What is the difference between knots and kilometres in relation to distance travelled in sailing?

Question

i want to know why they use knots instead of kilometres when sailing

Answer 1

How confusing the answers are......

Maybe this would be simpler.  

A kilometer is distance.  

Kilometers an hour is the speed you need to do to cover that many kilometers, in an hour.

A nautical mile is distance. (Often used at sea or in the air).  Knots is the speed you need  to do to cover that many nautical miles in an hour.

5 Km per hour gets you 5 Kilometers away after an hour.

5 Knots per hour gets you 5 Nautical Miles away after an hour.

Knots is speed in Nautical miles per hour.

Answer 2

1 nautical mile = 1.852 kilometers

1 kilometer = 0.54 nautical mile

1 knot = 1 natutical mile per hour

1 knot = 1.852 kilometers per hour

1 kilometer per hour = 0.54 knots

Why?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knot_(speed...

Answer 3

1 kilometer = .54 knots (nautical miles)

3 measurements in knots (nautical miles):  International, US and UK.  The one above is International.  All three round to .54 knots per km.

Dividing the earth equally east ,west, north and south.

Its also the metric system. "A" degrees of latitude or longitude is the metric distance between points on a compass. That is why a knot is 1.15 mph. Knots are speed and distance used on salt water. MPH and Miles are used on fresh water

Answer 4

A knot is a speed(distance /time) while a kilometer is a distance.  The knot is associated with the nautical mile which is 2000yds. Not only is it used at sea it is also used in aviation.

The knot is imperial  while the other is metric.The use of the knot is the traditional nautical measure based on the rate at which the regular knots on a rope passed over the stern of a sailing ship..