[Robert A Cook PE]

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.

[fastattacksailor]

As I remember they did not change the way the wheel was rigged until about the 1920's right?

I had a Great Uncle that had said that when he was in the RN in WW1, the ships used the tiller method.

[Bob]

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

Picky. Picky. Picky. It took a lot of concentration to be sure that I used the proper term boat instead of ship. :=)