Looking back at 10 years of H2uh0...
As you know, sailors have been doing their thing for thousands of years.
From the primitive animal skin that may have been used to propel a man
on a log to modern day yachts that can approach 40 knots on the open
sea, we have some very archaic sailing terms that have been with us for a
long time. How did they originate? Simple terms like cockpit, shroud
and cunningham. Let's take a look at a term we all use when we go
sailing. "How fast is the boat moving thru the water?" "7 knots", comes
the reply. Knots refers to nautical miles. It corresponds
approximately to one minute of latitude along any meridian. For our
discussion today, we are looking for the origin of the word "knots".
The term knot and log originally are derived from the practice of using a
"log" tied to a knotted rope as a method of gauging speed of a ship.
The log would be thrown into the water and the rope trailed behind the
ship. The number of knots that passed off the ship and into the water in
a given time (from an hourglass) would determine the speed in "knots". Is that cool or
what? It's fun to tell your sailing friends this story when out
sailing. They will be amazed at your in depth knowledge of the sailing
world!
How many knots is this yacht going?
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