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Believe it or not the term that covers everything related to end-to-end communications is referred to as "System Gain".
An electromagnetic field will excite the electrons in an antenna even if the field and the antenna are exactly perpendicular. This is a physical effect related to the electrons interaction with the changing electrical and magnetic fields. This effect should not be confused with the affect of polarization on photons.
I agree that an insulated backstay antenna is good enough for most sailors. However, I should note that my reference to the 5/8 wavelength vertical is a little inside joke of mine. You see, it turns out that the physical length of an uninsulated backstay on most sloop rigged cruising boats is 5/8 of a wavelength somewhere in the HF spectrum. So, by leaving out the insulators and feeding the backstay directly you end up with pretty good antenna.
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