Starboard

The right-hand side of a vessel when facing forward.

Starboard is fixed to the vessel and does not change with the observer’s facing direction. Its opposite is port, and the terms avoid the ambiguity of left and right when people aboard face different ways.

At night the starboard sidelight is green and marks the prescribed starboard sector. Starboard can also qualify directions and locations such as starboard bow, beam and quarter, whose reference turns with the vessel’s heading.

Nautical Terminology

Aspect Terminology

Related Content:

Bottom-Up vs Top-Down: Pilotage Plans That Work
Bottom-up or top-down? After several practical courses with skippers trained elsewhere, I saw the same pilotage problems: plans too long to read or too thin to protect the boat. Here’s how to choose a format, avoid left/right flips, and build a cockpit-ready plan that works by day and at night.
Buoyage Made Easy: The UK Guide to IALA Region A (with clear examples)
Red to port, green to starboard—and what about cardinals, junctions and sector lights? This plain-English UK guide to IALA Region A turns theory into calm, tidy pilotage, with quick-reference downloads for lights and sound signals.
Creating a Cockpit-ready Pilotage Plan
Free Resources
IRPCS – Sound Signals (Rule: 34 & 35)