The Vital Rules of Sailing Involve Port and Starboard
If you love sailing, it is important to learn about the important rules involving sailing safety include the matter about port and starboard. For a beginner, the word “Port” may let you thinking of harbor where is built up for a boat to land, but it is not. On the other hand, “Port” in term of sailing is meant to the left-hand side of the boat when you are looking forward towards the bow. On the other hand, “Starboard” is the opposite, it mean to the right-hand side of the boat.
As you are a beginner in sailing boat, you may think that it is simply to use ‘left’ and ‘right’ to control the boat, but the fact is not. These could refer to something else whilst out on the water and become confusing. When you are looking forwards on a boat, Port is on your left-hand side; in contrast it will be on your right-hand side when you are looking to the stern of the boat. According to this, it mean that the Port side of a boat is fixed and it help us to determine ‘left’ and ‘right’ as we look at it.
It is vital to know these two terms because there are many sailing rules regarding the rights of way based on the oncoming boats have referred to them. The simply way to remember them is that Port has the same amount of letters as ‘left’ (4 letters).
Port and Starboard, when undertaking a mooring or docking maneuver, will play a prominent role in commands from the skipper for setting fenders on the side of your yacht, attaching docking lines on approach to a mooring buoy or jetty. And as you are skipper on your boat, directional information is very important and you will need to relay this information as “Port and Starboard”, not “Left and Right”.
The terms Port or Starboard will come in to play on your points of sail, while your yacht is under sailing. If the wind is approach your yacht from the Port side, you are now sailing on a Port Tack and vice versa for a Starboard Tack. And when there is two converge, your yacht is sailing on a run. So, the key of sailing are involving “Close Hauled” and “Port or Starboard Tack”.
To avoid collisions at sea, there are the basic rules set by International Regulations for Avoiding Collisions at Sea that the sailors must to follow while sailing or racing at sea.
- Close Reach, Port or Starboard Tack.
- Beam Reach, Port or Starboard Tack.
- Broad Reach, Port or Starboard Tack.
- Running.
The rules are extensive, but some useful terms relate to Port and Starboard to remember is;
- When two boats are approaching each other with the wind approaching on different sides of the boats, boat sailing on a Port Tack should give a way to the boat sailing on the Starboard Tack.
- When two boats are approaching each other with the wind on the same side, which could occur when you are close hauled sailing, the windward boat should give a way to the leeward boat. (windward side refers to a boat sailing in the direction of the wind, while leeward side refers to a boat sailing against direction of the wind)
Now you might be clear more about Port and Starboard in term of sailing. Take in mind; all about these are very important when you are on the running boat to make sure your sailing is safety.
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