Why don't they say left and right on a boat?
Why don't they say left and right on a boat? Since port and starboard never change, they are unambiguous references that are independent of a mariner's orientation, and, thus, mariners use these nautical terms instead of left and right to avoid confusion.
What do sailors call the left side of the ship?
When looking forward, toward the bow 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.