Can we please stop censoring words on the internet.
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It has its own terms for a very good reason.
It's relative to the boat, so that if you are standing on deck and looking back everyone knows what you mean and not if you are talking about your reative left or the boats.
Port was also initially Larboard, but it turns out when shouting a direction from the other side of a boat, having two similar sounding terms for opposite directions often results in crashing said boat, so it was changed in the mid 1800s.
So you just collectively agree that left is the ships left while you're on the ship.
Problem solved.
The left is always the ship's left, just like the left side of a car is always the left side of a car.
Except we say drivers/passengers side when referring to the side of a car. People dislike port because they can't remember it from lack of use. Insecurities cause this whole discussion.
I don't use it often at all, but when I was 6, I just remembered left/port had 4 letters and haven't forgotten yet. Some day I might, but me forgetting doesn't mean I should ask everyone else to stop using language.
E.g. I have a plethora of grapes. We should stop using the term plethora because they could just say "a lot."
E.g. I have a plethora of grapes. We should stop using the term plethora because they could just say “a lot.”
That reminds me of the old joke:
A widow was holding a funeral for her husband, when a man asked if he could say a word. "Of course" said the widow, so he stood up and exclaimed "plethora!". The widow replied "thanks, that means a lot".
Does drivers/passenger side work when you don't know if you are speaking with British or American people?
The way I taught myself to remember is "starboard" has more "R"s in it, so that means "right".
Also if you always say "left and right" instead of "right and left" (which must english speakers probably do) you can remember that port and starboard are the same order.
Theaters just call it stage right and stage left
Yeah, the enemies gate is always down. My body's left is always my body's left. Just like the ships left is always left from the front lol.
Ain't nobody riding around in a intertube ship lol.
Let's name them something edgy and disruptive. How about calling all four sides "X".
And what the fuck kind of speed measurement is "knots"?
As. Long as no one fucks with poop deck. Don't you take my poop deck away.
Port has the same number of letters in it as "left". Starboard does not have the same number of letters in it as the word left.
I can never remember which is which. Is there some easy way to recall which is left and which is right?
(Same goes for red and green light on the sides.)
"left" and "port" have the same number of letters. Conveniently, they're also the same direction (while facing forward on the boat).
Thx that works
"Is there any red port left?" - helps remember red light is left and green light is right, as well.
Probably only works if you know port wine is a thing though.
“Red Right Returning”
When two ships approach each other bow-on (that’s the front of the ship), each will see the red running light to their right. Which if my spatial reasoning hasn’t failed me, means that they’re on the left (port) side of the ship.
Port ----- starboard
Left ----- right
I always remember that port is short, left is short, in terms of letter length.
I was once on a boat where that stairs thingy was on its left side. The port is where you get on the boat, and the stairs thingy is how you get on the boat. The stairs thingy is on the left, so port is left. Works every time.
I give you my permission to use this mnemonic device however you see fit. You're welcome.
Which side would we tie up to the dock?
Well, you Left the Port to sail...
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