Posted by Mike Field on December 08, 2003 at 06:00:54 from 203.166.84.212 user mikefield.
As I read it, when Captain Flint and his crew put the Sea Bear ashore on legs to scrub her bottom, they'd headed her due west to beach her on the eastern side of one of the islands west of the Minch. (The map in Chapter 1 makes it pretty clear.) Further, we know they beached her bows-on, because the slope of the beach pretty-well cancelled out the drag on her keel, so that she dried level.
That being the case, why does John "glance towards the sun" and say, of the bottom-painting, " 'Her starboard side'll be dry first.' "
Wouldn't it be her port side?