 Bow, stern, port, and starboard, fore and aft are nautical terms that convey an impersonal relative direction in the context of the moving frame of persons aboard a ship.The need for impersonal terms is most clearly seen in a rowing shell where the majority of the crew face aft ("backwards"), hence the oars to their right are actually on the port side of the boat.Rowers eschew the terms left, right, port and starboard in favor of stroke-side and bow-side.