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How do I remember port and starboard?

When standing on the deck of a yacht, facing the bow as we mentioned before, the port side will be to your left and the starboard side will be to your right. If you turn around to face the stern of the boat, or the back, now the starboard side will be on your left, and the port side will be on your right.

jimmygreen.com - How to remember Port and Starboard - Jimmy Green Marine

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Things happen quickly out on the water, making it important to be able to understand every instruction, and exactly what's going on. Of all the nautical terms to master, port and starboard are perhaps the most vital of all. But where did this obscure term come from, and all importantly, how can we remember which one is which?

You may be wondering why boaters don't simply use “left” and “right”, which most (not all, but most!) of us have a handle on. However, there is a good reason to switch to seafarer's lingo when taking to the waves.

Why do we use the terms Port and Starboard?

If you imagine standing on the bow, or the front of a boat, facing forwards, it might seem simple to use “left” and “right” to signal direction. However, when different members of a boat's crew are positioned around the craft and facing different ways, things can get in a muddle very quickly. We instinctively think of our own left or our own right. In contrast, the terms “port” and “starboard” are always in reference to the vessel. So, whichever way you are personally facing, you will always understand which way is which. When standing on the deck of a yacht, facing the bow as we mentioned before, the port side will be to your left and the starboard side will be to your right. If you turn around to face the stern of the boat, or the back, now the starboard side will be on your left, and the port side will be on your right. Knowing this means that the skipper can give instruction unambiguously, without needing to worry about which way crew members are facing. Before we get on to how to remember port and starboard, you'd probably like to know the origin story behind these interesting terms!

Where do the words “Port” and “Starboard” come from?

In the days before the development of rudders positioned on the centreline of yachts and ships, a steering oar was the apparatus of the day. Because most people are right-handed, steering oars used to be placed on the right-hand side of the stern of the vessel. The term “starboard” is derived from the old English words stéor and bord, which together meant the steering side of the boat, hence starboard is on the right. As boats got bigger, so too did their steering oars, and it became practical to moor a ship on the opposite side whenever at port. So, as of the mid-sixteenth century as far as records can reliably tell us, it became customary to refer to the left-hand side of the boat as “port”. After so many hundreds of years of use, becoming adept at using the terms port and starboard means honouring an important part of the history of all things nautical!

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Why are Port and Starboard signified by different colours?

You may have noticed when out on the water at night that boats have a red light on one side, and a green light on the other. In fact, if you've ever looked up at the night sky and seen a plane flying overhead, you might have spotted that even they have a red light on the tip of one wing, and a green light on the tip of the other. So, where did these colours come from?

This code of colour also enjoys maritime roots, with green representing starboard, and red representing port. The universal rules of green for go and red for stop apply here too. The colours were adopted to help avoid any collision between boats. When two boats approaching harbour find that their paths intersect, the use of red and green indicates right of way. So, the boat that can see the starboard side of the other knows that they have the right to go first, and the boat that can see the port side of the other, and therefore the colour red, knows that they should give way. Meanwhile, if two boats are approaching each other from opposite directions, the sight of the other boat's navigational lights will help them both veer to the right for a smooth sailing passing. This means that two yachts in a narrow channel should always pass each other Port side to Port side.

Top tips on how to remember Port and Starboard

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You've already got one great resource to help you with how to remember port and starboard. If you can remember that starboard means “steering side”, and that most sailors are right-handed, then you will know that starboard is the right side of the boat. One of the easiest ways to jog your memory is to count the letters. If you identify one term, you'll know the other by default. So, remember that both port and left have four letters. Therefore, starboard can only be right! If trying to recall which colour stands for which side of the boat, you can really get in the spirit of seafaring and spare a thought for the long and intoxicated history of port wine. Port wine was developed by the Portuguese, who began fortifying their wine so it would retain its quality over long journeys at sea. Anyone who has ever polished off a bottle of port after a dinner party, and likely had a headache in the morning, will remember the beautiful ruby red hue of the tempting liquor. This makes it easy to remember that port is red, just like port wine. So, there you have it. You're ready to take to the water knowing how to remember port and starboard in an instant.

Happy sailing!

jimmygreen.com - How to remember Port and Starboard - Jimmy Green Marine

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