The Best Ways to Remember Port & Starboard on a Ship

• When you’re facing the front of a boat, port is on the left side with a red light and starboard is to your right with a green light.
• Remember that “port” and “left” have the same number of letters. That can help you remember that they're on the same side!
• Once you know that port is your left, that means that starboard has to be on your right!

What sides are port and starboard?

Port is left and starboard is right when you face the front of the boat. If you’re standing on the deck and facing the bow, or the front of the boat, then port will be on your left side and starboard will be on your right side. Port and starboard always stay on the same sides, even if you turn around. So if you’re facing the stern (or the back of the boat) instead of the front, then that means that port will now be on your right side and starboard will now be on your left. Sailors use “port” and “starboard” because “left” and “right” could mean different directions depending on a person’s position on the boat. Port and starboard, though, always refer to the same side of the boat, no matter the direction you're facing. Note that if you are on a boat where people tend to face the stern (like rowing), then port will usually be on your right, and starboard, your left.

Tricks to Remember Port and Starboard

Remember that “port” and “left” have the same number of letters. When you’re struggling to remember what side is port on a boat, just count the letters. “Port” and “left” both have 4 letters, so it’s easy to remember that they’re on the same side. If you already know that port is on the left side when you’re facing the bow, then starboard has to be on the right side.

Recognize “starboard” is closer to “right” in the alphabet. When you look at the first letters of each direction, S for “starboard” is closer to R for “right,” meaning the right side is the starboard side. On the other hand, P for “port” is closer to L for “left” in the alphabet, so port is on the left side of the ship.

Notice that “starboard” has 2 Rs to signify the right side of the boat. Look at each word and count the number of times the letter R shows up. Because “R” can also mean “right,” just remember that “starboard” has more Rs in it to represent that it’s on the right side of the boat. Now that you know which side is starboard, it’s easy to determine that the left side is port.

Think of red wine to remember the color of the port-side light. Port wine is a type of red wine, so try to think about it whenever you see the sidelights on a boat. Try remembering the phrase “Is there any red port left in the bottle?” or, “Port wine should be left alone when it’s red,” to memorize that the red light means “port” and is on the left side of the ship. By association, then you know the right side has to be starboard. Another phrase to help you remember could be, “Port is left at sea, but never left at dinner.”

Memorize a mnemonic sentence. A silly sentence may be easier to remember since it will stick in your memory better. Rather than only memorizing the terms and their definitions, try repeating one of these sentences instead: The ship has left port. Sailors use stars to point in the right direction after they have left port. Lucy left lives in the port. Suzy Starboard rows to the right.

Mark the sides of your boat with labels or flags. If you’re sailing your own boat and want a quick visual reference, attach the port labels or flags along the left side of your boat and the starboard ones along the right side. Whenever you’re confused about what side is which, then look for the closest label or flag. This can help you get used to the terms while you're still getting the hang of things!

Wear a pair of port and starboard socks. For a fun and quirky way to learn port and starboard even when you’re not on a ship, get a pair of socks that are labeled with each side. As you get into the habit of putting the port sock on your left foot and the starboard sock on your right foot, you won’t forget which side of a ship they’re referencing. If you ever forget which side is which, just look at the labels on your socks for a quick reminder. Alternatively, put a red sock on your left foot and a green sock on your right foot to reference the colors of port and starboard.

What colors are port and starboard?

The port side has a red light while starboard has a green light. Most boats are required to have “sidelights” so other ships at a distance can tell which way they’re facing. Look for navigation lights on the sides of the deck or near the front of the bow. The side of the boat lit with red lights is the port side while the green lights signify the starboard side. Ships are required to turn on the sidelights between sunset and sunrise, so you may not notice them lit up until it’s dark outside.

Where do the terms port and starboard come from?

Starboard refers to where the steering oar was on old ships. Starboard originally comes from the terms “steor” and “bord,” which mean “steering side.” Before ships had a central rudder, they had a long steering oar. Because most captains were right-handed, the steering oar was on the right side of the ship, and became known as the starboard side.

Port refers to the side of the ship that was moored to the dock. Because large ships had long steering oars on the right side they didn’t want to damage, the left side was closest to the docks when boats came back to port. Even after ships lost their steering oars and had a central rudder, sailors still referred to the left side of the ship as the port side afterwards.