The port/starboard rule. Why?

[Twister_Ken]

Anyone any idea of why it became the convention then the rule that port should give way to starboard?

I have a vague idea that it might be to do with the steering oar being on the right side of vessels of yore, but even then, why?

 

[RAI]

That was what I was told, The port side, so named as ships moored that way to avoid damage to the steering oar that in turn was on starboard to help right handed helmsmen.
Ship then got cannon and it was regulation that they discharge the port side cannons before entering a port ('elf n safety) and it took 15 minutes to reload.
Ships with cannon pass port to port on entering/exiting a port, theoretically less likely to fire on each other.
Ships crossing, the port tack ship has its starboard mounted loaded cannon heeling into the sea, less dangerous, especially if it takes its unloaded port cannons under the stern of the stand-on starboard tack ship.
It's a theory.

 

[prv]

I'd always assumed it was arbitrary. However, it's easy to construct an explanation based on steering oars. If the oar was over the starboard side, then the helmsman would have been on the starboard side of the boat. In that case, with two boats meeting on opposite tacks (let's say close hauled or fine reaches), the one on port would have a clearer view of the other - the helmsman on the starboard-tack boat would have had to look across his boat and under the sail (assuming heeling) to be able to even notice the other. So it makes sense for the port-tack boat to avoid the starboard in case he hasn't been seen.

No idea if that's true - my suspicion is that it's not because the steering oar was long gone by the time the rules of the road were appearing - but from a practical point of view it works.

Pete

 

[stevebrassett]

When the steering gear was on the starboard side of the boat, then on port tack the helm would be on the heeled side of the boat. He would have a good view of any boats to his starboard side, but a poor view to his port side. In fact, thinking about it, the starboard tack boat would be in a similar situation, but not as bad. He would still have a restricted view to port. It makes sense to make the port tack boat the give way boat.

 

[prv]

It's a theory.

Sounds drastically less plausible than even my unlikely theory

Pete

 

[tidclacy]

Starboard (right)


The origin of the term starboard comes from early boating practices. Before ships had rudders on their centrelines, they were steered by use of a specialized steering oar. This oar was held by an oarsman located in the stern (back) of the ship. However, similar to now, there were many more right-handed sailors than left-handed sailors. This meant that the steering oar (which had been broadened to provide better control) used to be affixed to the right side of the ship. The word starboard comes from Old English steorbord, literally meaning the side on which the ship is steered, descendant from the Old Norse words stýri meaning "rudder" (from the verb stýra, literally "being at the helm", "having a hand in") and borð meaning etymologically "board", then the "side of a ship".
Port (left)

An early version of "port" is larboard, which itself derives from Middle-English ladebord via corruption in the 16th century by association with starboard. The origin of lade has not been determined but some would connect it with the verb lade (to load), referring to the side on which cargo was loaded.[1] The term larboard, when shouted in the wind, was presumably too easy to confuse with starboard[2] and so the word port came to replace it. Port is derived from the practice of sailors mooring ships on the left side at ports in order to prevent the steering oar from being crushed.

Larboard continued to be used well into the 1850s by whalers, despite being long superseded by "port" in the merchant vessel service at the time. "Port" was not officially adopted by the Royal Navy until 1844 (Ray Parkin, H. M. Bark Endeavour). Robert FitzRoy, captain of Darwin's HMS Beagle, is said to have taught his crew to use the term port instead of larboard, thus propelling the use of the word into the Naval Services vocabulary.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Starboard (right)


The origin of the term starboard comes from early boating practices. Before ships had rudders on their centrelines, they were steered by use of a specialized steering oar. This oar was held by an oarsman located in the stern (back) of the ship. However, similar to now, there were many more right-handed sailors than left-handed sailors. This meant that the steering oar (which had been broadened to provide better control) used to be affixed to the right side of the ship. The word starboard comes from Old English steorbord, literally meaning the side on which the ship is steered, descendant from the Old Norse words stýri meaning "rudder" (from the verb stýra, literally "being at the helm", "having a hand in") and borð meaning etymologically "board", then the "side of a ship".
Port (left)

An early version of "port" is larboard, which itself derives from Middle-English ladebord via corruption in the 16th century by association with starboard. The origin of lade has not been determined but some would connect it with the verb lade (to load), referring to the side on which cargo was loaded.[1] The term larboard, when shouted in the wind, was presumably too easy to confuse with starboard[2] and so the word port came to replace it. Port is derived from the practice of sailors mooring ships on the left side at ports in order to prevent the steering oar from being crushed.

