On Sat, 11 Aug 2007 18:18:45 -0700, quizno mouse
wrote:

We use the name PORT side to define the left side but is this a Naval
tradition because boats would dock on it's port side or is it
irrelevant ?

Tradition holds that answer to be the correct one. The reason is
because the steering-board or oar was usually located on the starboard
side which prevented the ship from docking on to starboard.

Selected sentences from my handy dandy book of nautical terms:

"Starboard is a corruption of the Alglo-Saxon steorbord (steer board)
which hung over the right-hand side of the vessel.

The left hand side was known as larboard (loading side).

In 1844, the British Admirality officially changed the term larboard
to port which was quickly adopted by the US, French, Spanish and
German Navy."

Interesting little tidbit - remember what I said about the stickers?
That idea came from the British who used to put red and green ribbons
on their recruits hats so they could tell port from starboard when
facing forward.