which side is port side?
"Why do ships use ""port"" and ""starboard"" instead of ""left"" and ""right?""" When looking forward, toward the. of a ship, port and starboard refer to the left and right sides, respectively. In the early days of boating, before ships had rudders on their centerlines, boats were controlled using a steering oar. Most sailors were right handed, so the steering oar was placed over or through the right side of the. . Sailors began calling the right side the steering side, which soon became starboard by combining two Old English words: steor (stÃ©or meaning) steer and (bord meaning the side of a). boat