Module 1 - Nautical Terms
Port and Starboard
What you will learn
Identify the vessel's port and starboard sides from any position aboard and relate them to navigation sidelights without confusing buoyage regions.
Port and starboard are fixed sides of the vessel: port is left and starboard is right when you face the bow.
When facing forward, the left side of the boat is port and the right side is starboard. Navigation sidelights are red to port and green to starboard. Lateral buoy colours are jurisdiction-specific: the UK uses IALA Region A, where port-hand marks are red and starboard-hand marks are green in the direction of buoyage; Region B reverses those lateral colours.
A useful mnemonic: 'port' and 'left' both have four letters. Another: 'Is there any RED PORT LEFT in the bottle?'
Interpret an instruction from anywhere aboard
You are standing in the cockpit facing the stern when someone reports a fender dragging on the starboard side. The vessel's starboard side has not changed just because you turned around.
1. Face the boat
Picture yourself looking from stern towards bow.
2. Fix the sides
Port is then the vessel's left side and starboard its right side.
3. Separate systems
Use red and green for vessel sidelights, but apply the correct IALA region when interpreting lateral marks.
Sense check: A vessel's port sidelight remains red worldwide; IALA Region A or B changes lateral-mark colours, not the vessel's sidelights.
Common mistake or limitation
- Port and starboard belong to the vessel and do not swap when a crew member faces aft.
- Vessel sidelight colours are not the same rule as regional lateral buoy colours: IALA Region B reverses the lateral-mark colours used in Region A.
Recap
- Facing the bow, port is left and starboard is right.
- The port sidelight is red and the starboard sidelight is green.
- Check the buoyage region before using red or green to interpret lateral marks.
Optional quick check
Section 2 of 8
You turn to face the stern. Which description of starboard is still correct?
Continue studying Nautical Terms
This public lesson is part of Revision Module 1. Full revision access adds the guided Learn, Practise and Test flow, flashcards and revision progress.