On a boat, we don’t use ropes. If a skipper gives instructions to their crew using this term, something’s not right. Boating has its own vocabulary, and those who live it must be aware that each word has its specific meaning. Ropes don’t exist, you can’t confuse the halyard with the sheet, tightening and hauling aren’t perfect synonyms. And don’t be mischievous. Let’s take a quick review of all the vocabulary related to textile lines on boats and the actions that can be performed with them.

The basic lexicon requires knowledge of the term line to indicate the cable used for mooring, as well as the hawser, which differs only in size. A particular line is the stern line, used at the stern for mooring or towing. Still speaking of size, the small line has a limited diameter, generally between 1.5 and 5 millimeters. For sailors, the halyard is used to raise the sail, the sheet to adjust it. The strop is a short length, the messenger serves as a disposable cable guide, while the painter is used for towing. The reef point has the task of holding the reefed sail, the topping lift supports the boom when the mainsail is lowered.

Is the difference clear? Let’s now look at the verbs that indicate their use. A skipper who coils a line is simply gathering it into a coil. Hauling in means applying greater tension, and tightening is only partially synonymous: it should only be applied after easing. Don’t forget the difference between easing, which means reducing the grip, and paying out, meaning to loosen the hold by letting it run. A subtlety that can avoid embarrassment on board. Finally, to release tension, the correct term is letting go.

Getting fouled, less commonly used with the transitive to foul, indicates when a line becomes tangled with itself, with other lines, or with any object. Making fast indicates securing a line firmly to a support, more generally called hitching. Taking a turn means making a complete turn of the line around the support. To connect two lines (to create a longer one) the correct term isn’t tying, but splicing. Finally, let’s remember not only the term but also the good practice of coiling, which means gathering a line in a snake-like pattern, to avoid throwing it in disorder on the deck. More generally, it can also mean storing a line on a surface by organizing it in concentric strips so it doesn’t tangle. Speaking of ropes, for a skipper, denotes a worrying difficulty in managing nautical terminology.