How to remember Port & Starboard

[Aquahound]

4 hours ago, Jimnbigd said:

(Stern is more often called "aft" now, but aft is fairly intuitive -- "after").

 

You're right, many do.  However, that's technically not appropriate.

[mef_57]

As I spent a number of early years crewing on sailboats and needing to pay attention to the red and green channel lights, I was taught 'Any Port Red wine Left'?

[John Bull]

On 8/8/2019 at 7:58 PM, Jimnbigd said:

And to remember "bow" (rhymes with cow) -- We bow to the captain, who most often is at the front of the ship.

(Of course we don't actually bow to him/her, but this is how I remember it.)

And if we are naughty, we might be taken to the back of the ship for a "stern" lecture.

(Stern is more often called "aft" now, but aft is fairly intuitive -- "after").

 

Sorry, Jim, but if someone needs word-association to remember that bow is front & stern is back, perhaps they should stick to "front" and "back" 

 

JB 

[navybankerteacher]

On 8/9/2019 at 2:48 PM, mef_57 said:

As I spent a number of early years crewing on sailboats and needing to pay attention to the red and green channel lights, I was taught 'Any Port Red wine Left'?

It depends where you are; in the Western Hemisphere, the Philippines and some other areas it’s “red right returning” - meaning when you enter port the red channel markers are to starboard (on your right);  in Europe it’s the other way around - the green markers are to starboard, and red to port.   Of course, with just a bit of basic navigational skill you should be able to figure outwhich side of the Atlantic you are on.

[donaldsc]

Port and Starboard are really easy and I can't imagine why there are 25 posts on it - starboard is to the right and port is to the left.  How hard can that be to rem,ember.

 

DON

[Heidi13]

Go to sea for a living with some of the old, colourful Captains. If you got it wrong once, they had the ability of ensuring you never got it wrong again.🙂

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

16 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

It depends where you are; in the Western Hemisphere, the Philippines and some other areas it’s “red right returning” - meaning when you enter port the red channel markers are to starboard (on your right);  in Europe it’s the other way around - the green markers are to starboard, and red to port.   Of course, with just a bit of basic navigational skill you should be able to figure outwhich side of the Atlantic you are on.

On any ship and the RED light is on the left port side. Port wine RED. Red right returning is for US ports when ships leave port and return to port from open waters. Channel markers.

[gadaboutgal]

On 8/5/2019 at 3:14 PM, Mike981 said:

On boats (fishing) the steering wheel is on the right side (sometimes in the center) because of the rotation of the propeller. So if you think of the captain/person driving the boat as the star, the starboard side is on the right.

That is exactly how I learned to tell the different sides.  Years ago we had our own power boat; I didn't have the courage to even steer it; my dh was the star of the boat captaining  it on all our adventures!

[ldubs]

On 8/9/2019 at 12:37 PM, John Bull said:

 

Sorry, Jim, but if someone needs word-association to remember that bow is front & stern is back, perhaps they should stick to "front" and "back" 

 

JB 

 

And, just remember that the "pointy" end is usually the front.   I will probably get a stern comment in response to this.    😀

[Shmoo here]

50 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

And, just remember that the "pointy" end is usually the front.   I will probably get a stern comment in response to this.    😀

I was going to say I think "pointy" end is cute.  

[lenquixote66]

On 8/3/2019 at 12:11 PM, dkjretired said:

 

That too, I grew up in the 50s in Northern NJ and listened to the very colorful announcers for the Yankees, Brooklyn Dodgers and NY Giants.

Do you miss those days,I sure do.I lived 5 blocks from Ebbets Field.

[dkjretired]

17 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

Do you miss those days,I sure do.I lived 5 blocks from Ebbets Field.

 

Sure do, one of my best memories is going to see the Dodgers at Ebbets Field with my father.  Also, last season they were in Brooklyn they were trying to help with attendance and actually played 8 regular season games in Roosevelt stadium in Jersey City.  Went there also to see a game and years later took my drivers's test there. 

[lenquixote66]

7 hours ago, dkjretired said:

 

Sure do, one of my best memories is going to see the Dodgers at Ebbets Field with my father.  Also, last season they were in Brooklyn they were trying to help with attendance and actually played 8 regular season games in Roosevelt stadium in Jersey City.  Went there also to see a game and years later took my drivers's test there. 

My parents did not have a TV till 1952 .I spent many nights listening to baseball games being broadcast by radio.

