Chris:

Apologies -- what I said didn't strictly make sense. Dolphins like to skip and frolic on either side of the prow as a ship moves along, leaping across the bows in a playful way. So the downward projecting piece which enters the water first would often look like it was going to strike one of them, but of course they are much too quick and savvy to let that happen.

EBarnacle, I do not doubt what you say, but I have heard the purist argument about not calling them ropes repeated often; it was seen as lubberly. From your example this may not be a true convention. Kendall will need to enlighten us on what he meant if my surmise is mistaken.

A