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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?”

#251

Post by alexchamberlain »

azepoi wrote: post #142
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 french theatre has specific words for left and right. Côté cour et Côté jardin. Courtside and garden side. In geography left and right banks of a river are always in the direction of the flow

When kayaking, I'd have referred to the banks as "river left" and "river right" to mean the same thing.

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

#252

Post by manarth »

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).

> the channel and the buoy don't have port or starboard sides

In the context of a channel, the buoys (marks) are coded port and starboard, coloured red and green, and shaped like a can or a cone respectively.

When navigating a channel into harbour, the port marks are left to the port of the ship, and the starboard marks to starboard.

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

#253

Post by jrockway »

endtime wrote: post #232
tudorw wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

bow, boom, tack, hitch, tiller, helm, etc :)

How many of these have common non-nautical uses? I don't think I ever use any of these terms, or hear anyone else use them, in common speech.

"at the helm" seems like common usage to me. Maybe not in the top 100 idioms, but everyone knows what you mean.

"tiller" is just the thing that controls the position of the rudder, which I think most people know about. (That said, nobody in aviation calls their rudder pedals the "tiller", so it might be a strictly nautical term.)

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

#254

Post by HPsquared »

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…

If you're inside a ship, it's often hard to say what way around you are: "left" and "right" have utility for the perspective of a person onboard. Port and starboard are the onboard equivalent of North/South/East/West when walking on land, especially if you're inside a building with no windows for external reference.

This is unlike for a doctor, where it's obvious which side is which: you can see the patient.

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

#255

Post by KineticLensman »

stonemetal12 wrote: post #74
Xylakant wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m fairly confident that the “bow” in that case is always the direction of travel in this case and that starboard/port side change. The lighting scheme on ships indicates the starboard side with a green light and the port side with a red light. This allows ships to figure out which way another ship is heading - especially at night. If you can see the red light on the left and green on the right while facing the othe…

Pretty much every boat with onboard motors are capable of reversing thrust. Do they all switch like that when traveling in reverse? (Serious question, not a boat person, never been on a boat that wasn't a ferry )

Steering can be much harder in reverse because the rudder is now at the wrong end.

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

#256

Post by nostromo »

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.

A toilet on a boat is called a head because it was historically placed at the front of the boat.

You’ll still hear folks say “hit the head” referring to using the restroom.

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

#257

Post by lostlogin »

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.

I was recently involved in a case where a patient decided that their left should be called the right side during a phone consultation as that would help their doctor.

Good times.

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

#258

Post by lostlogin »

HPsquared wrote: post #254
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…

If you're inside a ship, it's often hard to say what way around you are: "left" and "right" have utility for the perspective of a person onboard. Port and starboard are the onboard equivalent of North/South/East/West when walking on land, especially if you're inside a building with no windows for external reference. This is unlike for a doctor, where it's obvious which side is which: you can see the patient.

> This is unlike for a doctor, where it's obvious which side is which: you can see the patient.

This isn’t always true and it’s not always obvious.

For example with imaging - axial slices of the patient through symmetrical structures. The brain, lower abdo, a single leg or arm etc, etc. There are conventions in image display for a reason - it is not obvious.

For axial slices, as an observer, you are positioned as though at the foot of the patient’s bed. Your right is the patients left.

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

#259

Post by Steve44 »

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.

You could start by learning the ropes.

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

#260

Post by lostlogin »

rcme wrote: post #157
noduerme wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought it would be difficult when I bought a car in Australia to manage shifting with my left hand, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy. I had been under the impression for some reason that the clutch would be controlled with the right foot. Thank God the pedals are in the same places.

Is 1st gear still in the top left position?

Far too new for an Australian purist. It’s three on the tree thank you.
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