even when there's no rock or snow) to orient direction relative to slope, which is similarly descriptive and clear to those who haven't heard the terms before. Except for rivers, where True Left and True Right are commonly used in New Zealand for hiking and kayaking, and I can never remember which way round they go!

I hear skiers left/right or looker's left/right often. Usually looker's is said while on the lift or the base of the mountain.

Re: Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

#170

Post by mhandley »

yafbum wrote: post #163
antognini wrote: post #89

It's interesting to compare how different professions handle the ambiguity in left/right. In the maritime world they went with an approach at one extreme, where they just use two completely separate words, "port" and "starboard." (Though that's far from the only case where there's a special word for something on a boat.) At the other extreme you have the medical profession where the first thing you learn in medical s…

In medicine there is one obviously very important perspective, and in theatre two. But mariners still need words for relative left and right directions all around them, like "the preferred channel is to the left of the buoy" (the channel and the buoy don't have port or starboard sides, and it wouldn't be useful to communicate about their relative angle as seen by the boat's crew).

>like "the preferred channel is to the left of the buoy"

While this is true, we (at least in England) would normally say "leave the buoy to starboard" (though when racing we'd call it a 'mark' rather than a buoy). Perhaps it's habit, I'm not sure, but it's generally unambiguous.

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