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

Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by philo23 on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @05:32AM (#35626172)

I guess some could argue that we do have some special vocabulary for cars too.

E.g. you don't call it the front/back door, you call it the bonnet/boot (or maybe hood/trunk depending where you're from) though that probably is stretching the definition of a door a little bit... but then you also have nearside and offside for passengers/drivers side, though that's probably a bit more of a technical term.

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Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by HPsquared on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @06:14AM (#35626395)

I always get confused by nearside and offside. Is it "near to the driver" or "near to the roadside"?

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Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by beardyw on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @09:08AM (#35627681)

Near the roadside.

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Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by TeMPOraL on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @06:53AM (#35626638)

> though that probably is stretching the definition of a door a little bit...

It is, but then so is the stupid "3-door" / "5-door" / etc. car classification, which is really 2-door / 4-door / etc. with the trunk being counted as additional door for some reason.

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Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by garaetjjte on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @09:20AM (#35627784)

I think it makes sense for hatchbacks, where there's no real trunk/passenger cabin separation.

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Re:Why do ships use “port” and “starboard” instead of “left”... by vel0city on Wednesday April 19, 2023 @10:19AM (#35628504)

The trunk is considered a door when it opens into the main cabin instead of a separate compartment.

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