I am new to boating and I always get confused with portside and
starboard or the red and green nav lights position and direction.
Is there an easy trick or rule of thumb one can use to always remember
these ?

Thanks for the help

"quizno mouse" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am new to boating and I always get confused with portside and
starboard or the red and green nav lights position and direction.
Is there an easy trick or rule of thumb one can use to always remember
these ?

Thanks for the help


Just remember to remember. Seriously.....

On Aug 10, 8:54 am, quizno mouse wrote:
I am new to boating and I always get confused with portside and
starboard or the red and green nav lights position and direction.
Is there an easy trick or rule of thumb one can use to always remember
these ?

Thanks for the help

Port has less letters than starboard, left has less letters than
right. Port is left, right starboard.

If you are traveling in a river and looking at the bouys to stay in
the lane, remember to keep the Red bouys, on the right side of your
boat, while returning up river. So remember red, right, return... HTH

When you are out at night it's easy to look at your own lights to remind you
which one is on which side.

"quizno mouse" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am new to boating and I always get confused with portside and
starboard or the red and green nav lights position and direction.
Is there an easy trick or rule of thumb one can use to always remember
these ?

Thanks for the help

On Aug 10, 9:47 am, Gene Kearns
wrote:

Is there an easy trick or rule of thumb one can use to always remember
these ?

Thanks for the help

Port has less letters than starboard, left has less letters than
right. Port is left, right starboard.

If you are traveling in a river and looking at the bouys to stay in
the lane, remember to keep the Red bouys, on the right side of your
boat, while returning up river. So remember red, right, return... HTH

Puleeeze..... attend a USPS school or the like.



Puleeeze?? Do you really talk like that? Anyway, if you read his
question, he asked for an "easy trick, or rule of thumb", I think I
gave the best answer to "his" question so far. And as far a a USPS
school, I am somewhat confused. But I have taken my required boaing
courses, and have completed all the requirements for my operators
licence, in fact I aced the test. If you have more training, or don't
consider my states requirements good enough, change the law, God bless
you, I boat in the river and local lakes, I have most of the
information I need, nobody knows everything.

Now you have agitated me, I wipe out your sig file sir, and I usually
leave it

wrote:
On Aug 10, 9:47 am, Gene Kearns
wrote:

Is there an easy trick or rule of thumb one can use to always remember
these ?
Thanks for the help
Port has less letters than starboard, left has less letters than
right. Port is left, right starboard.
If you are traveling in a river and looking at the bouys to stay in
the lane, remember to keep the Red bouys, on the right side of your
boat, while returning up river. So remember red, right, return... HTH
Puleeeze..... attend a USPS school or the like.



Puleeeze?? Do you really talk like that? Anyway, if you read his
question, he asked for an "easy trick, or rule of thumb", I think I
gave the best answer to "his" question so far. And as far a a USPS
school, I am somewhat confused. But I have taken my required boaing
courses, and have completed all the requirements for my operators
licence, in fact I aced the test. If you have more training, or don't
consider my states requirements good enough, change the law, God bless
you, I boat in the river and local lakes, I have most of the
information I need, nobody knows everything.

Now you have agitated me, I wipe out your sig file sir, and I usually
leave it


Just,
The OP was discussing the NAV lights on his boat, not Nav Markers. The
Port light on a boat is red, the Starboard Light on a boat is green, so
when you see a green light on your port side, the boat is going to cross
your path. If you see a red light on your starboard side, the boat will
cross your path.

On Aug 10, 10:06 am, "Reginald P. Smithers III"
wrote:


Just,
The OP was discussing the NAV lights on his boat, not Nav Markers.

I thought so too, but he also asked about direction, so I figured I
would add a quick tip there too just in case. He being a new boater
might not know what he is or really needs to ask.

The
Port light on a boat is red, the Starboard Light on a boat is green, so
when you see a green light on your port side, the boat is going to cross
your path. If you see a red light on your starboard side, the boat will
cross your path.- -

Someone posted this link the other day:
http://www.boatsafe.com/flash/reviewlights.html
I am going to study till I know it, going to make my kids do it too.

Anyway, I hope in the long run, the guy gets the "tip" he needs.

On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 09:47:20 -0400, Gene Kearns
wrote:

Puleeeze..... attend a USPS school or the like. The above information
is correct, but incomplete. This can get horribly confusing when
navigating from a primary channel into a secondary channel or vice
versa.

Don't venture out without a chart.

Excellent advice.

That said, here's a few memory aids:

"Port wine red" - the red nav light is on the port (left) side.

"Red right returning and left leaving" - channel buoys (normally when
entering a harbor)

"Red light stop" - the boat you are observing has the right of way
because it is approaching from your starboard (right) side.

To a beginner the use of port and starboard terminology may seem like
an unnecessary complexity but it is not. The port side of the boat is
always the same regardless of which way you are facing at the time.
For example, if you say the "left side" that is ambiguous to someone
who is facing backwards, and you are facing forwards.

wrote:
On Aug 10, 10:06 am, "Reginald P. Smithers III"
wrote:

Just,
The OP was discussing the NAV lights on his boat, not Nav Markers.

I thought so too, but he also asked about direction, so I figured I
would add a quick tip there too just in case. He being a new boater
might not know what he is or really needs to ask.

The
Port light on a boat is red, the Starboard Light on a boat is green, so
when you see a green light on your port side, the boat is going to cross
your path. If you see a red light on your starboard side, the boat will
cross your path.- -

Someone posted this link the other day:
http://www.boatsafe.com/flash/reviewlights.html
I am going to study till I know it, going to make my kids do it too.

Anyway, I hope in the long run, the guy gets the "tip" he needs.




Let's see. I'm heading north. I look to my left, or port, side, and I
see another boat's lights. Actually I see its green nav light. So,
according to Reggie Retardo, the other boat is going to cross my path.

Except the other boat is on a course parallel to mine, and is heading in
the same direction.

Now, I'm a few miles upstream. The other boat is far behind. I see a red
nav light on my starboard side. According to Reggie Retardo, the boat
will cross my path.

Except the other boat is on a course parallel to mine, and is heading in
the same direction.

Whoops.

On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 05:54:11 -0700, quizno mouse
wrote:

I am new to boating and I always get confused with portside and
starboard or the red and green nav lights position and direction.
Is there an easy trick or rule of thumb one can use to always remember
these ?

As a newbie, you will come to recognise it as time goes by. The
menomic of "red, right, return" is what causes the confusion.

I tell newbies who really want to remember it is to put two small
stickers on the console or windshield - red labeled port, green
labeled starboard.

Eventually you won't need the stickers anymore.

As to direction, there are a couple of ways to determine what
direction a boat is approaching you based on the lights. If you only
see red and white, then the boat will be to your left. If you only
see green and white, then the boat will be to your right.

If you see only a white light, that means you are behind a vessel.

If you see red and green and white, you are in deep doo doo. :)

There are a number of training programs around the web - boat/us has
one I believe that will give you a hand.