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From: kdh@hou2h.UUCP (K.HUNTER)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: 3 sheets to the wind
Message-ID: <879@hou2h.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 1-May-85 15:59:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: hou2h.879
Posted: Wed May  1 15:59:38 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 2-May-85 02:39:09 EDT
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 20

>> The expression I heard of a similar nature was "Three sheets to the
>> wind."  Can any sailing/ocean-going enthusiast explain this?

>If both sheets were to windward, the sail would be backwinding, and
>the boat would be out of control.  I assume the extra sheet in
>"three sheets to the wind" was added to exaggerate the notion of being
>totally out of control, in the sense of dead drunk. 

Actually, it's worse than that.  A sheet being "to the wind" is a reference
to a sheet which has been lost, i.e. is flying horizontally (and thus
quite out of reach from the deck) from the corner of the sail due to
the force of the wind and a clumsy (or drunk) deckhand.  Since
this makes the sail useless (the sheet is used to control the
angle (set) of the sail with respect to the wind and the boat/ship)
a boat with *three* sheets to the wind is in bad shape indeed.


				Kevin Hunter
				AT&TIS
Sail away.......