On Thu, 14 Jun 2018 09:08:33 -0700 (PDT), True North
wrote:

On Thursday, 14 June 2018 12:54:54 UTC-3, Tim wrote:
10:37
- show quoted text -
When you tie it to an anchor it is a rode and if it is tied to a sail
it is a sheet. Back in the sailing ship days, when most of these terms
were coined, they had ropes going everywhere so they wanted to more
closely define each use one may have.

.....

That’s what I always thought. If it was “towable� or “tossable� it’s usually a “line�. If it’s to be more of a solid fixture like for masts and sails then it’s a “rope� not necessarily a “line� and on an anchor it’s a “rode�


Interesting...

If it's to raise a sail, it's a halyard...to control a sail, a sheet. If used to tie up small dinghies, a painter. To tie up a larger vessel, a line (that is bow line, stern line, spring lines etc)

Like I said, on an old sailing vessel with rope going everywhere they
had to give them distinctive names to know what the hell they were
talking about.