Starboard or Port on Royal

[Kathscof]

20 hours ago, LEMJMcC said:

"Since port and starboard never change, they are unambiguous references that are independent of a mariner’s orientation, and, thus, mariners use these nautical terms instead of left and right to avoid confusion. When looking forward, toward the bow of a ship, port and starboard refer to the left and right sides, respectively.

In the early days of boating, before ships had rudders on their centerlines, boats were controlled using a steering oar. Most sailors were right handed, so the steering oar was placed over or through the right side of the stern. Sailors began calling the right side the steering side, which soon became "starboard" by combining two Old English words: stéor (meaning "steer") and bord (meaning "the side of a boat").

As the size of boats grew, so did the steering oar, making it much easier to tie a boat up to a dock on the side opposite the oar. This side became known as larboard, or "the loading side." Over time, larboard—too easily confused with starboard—was replaced with port. After all, this was the side that faced the port, allowing supplies to be ported aboard by porters."

-NOAA Article

 

This is what I learned this year on my cruise (what I alluded to earlier) so it’s funny that it was meant to signify where the steering board was and thus always oriented in port and we are discussing which side they have the dock haha 

[TwinMamainMN]

15 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

Makes that Virgin ship look like a out of place tinker toy.

My lord, that Virgin ship is ugly. Tinkertoy is a great description. Looks like something a young child would construct with little concern for style, aerodynamics, or gravity.