There are a lot of nautical terms that you may hear for the first time when you take your first cruise. Among them, and two terms that you definitely need to understand, are port and starboard.
You probably know that one means “left” and one means “right,” but which is which and why do cruise ships use port and starboard instead of left and right anyway? Here’s everything you need to know.
In This Article:
- Why Do Cruise Ships Use Port and Starboard Instead of Left and Right?
- Where Did the Terms Port and Starboard Come From?
- How Do You Know Which Side of the Ship is Starboard and Which Side is Port?
- Does it Matter if Your Cabin is on the Port or Starboard Side of the Ship?
- How Do You Know Which Side of the Ship a Cabin is On?
- Other Important Nautical Terms to Know Before Your Cruise
Why Do Cruise Ships Use Port and Starboard Instead of Left and Right?
Cruise ships use port and starboard instead of left and right because “left” and “right” are determined by the individual and how they’re standing. The port and starboard sides of the ship, in contrast, always stay the same.
This is vital because, when you’re operating a ship, you need to be able to communicate to the crew around you and tell them about certain sides of the ship, without any ambiguity. This port and starboard system helps avoid confusion.
Think about it. If you were sailing on a ship and an emergency occurred, you wouldn’t want to say “Crew, the ship’s left side is on fire!” Depending on where your fellow crew members are standing and the direction they’re facing, they could head to either side of the ship. However, if you say, “Crew, the ship’s starboard side is on fire!” they’ll know exactly what you mean and where to go.
Beyond emergencies, from on-board emergencies to potential collisions, port and starboard are also important terms for general navigation, as well as for identifying other ships in the water via their red and green navigation lights, and determining whether they’re sailing toward or away from you (particularly if the weather is bad or at night).
They also come in handy when docking or otherwise maneuvering the vessell into a certain position. For example, when sailing near buoys, a ship’s captain can look at the buoy’s paint or light for key directional information.
Red usually means “port” or “left” and green usually means “starboard” or “right.” If the captain sees a green buoy, it means that the ship should stay to the right of the buoy. If the captain sees a red buoy, it means the ship should stay to the left of the buoy.
Where Did the Terms Port and Starboard Come From?
The terms port and starboard have been in use for centuries, since the early days of boating, and the linguistic history behind the two terms is quite interesting.
Before ships were powered by rudders, people would steer ships with a steering oar. Because many people are right-handed instead of left-handed, the people steering with these oars would sit on the right side of a boat.
The term “starboard” comes from two old English words: “stéor,” which means “steer,” and “bord,” which means a boat’s side. So, “steorbord” became “starboard,” meaning, “the steering side of the boat.”
The steering oar belonged on the right, steering side of the boat, which we now call “starboard.” Because of this, when ships were docked and moored, this would be done on the other or left, side. This other side was called, “larboard,” because it was the side on which the ship would be loaded.
However, over time, this term became confusing because it sounded too much like “starboard.”
So, this term was changed to “port” because it was the side of the boat that would be used when the ship was coming into port. This other side of the boat was the right side.
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During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as the English began to sail their trading ships more often, these terms started to become popular. It was a way for navigators to give each other instructions while sailing the great seas.
As England colonized countries such as the current United States and India, sailors in the countries all over the globe that the English colonized began to use these terms, too. As a result, it became a global way of referring to the sides of the ship.
Since this time, maritime terms have become regularized and made uniform by international bodies. Because port and starboard were already being used by so many, they became the official terms used worldwide.
Even the colors used to indicate port and starboard have historical origins! The red for port and green for starboard weren’t just picked at random.
Historically, red lanterns were easier to come by than green lights (due to the limited availability of green glass, and the relative common use of red glass). As such, red lights were often used to illuminate ports and harbors. Thus, over time, red began to be used to indicate “port.”
How Do You Know Which Side of the Ship is Starboard and Which Side is Port?
So when you embark on your cruise, how do you know which side of the ship is starboard and which side is port? All you have to do is look toward the front of the ship (which is called the bow).
When you’re facing the bow, starboard is on the right and port is on the left.
Not sure you’ll be able to remember this? Try using a little memory trick or some mnemonic devices.
The words “left” and “port” both have four letters in them, and both are one syllable. This can help you remember that left equals port — so if you’re facing the bow, the port side of the ship is on your left side.
Other letter-related tricks for remembering the port and starboard sides of the ship include counting the number of “r”s in both words. Port as one “r” and starboard has two — thus, starboard equals “right,” as it also begins with the letter “r.”
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You can also simply think about the terms alphabetically. Left comes before right, alphabetically, and so does port come before starboard alphabetically. As such, left equals port and right equals starboard.
You can also look for the ship’s lights and signage. As mentioned, often, red navigation lights and signage are used to indicate the port side of the ship, while green lights and signage are used to indicate the starboard sides of the ship. You can use another little memory trick to remember this as well. Just remember that port wine is red, and red indicates the port side of the ship.
And, if all else fails, you can simply buy some novelty items to help you remember which side is which — like socks! Just be sure to put them on the right feet, and be sure to be facing the ship’s bow before referencing them.
Does it Matter if Your Cabin is on the Port or Starboard Side of the Ship?
Beyond just averting potential accidents and preventing collisions, knowing the port and starboard sides of a cruise ship can also clue you in to where exactly your cruise ship cabin will be — and while this doesn’t always matter for every cruise, it definitely does for one-way cruises.
While cabins and suites are generally the same regardless of the side of the ship they’re on, in terms of layout and size, where they can differ is the views.
On round-trip sailings, both sides of the ships will typically get good views at different times of the cruise. However, if you’re on a one-way cruise, you may find that one side of the ship gets all the views while the other gets none.
For example, if you’re sailing up the Alaskan coastline, northbound, and it’s a one-way cruise, you’ll want a stateroom on the right (starboard) side of the ship, facing the shoreline. If you’re sailing southbound, the opposite would be the case. You’d want a stateroom on the left (port) side of the ship.
Do note that, on cruises such as these, getting a cabin on a certain side of the ship, where the views are best, will often cost more.
Beyond just soaking in the views of the shoreline, you may also want to pick a cabin on a side of the ship that will offer more sunrise or sunset views. The sun always rises in the east and sets in the west.
So, if your ship is traveling north, and you want to get some great sunrise views, you’ll want a cabin on the right side of the ship, or the starboard side. If you want sunset views, you’d choose a port side cabin.
How Do You Know Which Side of the Ship a Cabin is On?
But how do you actually find out which side of the ship a potential cabin you’re thinking of booking is on?
Some ships use odd and even numbers to indicate what side of the ship a cabin is on. If it does, the even numbered cabins are on the starboard side of the ship, while the odd numbered cabins are on the port side of the ship.
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You can also simply look at your cruise ship’s deck plan and think about the front and back of the ship, and which rooms are on the port and starboard sides of the ship accordingly.
Other Important Nautical Terms to Know Before Your Cruise
Beyond port and starboard, there are some other nautical terms that it can be helpful to know before your cruise.
For example, both “fore” and “bow” refer to the ship’s front, as does the “prow.” “Stern” and “aft” refer to the ship’s back.
The ship’s “bridge” is where all the navigation happens, and where the captain works (you can sometimes get a behind-the-scenes tour that takes you to the bridge, depending on your cruise line!).
While not as important to know, if you hear someone refer to the beam, that’s the width of the ship at its widest point, in the middle. Likewise, the draft is the depth of the ship’s keel below the water. On that note, the keel is the bottom center of the boat (think of it a little like a spine).
The lee side of a ship is, unlike port side and starboard side, something that can change. The lee side is the ship’s side that’s not facing the wind at any given moment.
