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To: hereandnow
looks like e-stbd to me. Well maybe e-mail, or is it e-commerce. No way that it is e-port. :)

Actually, the picture was taken from the bow (the pointy thingy at the front) looking toward the stern (the other end, the one with the fan). Looking forward from aboard the boat, the far side in the picture is the port side (they call it that because that's the side they always tie to the pier).

My apologies for the technical jargon; nautical terminology can be confusing at times. :=)

75 posted on 01/25/2005 3:32:48 PM PST by Bob
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To: Bob; fastattacksailor
Actually, the picture was taken from the bow (the pointy thingy at the front) looking toward the stern (the other end, the one with the fan). Looking forward from aboard the boat, the far side in the picture is the port side (they call it that because that's the side they always tie to the pier).

My apologies for the technical jargon; nautical terminology can be confusing at times. :=)

At the risk of being picky..... 8<)

On boats (subs for you surface type swimmers!) the pointy end of a boat IS the stern.

The rounded end IS the bow.

Starboard side is a derivative of the medieval term "steerboard" side - because the old tillers (before rudders were invented) were mounted to the right hand side of the ship - right hand defined, as you pointed out, looking forward.

through most of history (past the Napoleonic times, the opposite was the "larboard" side, but it became "port" side to reduce confusion in storms between "larboard + starboard" when giving voice orders.

96 posted on 01/25/2005 4:54:10 PM PST by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but Kerry's ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: Bob
Looking forward from aboard the boat, the far side in the picture is the port side (they call it that because that's the side they always tie to the pier).

Ahh, another nautical lore afficianado! In olden days, that was indeed the necessary side to tie up on. Why? Because the starboard (right) side was the 'steering board' (get it??) side and a skipper didn't want to damage his steering board (rudder in modern usage) banging it into the typically stone quays in ports of the period. So he'd moor on the non-starboard (or port) side.

123 posted on 01/25/2005 8:13:50 PM PST by IonImplantGuru (PhD, School of Hard Knocks)
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