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Which side of the ship is which?


Cozzette2

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Hi

 

As you look to the Bow (front) of the ship, the port side is on the left and the starboard on the right. How we remember is - port - has four letters, the same as the word -left. Also on most the ships we have sailed on, even numbered cabins are usually on the port side, and odd numbers on t he starboard. Cannot say that this applies to all cruise lines.

 

Hope this helps.

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I knew this but have forgotten, which side of the ship is port and which is starboard?

Thanks, I am already booked but would like to know what my side I am on.

Kris

 

When facing the FRONT of the ship, port is is to your "left" (same # of letters :) the ONLY way I can remember!) and starboard is to your right.

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I heard this story years ago about a captain who, when he was on the bridge would usually unlock a little draw, look inside and then re lock it.

One fateful day he forgot to relock the draw, so a fellow officer peeked inside. Taped to the bottom was a piece of paper which read, ' Port left, Starboard right'.

 

john

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Back in my Navy "sea daddy" days I used to have young sailors that could not remember port from starboard write it on their hands until they could get it straight. That seemed to work pretty well for most of them. Of course there were some that could never get it figured out.;)

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Back in my Navy "sea daddy" days I used to have young sailors that could not remember port from starboard write it on their hands until they could get it straight. That seemed to work pretty well for most of them. Of course there were some that could never get it figured out.;)

 

 

What if they were facing aft?

 

I have to admit I get confused as to which way is forward and which way is aft if there are no windows to see out!

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I always find it amusing when people say port is the left side when facing forward. The left side of the ship is the left side of the ship, regardless of which way you are facing.

 

Don't take me seriously....I'm just making light of it. ;)

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Possibly useful info: The international colour code for Port is Red, and Green for Starboard. You sometimes see colour tags on signs, etc onboard and also on marker buoys, etc.

 

 

It's a good thing I don't have a boat. This post just jogged my memory. The OLNY thing I remember about the Coast Guard boating course I took oh so many years ago is "Red Right Returning" - Keep the red bouys to the right of the bow when coming into port!

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I knew this but have forgotten, which side of the ship is port and which is starboard?

Thanks, I am already booked but would like to know what my side I am on.

Kris

 

I hope your cabin is on the INSIDE. ;) Sorry, couldnt resist.

 

I learned the port = left on my first cruise and I stun the rest of our group when I refer to port and starboard. They have no idea how I keep track of it. And I'm not telling them. Actually all they want to know is how to get to the dining room or bars anyway.

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Thanks for bringing this up again. After more than twenty cruises I STILL get port and starboard mixed up!:o I like the "left= four letters/port = four letters trick.

 

 

Why don't you try write "port" on your left hand and "starboard" on your right and then not washing for the entire cruise. Or else, have them tattooed on your hands.

 

If you can not remember which side is which after 20+ cruises, you must have really serious other problems.

 

DON

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One other thing you might like to remember. If the Captain says that something can be seen at "9:00" or "3:00" just picture the hands of a clock - the bow of the ship is 12:00. On our Alaska cruise at Hubbard Glacier the Captain was pointing out some Harbor seals on an ice floe at 9:00. We were on the port side so there they were on our left. A lady we were standing near looked at her watch and made a comment that why was he pointing something out that was in the morning when it was after noon. I very nicely explained the direction thing - I didn't want her to feel bad but I got the impression that she and her daughters wanted to see the seals.

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Why don't you try write "port" on your left hand and "starboard" on your right and then not washing for the entire cruise. Or else, have them tattooed on your hands.

 

There's an easier way without having to write on your hands. Put both hands up, palms facing each other. Touch your thumb to the other 4 fingers, like making a "0." Your left hand, along with your wrist, makes a "P." Your right hand would be a backwards "P." P = Port.

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I know port & starboard. My problem is, when I am on board, is figuring out which side am I on and which direction am I going, on enclosed decks. The bigger the ship, the more this is a problem. I've lost count of the number of times I have headed in the opposite direction to what I wanted.

 

The only solution I've come up with is to look through an outside window and see which way the sea is passing by the ship. If the water is moving towards the left, I'm on the left (port!) side of the ship. And, needless to say, the water is (nearly!) always gliding towards the stern of the ship.

 

This works if you can find a window - and it's daylight outside. Problem is, we tend to use the enclosed decks (dining room, theatre, etc.) after dark...

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One other thing you might like to remember. If the Captain says that something can be seen at "9:00" or "3:00" just picture the hands of a clock - the bow of the ship is 12:00. On our Alaska cruise at Hubbard Glacier the Captain was pointing out some Harbor seals on an ice floe at 9:00. We were on the port side so there they were on our left. A lady we were standing near looked at her watch and made a comment that why was he pointing something out that was in the morning when it was after noon. I very nicely explained the direction thing - I didn't want her to feel bad but I got the impression that she and her daughters wanted to see the seals.

 

That is funny. Now, what if you have only ever used a digital clock, you would really be confussed:D

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t's a good thing I don't have a boat. This post just jogged my memory. The OLNY thing I remember about the Coast Guard boating course I took oh so many years ago is "Red Right Returning" - Keep the red bouys to the right of the bow when coming into port!

 

That's true in US waters - but if you did that coming up the Solent to Southampton, you'd run aground:eek: When you come into port in much of the rest of the world, keep the red bouys left of the bow and the green bouys right of the bow. Now that's confusing....

 

VP

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The origin of the term comes from early boating practices. Before ships had rudders on their centerlines, they were steered by use of a specialized steering oar. This oar was held by an oarsman located in the stern (back) of the ship. However, like most of the rest of society, there were many more right-handed sailors than left-handed sailors. This meant that the steering oar (which had been broadened to provide better control) used to be affixed to the right side of the ship. The word starboard comes from Old English steorbord, literally meaning the side on which the ship is steered, descendant from the Old Norse words stýri meaning “rudder” (from the verb stýra, literally “being at the helm”, “having a hand in”) and borð meaning etymologically “board”, then the “side of a ship”.

 

Similarly, the term for the left side of the boat, port or larboard, is derived from the practice of sailors mooring on the left side (i.e., the larboard or loading side) as to prevent the steering boards from being crushed. Because the words larboard and starboard sounded too similar to be easily distinguished, larboard was changed to port.

 

In many languages, other than English, the word for larboard/port is derived from a Germanic term akin to "backboard", from the same roots as English "back" and "board".

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