# perfect storm question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-storm-question/622061>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 16, 2012, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-storm-question/622061 "2012-05-16T04:12:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-storm-question/622061/21 "2012-05-18T18:36:09Z")

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> [@muldoonthief](#):
>
> the left side of the room… the port bulkhead of the compartment

Now explain why _side_ (or _wall_) and _room_ are insufficient. 🙂

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**Author:** ![paytoncarsola97](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@paytoncarsola97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paytoncarsola97)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-storm-question/622061/22 "2016-02-11T18:52:22Z")

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> [@crypto](#):
>
> Always wondered why left, right, front, and back were not good enough to describe boat directions.
> 
> Port=left  
> Starboard=right  
> Back=stern  
> Front=bow
> 
> Why a new set of vocabulary to describe the same thing? ( I’m sure there is a reason, but not one that makes sense to me OR Billy Tyne.)
> 
> While we are picking on Capt. Billy Tyne’s boat driving skills, why did he put those big metal arms that swung those steel hooks through the wheelhouse window up, instead of tying them down? Beside the obvious reason to give him an opportunity to use a torch holding onto a pole bouncing through 50 foot wave, I mean.
> 
> Anyway… I agree with the post regarding someone driving as well. The driver looks like they are trying to avoid a million potholes as they drive down the road.

Those “metal arms” are called outriggers and the “metal hook” is called a stabilizer the reason why they are down is because it incrases stabilization during rough weather. Although the way the outrigger swung forward is unreal it would have fell in the water only to be held by some cables and those would have eventually broke. And the reason I know this stuff is because I work on commercial shrimp boats on the gulf coast.

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