Glossary · Sailing & navigation
Knot
Also called: Nœud, nœuds, kn, kt, knots
The unit of speed at sea: one nautical mile per hour, or 1.852 km/h.
The knot measures the speed of boats and wind. It is one nautical mile per hour, 1.852 km/h. A boat doing 20 knots is going 37 km/h; a 30-knot wind is a near gale.
The name comes from the knotted log line sailors once let out into the water to measure speed.
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No source yet · updated 30 Sept 2026