Sailing vessels passing port to port or left side to left side has to do
with ancient methods of steering ships. Originally ships did not have stern
mounted rudders but a steering oar that was hung off the starboard (steering
board or right) side by tradition. So as not to cause catastrophic steering
damage if two ships should collide while passing bow to bow, they kept to
the right to protect the steering oar.
Since the steering oar was on the starboard (right) side, they would, of
course, tie up at a pier on the opposite side of the steering oar or left
side so as not to bang up the steering. Apparently the convention of
calling the left side, Port, did not catch on widely, right away, however.
The more common name for the left side was Larboard and persisted into the
17th century or even later. I heard that they switched to the less common
term, port, because of confusion generated by the terms starboard and
larboard. After a few broadsides, in the heat of battle the sailors
couldn't differentiate between 'lar' and 'star', often with disastrous
results.
Aloha
Peter
>From: Rick Grant <rgrant@cadvision.com>
>Reply-To: lro@works.team.net
>To: lro@works.team.net
>Subject: Re: LRO: Which side? (was 2 Land Rover questions)
>Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 20:43:35 -0600
>
>At 19:22 14/05/01 -0700, C. Marin Faure, wrote
>>Here's another puzzle, though. In the US and Canada, railroad engine
>>drivers sit on the right side of their cabs, and oncoming trains pass (on
>>a
>>double track mainline) to the left of each other.
>
>And another one to add to the list. Why do helicopter pilots
>(pilot-in-command) sit on the right with their co-joes to the left while
>aircraft PIC's sit on the left? And isn't there something about boat
>drivers on the right as well?
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Rick Grant
>
> 1959 Series II "88"
> VORIZO
>
>
>
>Rick Grant Communications
>Media and Crisis Management
>Calgary Ottawa
>www.rickgrant.com
>
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