4 ms·

Of course, but this article explains what each word means. Starboard => Means "steering side of the boat" (b/c the oar was on the right side due to sailors mos

Of course, but this article explains what each word means. Starboard => Means "steering side of the boat" (b/c the oar was on the right side due to sailors mostly being right handed) Port => The side that faces the port when docked

callamdelaney 4y ago
You can dock a boat anyway you like, or have been instructed to do so by the dockmaster.
- hinkley 4y ago
  But if you have a steering board on the other side of your ship, it's a lot easier to dock facing the other way.
- gkoberger 4y ago
  From Wikipedia: “Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are mirror images of each other. One asymmetric feature is where access to a boat, ship, or aircraft is at the side, it is usually only on the port side (hence the name)”
  - callamdelaney 4y ago
    There are definitely more boats with bilateral symmetry than asymmetric these days.
- mr_toad 4y ago
  Passenger vessels typically dock port side to the dock. Same with aircraft.
deleted 4y ago
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usr1106 4y ago
Port makes sense, never thought about it. Ships I see rarely, so I couldn't tell which side they use (or even both depending on the harbor) But for passenger planes it's definitely left. In German starboard is steuerbord, steuern = to steer. No shifting over the centuries. However, port is still backbord. I am not familiar with Northern dialects (where they have a coast), back does not tell me anything. Maybe packen = to pack/load)??? Interestingly enough the English argument that the 2 words should not be too similar has not been applied. Maybe because there are already 3 vs. 2 syllables? Whereas English had 2 and 2 so they changed to 2 vs. 1 to make it make obvious what was said even in a big storm?
- Svip 4y ago
  Similarly, the Danish terms are »styrbord« and »bagbord«, respectively. »Bagbord« comes from »bag« (back) meaning the backside of the sailor steering the boat, because they would be facing the steering side (»styrbord«; »styr« still means to steer today).

callamdelaney 4y ago

You can dock a boat anyway you like, or have been instructed to do so by the dockmaster.

hinkley 4y ago
But if you have a steering board on the other side of your ship, it's a lot easier to dock facing the other way.
gkoberger 4y ago
From Wikipedia: “Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are mirror images of each other. One asymmetric feature is where access to a boat, ship, or aircraft is at the side, it is usually only on the port side (hence the name)”
- callamdelaney 4y ago
  There are definitely more boats with bilateral symmetry than asymmetric these days.
mr_toad 4y ago
Passenger vessels typically dock port side to the dock. Same with aircraft.

deleted 4y ago

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usr1106 4y ago

Port makes sense, never thought about it. Ships I see rarely, so I couldn't tell which side they use (or even both depending on the harbor) But for passenger planes it's definitely left. In German starboard is steuerbord, steuern = to steer. No shifting over the centuries. However, port is still backbord. I am not familiar with Northern dialects (where they have a coast), back does not tell me anything. Maybe packen = to pack/load)??? Interestingly enough the English argument that the 2 words should not be too similar has not been applied. Maybe because there are already 3 vs. 2 syllables? Whereas English had 2 and 2 so they changed to 2 vs. 1 to make it make obvious what was said even in a big storm?

Svip 4y ago
Similarly, the Danish terms are »styrbord« and »bagbord«, respectively. »Bagbord« comes from »bag« (back) meaning the backside of the sailor steering the boat, because they would be facing the steering side (»styrbord«; »styr« still means to steer today).