Learn How to Sail - Port & Starboard



Posted: Wednesday, April 29, 2009

by
http://www.learntosailnow.com

When learning how to sail it is important to take onboard (sorry about the pun) the correct terms for each side of the boat.

Port refers to the left-hand side of the boat when you are looking forward towards the bow. Starboard is the opposite, referring to the right-hand side of the boat.

Beginner sailors often think that it would be easier to use 'left' and 'right', but these could refer to something else whilst out on the water and become confusing. When you consider looking forwards on a boat, Port is on your left-hand side, when you are looking to the stern of the boat Port is on your right-hand side, therefore the Port side of a boat is fixed, we naturally determine Left and right as we look at it!

It is important to know these two terms because many sailing rules regarding the rights of way that oncoming boats have refer to them. One common way to remember them is that 'port' has the same amount of letters as 'left', but they will soon roll off the tongue easily.

When undertaking a mooring or docking manoeuvre Port or Starboard play a key role in commands from the skipper for setting fenders on the side of your yacht, attaching mooring or docking lines on approach to a jetty or mooring buoy. When assisting the skipper with directional information it is too important to relay that information as port and starboard and not left and right.

When your yacht is under sail the terms Port or Starboard come in to play on your points of sail, if the wind is approach your yacht from the Port side you are sailing on a Port Tack and vice versa for a Starboard Tack. When to two converge your yacht is sailing on a run.

So the points of sail are; Close Hauled, Port or Starboard Tack.

Close Reach, Port or Starboard Tack.

Beam Reach, Port or Starboard Tack.

Broad Reach, Port or Starboard Tack.

Running.

The basic rules to be followed while sailing or racing at sea are those set by International Regulations for Avoiding Collisions at Sea.

The rules are extensive but with relation to Port and Starboard some useful terms to remember are;

If two yachts are approaching each other with the wind approaching on different sides of the yacht, the yacht sailing on a Port Tack should give way to the yacht sailing on the Starboard Tack.

If two yachts are approaching each other with the wind on the same side, which could happen when you are close Hauled sailing, the windward yacht should give way to the leeward yacht. Windward side refers to a yacht sailing in the direction of the wind, while leeward side refers to a yacht sailing against direction of the wind. This could be for example, a yacht sailing close hauled (leeward yacht) approaching a yacht sailing broad reach (windward yacht) both yachts having the wind over their Port Side.

More information, tips, and sailing strategies on "Learning How To Sail" can be found on my web site :
http://www.learntosailnow.com

Happy Sailing

Clive Peterson

This Article has been viewed 682 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by JL
from US 2 years 272 days ago.
I don't think I could keep it all straight. It is a good thing that I am not at the helm. Good article, Clive. It does sound like a lot of fun. Maybe I will remember port is left now.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.