Knots. Not the ones you tie—splices are replacing those anyway. No, I mean knots as a speed unit, that old-school nonsense we still cling to.
Here’s the problem: nobody outside sailing knows what knots mean. You tell your friend, “We went 20 knots!” and they go, “Cool! Uh… is that fast?”
So why do we use knots? Let me take you on a history trip. Back in the day, sailors used sextants and guessed their location by staring at stars and the sun. Knots were invented to measure speed because they tied actual knots in a rope and counted how many flew by. Genius for 1723! Useless for 2024.
Here’s a fun fact: 10 knots means you’ll move one degree of latitude in 6 hours. Super helpful… if you’re time-traveling.
And racing? Oh boy. If your boat is 0.1 knots faster, you’re moving one-hundredth of an arcminute more than your competitor per hour. Sounds thrilling, doesn’t it?
The “Modern” Solution
Some sailing events, like SailGP, use km/h for the audience. Because, let’s face it, at least people understand kilometers per hour.
But it’s not exactly jaw-dropping. Sailors know that 100 km/h on water is insane, but your average teenager can drive faster than that. And they’re watching sports where cars hit 300 km/h.
The Best Unit: Meters Per Second
Here comes the most underrated hero: meters per second. It’s simple, scientific, and makes sense for sailors.
Here’s why: if I say you had 0.2 knots better VMG, what does that mean? Nothing. But if I say you were better by 0.2 m/s, you know you’re moving 20 centimeters more every second. Now that’s relatable!
And at the start line? If you’re sailing at 5 m/s VMG, you know the line is getting 5 meters closer every second. It’s direct. It’s precise. It’s beautiful.
No weird conversions. No arcseconds. Just pure, unfiltered math.
The Conclusion
Knots are like flip phones. Cool in their time, but now? Just embarrassing.
Switch to km/h if you want to keep the audience awake. Or go with m/s if you want precision, clarity, and actual usefulness.
It’s time to let knots sail off into history. And hey, maybe practice your splicing instead.