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

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

#201

Post by kaapipo »

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 theatrical context, they also use "house left" and "house right" for similar effect but with a different perspective

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

#202

Post by geocrasher »

Fun and easy mnemonic:

  Port = LEFT (4 letters in each word, same vowel/consonant placement)

  Port = Red as in Port Wine 

  Therefore, navigation lights: Red = Port = Left
If you remember that, then starboard is just "not port"

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

#203

Post by riffraff »

bluefirebrand wrote: post #200
fargle wrote: post #135

When I was a kid in Minnesota we needed to learn port/starboard and the colors red/green. A trick that helped me remember is that "LEFT", "PORT", and "RED" are all the shorter words and "RIGHT", "STARBOARD", and "GREEN" are the longer words in the respective pairs. FWIW.

This would probably throw my girlfriend off. She has some kind of right/left dyslexia. When she's driving and I'm giving directions I have to tell her "short turn" or "long turn". Long turn being left, longer because it's across a lane, right turns are shorter. But if someone told her that left is shorter than right for remembering purposes, it would probably mess her up more when following driving directions.

Holy crap my wife is the same, I have to tell her "turn my way" or "turn your way".

It drives me insane as I always subconsciously interpret it as a form of lazyness, your framing of it as a form od dyslexia may finally allow me to be less bothered by it!

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

#204

Post by petersellers »

jjav wrote: post #191
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…

> Though that's far from the only case where there's a special word for something on a boat. Understatement of the week... pretty much everything on a boat has a different word for it. Often for practical reasons, sometimes purely traditional reasons. It is nice because it binds one to nautical tradition leading back centuries/millenia.

It's also pretty cool that a ton of sailing vocabulary has made its way into common English vernacular. I guess with the UK being the most powerful country in the world at one time (and projecting their power via their Navy) it's not too surprising.

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

#205

Post by perydell »

bluefirebrand wrote: post #200
fargle wrote: post #135

When I was a kid in Minnesota we needed to learn port/starboard and the colors red/green. A trick that helped me remember is that "LEFT", "PORT", and "RED" are all the shorter words and "RIGHT", "STARBOARD", and "GREEN" are the longer words in the respective pairs. FWIW.

This would probably throw my girlfriend off. She has some kind of right/left dyslexia. When she's driving and I'm giving directions I have to tell her "short turn" or "long turn". Long turn being left, longer because it's across a lane, right turns are shorter. But if someone told her that left is shorter than right for remembering purposes, it would probably mess her up more when following driving directions.

My wife has the same issue. I say turn "your side" or turn "my side."

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

#206

Post by swader999 »

kaapipo wrote: post #201
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 theatrical context, they also use "house left" and "house right" for similar effect but with a different perspective

At a ski hill, it's skiers left/right so you know it's from the reference of someone going down the hill. Drivers side, passenger side...

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

#207

Post by walthamstow »

petersellers wrote: post #204
jjav wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Though that's far from the only case where there's a special word for something on a boat. Understatement of the week... pretty much everything on a boat has a different word for it. Often for practical reasons, sometimes purely traditional reasons. It is nice because it binds one to nautical tradition leading back centuries/millenia.

It's also pretty cool that a ton of sailing vocabulary has made its way into common English vernacular. I guess with the UK being the most powerful country in the world at one time (and projecting their power via their Navy) it's not too surprising.

What are some examples? I am English but I know nothing about the maritime world, so I likely know the words as slang/vernacular terms but not what they mean on a ship.

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

#208

Post by swiftcoder »

walthamstow wrote: post #207
petersellers wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also pretty cool that a ton of sailing vocabulary has made its way into common English vernacular. I guess with the UK being the most powerful country in the world at one time (and projecting their power via their Navy) it's not too surprising.

What are some examples? I am English but I know nothing about the maritime world, so I likely know the words as slang/vernacular terms but not what they mean on a ship.

https://www.boatsafe.com/easy-guide-talking-salty/

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

#209

Post by dmckeon »

lamontcg wrote: post #124
cyberax wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My shortcut: "port" and "left" have the same number of letters.

the shorter word: port left red the longer word; starboard right green

But if you are working with horses or other draft animals, you work them from the "near" (left) side, and not the "off" (right) side. Next up in directions trivia: shotgun, deasil, and widdershins.

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

#210

Post by Svip »

usr1106 wrote: post #197
gkoberger wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course, but this article explains what each word means. Starboard => Means "steering side of the boat" (b/c the oar was on the right side due to sailors mostly being right handed) Port => The side that faces the port when docked

Port makes sense, never thought about it. Ships I see rarely, so I couldn't tell which side they use (or even both depending on the harbor) But for passenger planes it's definitely left. In German starboard is steuerbord, steuern = to steer. No shifting over the centuries. However, port is still backbord. I am not familiar with Northern dialects (where they have a coast), back does not tell me anything. Maybe packen…

Similarly, the Danish terms are »styrbord« and »bagbord«, respectively. »Bagbord« comes from »bag« (back) meaning the backside of the sailor steering the boat, because they would be facing the steering side (»styrbord«; »styr« still means to steer today).
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