Posted by jeff pierce on September 13, 2002 at 15:30:26:
In Reply to: Re: Steering wheels posted by Barry on September 09, 2002 at 12:03:52:
Someone once told me this story, but I suspect its fabricated. Thought you might like to hear it anyway:
The story goes that the starboard side steering tradition goes well back in history to a type of boat that had a large rudder offset to the starboard. This was done to keep the rudder clear of the dock. The helm was offset to line up with the rudder. Obviously, this meant the ship was always brought up to the pier with the same side facing the shore. The large rudder was referred to as a steering board, which became the
origin for the word 'starboard'. The other side of the ship became the 'port' side because it was the side that always faced ashore when you came in to port.
It fits together neatly, but as I said, I suspect its BS.