Ho Ho Captain
...an alternate to this is
starboard has nine letters, right has five letters .....
green has five letters
port has four letters.......left also has four letters .......
red has three letters
So a simple mathematical notation solves our question
9x5x5 = 225
4x4x3 = 48
225 is a bigger number than 48
starboard is a bigger word than port
Now the difficult point of understanding is that starboard is a derivate of larboard .......from memory larboard was the outboard or opposite side of the vessel to that as moored to the wharf or bank.................from this we deduce that vessels were moored on the opposite side which is the port side
Well .....that's how we did it on our way from the London docks to OZ in the first Fleet..........
... Derek