Stern view   Stern view, showing steering chains running from the hawse-holes to the rudder head, and mizzen boom running off to the left at the top of the picture.
The reason for this "off-centre" arrangement (also affecting the bowsprit) is that the nets were almost always cast from the starboard side, it being considered very unlucky to cast to port (for biblical reasons: Jesus told the fishermen to cast their nets to the right - John 21v6) and so the starboard deck area was kept clear by placing the boom and bowsprit to port.