Port vs starboard

[sr5242]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but does the port side of the ship always face port? We have a port side cabin and would love to sit on the balcony and people watch when we arrive in port!

[Essiesmom]

Nope. It varies as to how the port tells them to dock, or which lifeboats need training, what part needs painting...EM

[Bonnie J.]

Port is the left side of the ship as you face the bow (front). Starboard is the right side.

Some piers have ships on both sides of a pier so one ship will face the port side, the other the starboard.

[boogs]

Depending on tide and weather conditions at both the arrival and departure times, a ship may dock with one or the other side of the ship against the dock. It is much easier to depart a crowded port by simply pulling away from the dock and then moving forward out of the port. If heavy winds are expected at the departure time, or tide currents will be strong, a ship will try to position itself at arrival in the appropriate direction so they can avoid having to do a 180 turn in strong winds or currents. The same situation could be in effect upon arrival and the ship will not attempt these maneuvers at that time, preferring to wait in case the conditions are better at time of departure. The result is that the side of the ship facing the dock might be affected by these considerations.

[Keith1010]

It varies and it varies by cruise.

 

Keith

[loubetti]

Indeed, the word "port" has nothing to do with "dock" or "pier" or where the ship ties up at.

 

Prior to use of the word "port", it was known as "larboard". It all had to do with the steering tiller, which early ships used to have before a steering wheel. It's really old language in this case.

 

Ever see the James Cameron film "Titanic"? William Murdoch, the first officer in charge, upon seeing the iceberg, orders Robert Hichens, the quartermaster, to turn "hard a starboard". You would think that would mean turning to the right, but Hichens turned the ship left, which was correct. At that time they were still using old terminology based on a tiller, not a wheel. Indeed, if using a tiller you would turn it to the right (starboard) to go left!

 

Hint: How do you remember port from starboard? "Left" has less letters than "right"!

[akcruz]

The way I remember which side is wich, both port and left have 4 letters.

 

Even if a ship did dock to the port side it would not guarantee you would see the prt. It all depends on how the dock is situated and how many other ships are docked.

[Travelcat2]

We look at the direction the ship will be sailing most of the time. We prefer to have the sun set on the opposite side of where our cabin is (due to heat issues). When the ship is going north, we chose a starboard cabin and a port cabin when the ship is going south. (Gosh -- hope I have that right):o

[cb at sea]

Port means "left"....has nothing to do with the way the ship docks!

[sail7seas]

A number of times we have done b-to-b's on a ship with the same, repeating itinerary. The first cruise, we might have docked with port side to the dock and the next cruise, same ship, same Captain, same port, we were starboard to the dock. It depends on lots of things including ship's maintenance. Maybe they need to have a bucket lift for maintenance etc

 

[dorisis]

A number of times we have done b-to-b's on a ship with the same, repeating itinerary. The first cruise, we might have docked with port side to the dock and the next cruise, same ship, same Captain, same port, we were starboard to the dock. It depends on lots of things including ship's maintenance. Maybe they need to have a bucket lift for maintenance etc

 

 

This worked well for us on a B2B Panama canal cruise.

 

~Doris~

[John Bull]

As previous posts, "port" is ancient terminology & has been irrelevant for centuries, ever since the invention of the tiller. Ships were steered by a steerboard (think gondola) attached to the right side of the ship because that was the easiest side for a right-handed person to steer. Impossible to steer if you trapped the steerboard between ship & quayside, so ships always docked with the other side - the port side -against the quayside.

 

But there are various reasons why cruisers specifically book one side or the other.

 

Which side faces the quayside is often a lottery, though there are some ports, esp turnaround ports, where the ship nearly always docks in the same spot & facing the same direction.

 

Some folk like Travelcat choose according to the position of the sun - on an itinerary which returns to the same turnaround port that's likely to even itself out, though different directions at different times of the day complicates things -as Travelcat's ?:o? demonstrates. Yes TC you got it right, though rather more passengers prefer exactly the opposite - they prefer sun to shade.

 

The sail in or out of certain ports, such as Venice or Istanbul or Hong Kong or Southampton, have excellent views one side rather than the other.

 

All far too much figuring for me, or most others, to bother ;)

 

JB :)

[Keith1010]

We look at the direction the ship will be sailing most of the time. We prefer to have the sun set on the opposite side of where our cabin is (due to heat issues). When the ship is going north, we chose a starboard cabin and a port cabin when the ship is going south. (Gosh -- hope I have that right):o

 

This is good advice.

 

We have found this to be very helpful on certain itineraries where it can get vey hot in the late afternoon if you are on the side where the sun is setting.

 

Keith

[sail7seas]

This is good advice.

 

We have found this to be very helpful on certain itineraries where it can get vey hot in the late afternoon if you are on the side where the sun is setting.

 

Keith

 

 

Isn't that the origin of the expression "POSH"?

 

Port Out

Starboard Home

 

In the years when ships' crossings were the ultra luxurious experience for the very wealthy, they would seek the ultimate comfort.

 

[loubetti]

Isn't that the origin of the expression "POSH"?

 

Port Out

Starboard Home

 

In the years when ships' crossings were the ultra luxurious experience for the very wealthy, they would seek the ultimate comfort.

 

 

Yes indeed, and I believe the acronym originated on the England to Africa voyages. No air conditioning on those ships back then.

[barante]

Thank you for that piece of marvelous colonial lore.

 

Incidentally, one of our British friends, a Costa Victoria aficionado, has coined a wonderful derivative. He calls formal nights posh frock nights.