this post was submitted on 27 May 2025
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Knew it! No one can remember that shit.
Between "port" "starboard" "right" and "left" only two of the words have the same number of letters.
Left = Port
For the once per year I have to think about this, that's my mnemonic.
A related more general mnemonic works for the running lights too. Red has fewer letters than green, so it goes with left which has fewer letters than right and port which has fewer letters than starboard.
When you are standing in the center of the boat looking forward just remember. Boats are like women! They have PmS! Port (on the left), me (in the middle), Starboard (on the right)!
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"Port" and "left" both have four letters. "Starboard" is the other one.
Learned that trick a few years ago and have not forgotten since.
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It took me until this year to realize the port and starboard referred to what the ship was touching when docked. The left side goes to the port, the other side faces the stars.
I felt so dumb that I had completed Black Flag 3 times and never picked up on this.
Port used to be called larboard, and starboard is called that because it comes from middle English for "steering side", essentially. Not actually anything to do with stars. But the port thing is true, they had to dock to port on the left because of the steering oars.
In German it's still "Steuerbord", "Steering board"
Why would the stars only be to the right? Would the ship start tilting when you haul all the loot into port?
There is no stars over land, because gravity makes them all fall down, so they know to avoid it
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No it is not. Port and starboard are only left and right if you are facing the bow. If you are facing the stern they are reversed (from your perspective). The reason why is to make sure there are unambiguous terms for turning a ship in order to navigate and avoid collisions.
Btw the same rule applies to airplanes. If you are flying and have another airplane flying towards you both pilots must turn starboard to avoid a crash.
This sign looks like it's fixed to the vessel, so it should be correct unless they put it in the wrong place, or someone decides to read it upside down without correcting it in their head.
Pilot here. We just say left and right and don't bother with port and starboard.
Usually you also know in which direction is front on a plane lol
On a ship it might get more confusing sometimes, so I see the reason there at least somewhat
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104 comments on how to memorize starboard and port as right and left.
I have an even better way to know : Just fucking remember it.
It's not that difficult.
Good idea. Just fucking remember it. JFRI. Jerry Fixes Ruined Items. Got it.
Is no-one gonna mention the inconsistent formatting of the signs underneath? Just me?
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Port and left have the same number of letters, so that works in a pinch.
This is how I first (and still) remember the difference.
Did you ever hear about the bishop of Norwich? He always passes his port to the left.
"Left" and "Port" both have four letters. "Right" and "Starboard" both have more than four letters. That's how you remember them.
port and starboard both have an r in the word, for right. that's how I remember them.
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Boats used to have their steering paddle out on the right because most people were right handed. When you pulled into port, you didn't want your steering rod to hit the port so port side was the left. That's how I remember.
excuse me if i sound dumb but like why not say left and right and ditch the nonsense?
Port and starboard are in relation to the ship while left and right are in relation to the person
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.
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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Because left and right are relative, port and starboard are absolute.
Or to be more specific. Left and right are ambiguous because of the missing reference frame. It could be my left, your left or the left of the ship.
Port and starboard are always left and right in the reference frame of the ship.
Shipleft, shipright, fixed
But a Shipwright is a job.
You're gonna steer the ship right into some innocent dude!
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Port and starboard are easy enough in a powerboat (of the type I am familiar with). Tie up port side, sit on starboard (steer board) side to steer.
But what is most fun is remembering what direction in a channel one is travelling in an area where the channels merge.
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I memorized the following: "Port wine is red, and none is left in the morning"
Therefore Port - Left and Red and the other "Starboard" is Right and Green.
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it makes me a little irrationaly upset that we have left and right, both one syllable words
but the naval version of left and right, is a one syllable Port, and a two syllable Starboard
Well consider you're on the deck in the open air during a storm, waves crashing everywhere, people yelling, you can barely hear anything.
Do you want to keep asking them to repeat which way to turn because you can't hear? Or do you wanna know short word/one noise = right and long word/two noises = left?
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