The Fredösphere

While enjoying a free sailing demonstration at the University of Michigan Sailing Club (they give them every Saturday in the summer; you should try it if you live in the area) a few weeks ago, my nephews and I learned that many of the "ropes" or "lines" or "cables" or "cords" on a sailing ship are more properly referred to as "sheets."  This is just wrong.  If anything, a sheet ought to refer to a sail -- you know, something made of cloth.  It turns out the word "rope" is underutilized on sailing ships; except for one "rope" that runs along (and, I suppose, reinforces) the inner edge of a sail, no "rope" on a sailing ship is called a "rope."

So here's my suggestion.  On a certain day in the near future, everyone in the sailing community shall switch over to calling all "sheets" "ropes."  Considering the vastness of my readership, I think we'll need only three days to get the word to everyone.  So let's say 2:00 am, UTC, on Sunday, August 21, 2005, is when we make the switch.

Without objection, is is so ordered.