"Which side is port and which side is starboard?"

That question have been asked a billion times before. And it is important to know the answer, if you are serious about becoming a proper sailor.

When you board a sailboat, there are a few things you can expect to be different from what you were used to on land:

• You will be at the mercy of the weather,
• it will be more difficult to keep your balance, and
• left and right won't mean much.

Why do we need "port" and "starboard" if we could use "left" and "right"?

Well, we need "port" and "starboard" because your body can move around on the boat, and to sail properly, your body must be able to turn, lean and swivel. This means that your left side and the boat's left side will not always be the same thing. So, left and right just won't tell the crew exactly which side of the boat you mean. Instead, you will need to learn to indicate the direction like a proper sailor would.

On a sailboat it is important to be able to communicate clearly what side of the boat you are referring to. That is why sailors have special words to refer to the different sides of the boat:

• The front of the boat is called the "bow" of the boat.
• The back of the boat is called the "stern" of the boat.
• The right side of the boat (when looking toward the bow) is called the "starboard" side.
• The left side of the boat (when looking toward the bow) is called the "port" side.

Port and starboard are always defined relative to the bow of the boat. That means everyone will know exactly what you are talking about, even if they cannot see you, or don't know how you are orientated onboard the boat.

Unfortunately port and starboard might be terms you are not familiar with. As a sailor, you just have to figure it out and remember which side is port and which side is starboard.

Hot Tip!

You might have some trouble to remember which side is port and which side is starboard. So, let me share a little secret with you:

A loooooong time ago sailors didn't talk about "port" and "starboard". They used the terms "larboard" and "starboard". This makes things a lot easier to remember, because "left" and "lar" both start with an "L". So, "larboard" is left and "starboard" is right.

But you can imagine how confusing things could get in heavy weather, when a crewmember shouts something, and all you hear is "...ARBOARD"! I imagine that was a good reason to replace "larboard" with the term "port".

If used correctly, this tip should have you calling port and starboard like and old sea dog in no time at all!