Terminology, Ropes, and Social Media

Adrian Morgan treats us to his monthly column for Classic Boat, offering a reflection on the world of social media, ropes jargon and nautical terminology:

Sailing and Social Media Misinformation
You may have noticed how every large, old, possibly wooden, gaff-rigged (maybe) sailing yacht is now a J Class, judging by the reactions on social media to a splendid photo of any large, old, possibly wooden yacht. Why do we go there? It only makes us angry! Invariably after the first, wearisome, predictable exclamation of “Awesome!”, you will be forced to endure posts from those who claim the photo is “definitely a J Class”.

Occasionally, and politely, I will intervene and point out that it is not a J Class, but an America’s Cup contestant; Reliance, Valkyrie or perhaps even a schooner, but life is too short. Social media these days has touched the world of classic boats, as it has every aspect of our lives, and the accompanying misinformation, though seldom disinformation, is here to stay. – Full report