On Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:38:12 -0500, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

Pete Keillor fired this volley in
:

What the hell's a real sailor anyway?

A sailor is someone who calls twisted wire thingies "rope", and who calls
twisted fiber thingies "line" or "hawsers"; And ne'er the twain shall
meet.

LLoyd

Or sheets, outhauls, halyards, etc. depending on function. I've never
used hawser, considering that a towline or mooring line for a ship,
not the size of boats I'm interested in. And I refer to a nylon
anchor rode as rope. I don't currently have a sailboat, and when I
did, my only wire was standing rigging.

I've known "sailors" who called out "ready about -- hard alee" when
coming about, then tossed their cookies in a little chop. But man,
they looked good in the topsiders and khakis.

Using any terminology has its place to provide good communications and
avoid confusion. Overuse to prove you're among the chosen generally
leads to miscommunication, more often than not.

Pete Keillor