Larboard continued to be used well into the 1850s by whalers, despite being long superseded by "port" in the merchant vessel service at the time. "Port" was not officially adopted by the Royal Navy until 1844 (Ray Parkin, H. M. Bark Endeavour). Robert FitzRoy, captain of Darwin's HMS Beagle, is said to have taught his crew to use the term port instead of larboard, thus propelling the use of the word into the Naval Services vocabulary.

All good stuff, but doesn't explain why a port tack boat gives way to a starboard one.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I'd be quite surprised if the port-tack-gives-way-to-starboard-tack rule dates back anywhere near as far as the use of steering oars. Anyone know for sure?

 

[lw395]

I have a vague idea it relates to fishing?
Is net hauling generally done on starboard, so a starboard boat less manoeuvrable?
But this could be cause or effect, we choose to be on starboard if we don't want to give way, for instance if we are hove to.

 

[Twister_Ken]

I have a vague idea it relates to fishing?
Is net hauling generally done on starboard, so a starboard boat less manoeuvrable?
But this could be cause or effect, we choose to be on starboard if we don't want to give way, for instance if we are hove to.

That sounds plausible. Any fishing historians about?

 

[Salty John]

It's to do with the prevailing wind at our south coast ports and wanting to give priority to ships leaving over those entering.

 

[chewi]

I'd be quite surprised if the port-tack-gives-way-to-starboard-tack rule dates back anywhere near as far as the use of steering oars. Anyone know for sure?

I dont know, but ifpaassing port/port was established early on with steering ours, it would be bizarre to enact the opposite later on.

 

[VicS]

Salty John is partly right.

Also due to the coriolis effect which in the northern hemisphere results in the wind backing slightly in the gusts.

If the rule had been formulated in the southern hemisphere it would very likely have been the opposite to the one we know.

 

[NormanS]

It's to do with the prevailing wind at our south coast ports and wanting to give priority to ships leaving over those entering.

That seems a very parochial view. What did the Dutch, French etc do?

 

[JumbleDuck]

Also due to the coriolis effect which in the northern hemisphere results in the wind backing slightly in the gusts.

I have seen that theory before, and it seems like the strongest one to me. I'd still like to know when the rule was established.

 

[Salty John]

That seems a very parochial view. What did the Dutch, French etc do?

Britannia ruled the waves.

 

[prv]

I have a vague idea it relates to fishing?
Is net hauling generally done on starboard, so a starboard boat less manoeuvrable?

I believe traditionally the net is handled on the starboard side of the boat. My historical-boats book says that it's because of a biblical passage about casting the net over the right-hand side of the boat; superstitious fishermen considered it good luck to do the same.

I don't know whether this has any influence on manoeuvrability on different tacks, though.

Pete

 

[Iain C]

It's simple.

Yelling "STAAAAAAAR-BOAAAAAARD" from the helm at another vessel sounds nice and decisive, with a few syllables that can be dragged out a bit for maximum effect to force the other boat into a crash tack.

If I shout "PORRRRTTT" loudly from the helm all I get back is SWMBO shouting "BLOODY HELL FINISHED ALREADY I ONLY TOPPED YOUR GLASS UP 10 MINUTES AGO".

 

[Malabar]

Starboard side is traditionally reserved for the Master. That is where he used to walk the deck. This is where his cabin is under the bridge. He can keep a good lookout to starboard; less so to port. And btw, galleys should always be on the port side: when you heave to it should best be on the starboard tack with the cook on the low side above his cooker. Always easier to control pots and pans downhill.

 

[Boo2]

That was what I was told, The port side, so named as ships moored that way to avoid damage to the steering oar that in turn was on starboard to help right handed helmsmen.
Ship then got cannon and it was regulation that they discharge the port side cannons before entering a port ('elf n safety) and it took 15 minutes to reload.
Ships with cannon pass port to port on entering/exiting a port, theoretically less likely to fire on each other.
Ships crossing, the port tack ship has its starboard mounted loaded cannon heeling into the sea, less dangerous, especially if it takes its unloaded port cannons under the stern of the stand-on starboard tack ship.
It's a theory.

Hmm. Istm that the reason is, as you say, that steering rudders and/or tiller are normally held in the right hand, but only because that puts a right-handed helm on the port side of the boat where s/he can see the port side of the boat more easily. That in itself explains mooring port-to, passing port-to-port etc. I think the cannon thing is a red-herring.

Port tack gives way to starboard is because the boat on the port tack has the helm higher in the air than the boat on stbd tack hence better visibility for that helm.

Boo2