Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left” and “right?”

Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by bergie on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @03:47AM (#35625492)

Freighters have right of way in constrained waters, but offshore they still need to make way for sailboats.

(Yes, I know colregs is a bit more nuanced than that, but I think this is a decent approximation)

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Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by heikkilevanto on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @04:35AM (#35625822)

Plastic boats give way to wooden ship, wooden ships give way to metal ships, and nothing gives way anything much smaller than itself - Not the colreg rules, but a good approximation for unskilled crew members. Especially on a wooden ship.

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