More often than not, I am searching for a good photo to go with a post…In one of those rare occurrences, this time, I’ve been searching for a post to go along with THIS great photo! Obviously, with good humor, SailTime Member, Steve Van Hook, sent me this picture taken by someone who crewed for him the other day.

It made me think of SailTime’s first promotional T-shirt that said – “Pull that thing…No! Pull that other thing!” Which begs the question why are “ropes”‘ called “sheets” and “lines” and “halyards” on sailing vessels? Little did I know I had found a “Google Killer” of a question? The only answer the great answer machine could give me was this: “If you are escaping from an asylum, your sheets can become ropes, but when are ropes sheets?” Don’t you just hate it when all the intelligence of the world comes back to you with a question of its own?

Of course, this is all good fun and believe me, I am going somewhere with this! If ropes were just ropes on a sailboat how would one know which rope the Captain wanted you to pull on? Instead, when you are told to release the jib sheet, you know what to do. As well, if you don’t drop the dock lines you won’t be leaving the dock and if you can’t raise the halyard, chances are very good you won’t be going sailing anywhere! Giving specific parts of boats their own names allows us to pinpoint important stuff exactly. 

However, all this nomenclature is part of the reason that non-sailors are intimidated by the sport. Want to save money on learning the stuff you need to know to command a yacht? Our Spring Sale on sailing lessons continues through the end of the month and we guarantee you will understand the salty language that accompanies your training. Not sure if any of this is for you? Ask about our introductory lesson that allows you to find out!

Tags: channel islands harbor, halyards, learn to sail, lessons, lines, oxnard, Sailing, SailTime, sheets

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