Learning the Ropes

Terminology under sail has evolved over many, many centuries as vessels moved from inland to coastal waters and from there to the seas of the world, expanding experiences, mixing crews from many nations and languages while developing larger and faster sailing ships requiring more terminology. A never-ending story.

James Parbery, an early and well known member of James Craig’s crew, who now sails as master of the barquentine Southern Swan, has a fascination with the vocabulary of the sea. In this article, James asks the question, is it a rope or a line?

Click here to read on: Learning the Ropes : Learning the Ropes – Bibliography