Edited August 15, 2019 by lenquixote66

[dkjretired]

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

My parents did not have a TV till 1952 .I spent many nights listening to baseball games being broadcast by radio.

 

Best way to watch baseball and football  on TV, put on TV video and local radio broadcast.   We have great baseball 15 miles away this week,  Little League World Series.

[lenquixote66]

16 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

Best way to watch baseball and football  on TV, put on TV video and local radio broadcast.   We have great baseball 15 miles away this week,  Little League World Series.

R

 

16 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

Best way to watch baseball and football  on TV, put on TV video and local radio broadcast.   We have great baseball 15 miles away this week,  Little League World Series.

Do you ever go to see the Lakewood Blue Claws ?

We have an Atlantic League team in LI,the Long Island Ducks.Parking is free.Field level box seats are $10.00.

[broberts]

On 8/11/2019 at 1:53 AM, donaldsc said:

Port and Starboard are really easy and I can't imagine why there are 25 posts on it - starboard is to the right and port is to the left.  How hard can that be to rem,ember.

 

DON

 

Port is not always to the left, nor starboard always to the right. Perhaps that is why many find it necessary to use an aide-mémoire.

[donaldsc]

Just now, broberts said:

 

Port is not always to the left, nor starboard always to the right. Perhaps that is why many find it necessary to use an aide-mémoire.

 

It is if you are facing forward or towards the bow.  

 

DON

[broberts]

5 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

It is if you are facing forward or towards the bow.  

 

DON

 

Yes, and had you included that critical datum I might not have commented.

[dkjretired]

12 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

R

 

Do you ever go to see the Lakewood Blue Claws ?

We have an Atlantic League team in LI,the Long Island Ducks.Parking is free.Field level box seats are $10.00.

 

We did when we lived in Jersey, now we go to Scranton/Wilkes Barre to see the Railriders which is the Yankees top farm team.   Really crowded when one of the big name Yankees is rehabbing.  

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

15 hours ago, broberts said:

 

Port is not always to the left, nor starboard always to the right. Perhaps that is why many find it necessary to use an aide-mémoire.

Smart a people like you cause grief. Why do you do this? I started this with the explanation you so desperately requirer. I bet if you go to a mechanic and tell him you have a noise on the left side of you car. I doubt very much if he will ask. Is that facing the car from the front or facing away from the car from the front. Get real. Please stop these stupid remarks.

[broberts]

44 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

Smart a people like you cause grief. Why do you do this? I started this with the explanation you so desperately requirer. I bet if you go to a mechanic and tell him you have a noise on the left side of you car. I doubt very much if he will ask. Is that facing the car from the front or facing away from the car from the front. Get real. Please stop these stupid remarks.

 

When I go to a mechanic about a noise I always indicate passenger or driver side so that confusion about orientation is avoided.

 

I'm sorry you feel a need to characterize factual comments as stupid. Perhaps you did not bother reading the quote to which the comment applied. Context does make a difference.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

38 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

When I go to a mechanic about a noise I always indicate passenger or driver side so that confusion about orientation is avoided.

 

I'm sorry you feel a need to characterize factual comments as stupid. Perhaps you did not bother reading the quote to which the comment applied. Context does make a difference.

factual comment Really!

[Aquahound]

21 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

It is if you are facing forward or towards the bow.  

 

DON

 

The whole "port is to the left when facing forward" thing never made sense to me.  The left side of the ship is still the left side of the ship, no matter which way you're facing.  

[ldubs]

7 hours ago, Aquahound said:

 

The whole "port is to the left when facing forward" thing never made sense to me.  The left side of the ship is still the left side of the ship, no matter which way you're facing.  

 

I automatically think of the left side of the ship as the port side.  Same for the left side of my car is the driver's side.  IDK, maybe some would confuse "left side" with "to your left".  Anyway, an unambiguous definition is always a good thing.   

 

On my small fishing boat it is "go to your left" or "go to your right" because that is the terminology most passengers will understand.  

 

Edited August 17, 2019 by ldubs

[chengkp75]

12 hours ago, Aquahound said:

 

The whole "port is to the left when facing forward" thing never made sense to me.  The left side of the ship is still the left side of the ship, no matter which way you're facing.  

While you are correct that the left side of the ship is always port, if I'm facing aft and pointing to port, I use my right hand, so port is not always "to your left", and there in lies the distinction.  Your two sentences even make the distinction:  "port is to the left", and "left side of the ship".