Oct 10 2011

There’s some red port left in the bottle.

Do you know your port from your starboard?

It is easy if you remember that ‘there is some red port left in the bottle’.

‘Port’ is the nautical term for left, and it is designated by the colour red.

‘Starboard’ is the nautical term for right, and is designated by the colour green,

The WILT team have been away on a houseboat for a few days.

 

Even when sailing the high seas, there are ‘rules of the road’ that must be obeyed.

 

Sailboats have right of way over power boats.

 

When travelling upriver (i.e. towards port), keep the green channels markers on your starboard side, and the red channel markers on your port side. Do the opposite when travelling downstream (towards the sea).

 

If you current course will cause you to collide with a boat coming towards you, change your course to starboard. i.e. pass the other boat on your left side – the opposite of the way we drive.(Keep right)

 

If you are on a course that will cross another power boat, you should give way if that boat is on your starboard (right). 

 

If two sailing boats are on a  collision course, the boat with the wind coming from its starboard side has right of way. If the two yachts are on the same tack, the downwind (leeward) boat has right of way.