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Great addition to any vessel (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/funny@sh.itjust.works
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[–] 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (9 children)

Because port and starboard refer to the left and right side of the boat. If you are facing the stern your left would be starboard and right would be port.

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  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    And to remember the whole thing: "Star" comes from steer, goes back to old ships which had their rudder and till tied to the side at the aft and specifically, when looking forwards, to the right as people tend to be right-handed. Thus, steering-side == right if you're looking forwards.

    "Port" because that's the side the port is on if you land without risking damaging the rudder. Originally it was "backboard" because that's the board (== side of ship) that's (often) in the helmsman's back, English changed it at some point while everyone else kept it. The terminology goes back to at least Old Norse, probably earlier, that's just the earliest that's attested.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (1 child)

    Why can't left and right refer to the left and right side of the boat?

    Are people really stupid enough to think that naval directions are relative to the human, not the boat?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    I think if you've done any sailing then it makes sense to have a different term for boat directions vs relative to you direction.

    It's not like driving a car where you're always facing and traveling forward. A boat rarely travels exactly where it is pointed, and in some conditions the boat can be pointed in one direction and traveling in the exact opposite, also, as crew you could be facing any direction at any time. So if you need to relay directional information it's much easier and more efficient to use language which refers to the vessel and it's orientation.

    If you say to someone "look right", they will, in most cases, look to their right, but if you tell some one to "look starboard" they will know to look to right of the boat as it pointed. Which, in an emergency, could mean the difference of hitting something and sinking your boat or being able to avoid it.

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