Posted by Jim Hadfield on July 02, 2007 at 16:34:25 from 89.243.19.138 user JimHadfield.
Sorry to dredge this up again, but I`ve just got back from a month`s holiday and been catching up.
My "Pocket Oxford Guide to Sailing Terms" says of "ship" --- "a generic name for a sea-going vessel, as opposed to a boat".
It then goes on to say --- "In strict maritime usage the word also signifies a particular type of vessel, one with a bowsprit and three masts, each with topmast and topgallant masts, and square rigged on all three ......although this narrow definition did not, even in the days of sail invalidate the generic use of the term to encompass all types of sea-going vessels"
Seems like you can have your cake and eat it!