Why do sailors use "port" and "starboard"?

[ToroidalBoat]

Why don't they just use "left" and "right" instead?

 

[King Fructose]

The average sailor has the IQ of a burnt piece of toast. You can’t expect them to remember their rights and lefts.

 

[Desu Mountain]

When shouting orders it can get confusing if there's ambiguity like "do you mean my left or the boat's left?"

 

[augment]

Picture yourself in the assmiddle of the ocean with mist and under the dark of night. Declaring shit as "left" or "right" without a point of reference is as meaningless as twitter pronouns.

 

[Conan O'Barbarian]

The first two answers, unironically.

As for where the terms come from, before ships had rudders at the stern, a steering oar (steer-board) was used on the right side of the ship, leaving only the left side free to moor at port.

 

[Rick Flairening]

to make themselves feel better for making the poor decision to be a fucking sailor. Fucking squids are the worst man, and merchant marines were worse.
"AYE AYE SIR!" go fuck yourself.
J/k; the chairforce makes y'all look like real soldiers by comparison, so I guess there is that.

 

[Knight of the Rope]

The average sailor has the IQ of a burnt piece of toast. You can’t expect them to remember their rights and lefts.

Literally this. In fact they're so low IQ that entire sides of the vessel are literally color-coded with flashing lights so that they can tell the "port" (red) from the "starboard" (green) without even having to think about it. Aircraft, too.

 

[Absolutego]

It's all holdover bullshit emanating from the fact that English originated from a culture that wasn't nearly as navally advanced as the Romans were.
Starboard is a millennium-long corruption of "Steering-board", because they couldn't figure out a central rudder, so literally one dude with a super big fucking oar served as the rudder on one consistent side. The right side, since most people are right-handed. And you don't want to dock that side for risk of damaging your rudder, so the other side became the Port side.

 

[Moths]

Because yelling 'ARD STARBOARD is a lot cooler than 'ARD RIGHT

 

[Lucky Jim]

Hard to tell left from right when you are either facing prone, or facing closely against a wall, which are two positions sailors usually find themselves with their pants down

 

[Manul Otocolobus]

The first two answers, unironically.

As for where the terms come from, before ships had rudders at the stern, a steering oar (steer-board) was used on the right side of the ship, leaving only the left side free to moor at port.

So "starboard" is likely just a corruption of "steerboard"?

 

[Shig O'nella]

So "starboard" is likely just a corruption of "steerboard"?

And "port" is literally docking side.

Which used to be called larboard a couple centuries ago, but it got changed because it was too confusing during storms, battles or pretty much any time you'd need an emergency change in direction.

 

[Conan O'Barbarian]

So "starboard" is likely just a corruption of "steerboard"?

More like it's a derivative of an older word, before English was a language.

 

[Skitarii]

Fuck man, port is a really good wine. Drink too much and you'll start seeing stars

 

[Mesh Gear Fox]

Literally this. In fact they're so low IQ that entire sides of the vessel are literally color-coded with flashing lights so that they can tell the "port" (red) from the "starboard" (green) without even having to think about it. Aircraft, too.

From an aviation standpoint, it allows you to see other aircraft around you at night, and you can tell what direction they are moving by observing their navigation lights and beacons.

 

[David Brown]

and you can tell what direction they are moving by observing their navigation lights and beacons.

unless they are backing up

 

[Feline Supremacist]

All you niggas dunking on sailors probably get seasick af and thus have no chill