The first sailing vessels appeared in Egypt about 3000 years BC. The paintings decorating ancient Egyptian vases demonstrate to it. Application of the sail became the first use by the person of energy of the elements – air. Initially the sail played the role of the auxiliary propeller at the passing directions of wind. But over time sailing arms became the main thing, having almost completely forced out oars. Gradually sails and the spar became complicated and became more various.
From the beginning of the era of dynasties of Pharaohs (3200-2240 B.C.) in Egypt the wooden shipbuilding appeared and began to develop. Externally the boat was the campaign on the papyrian boat.
The vessel had the primitive quadrangular sail with which could go downwind. Arms of the vessel were finished by fungal oars and also one or several oars wheels which are strongly fixed in oarlocks aft.
The most ancient type-setting vessel of Egyptians was found in 1952 in the southern part of pyramid of Cheops (Hufu). Its age – nearly 4.5 thousand years! The crescent hull with the displacement of 40 t had length of 43.4 m with the width of 5.9 m.
Vessels of the era of the New kingdom it is ruinous differed from the predecessors. The profile of the vessel became much more sharply, the nose and the stern rose even above. Forever the tying belt, but, in order to avoid the longitudinal bend of the vessel consigned to the past, shipbuilders nevertheless continued to pull the cable between beams on the nose and the stern.
Sailing vessel of ancient Egypt
It is possible thatIt is possible that ancient Greeks, the first the boats which learned to fit animal skin, thought up also the sail – the most important, after the oar, the instrument of ship-handling.
Relying on own achievements in the technique, Greeks borrowed all the best of the design of the Aegean and Phoenician courts. The Ancient Greek fleet was under construction generally for sea war, and therefore at Greeks distinctions between trade both warships – hardy and maneuverable for the first time were accurately designated. The hull was painted and rubbed with fat, and below the waterline it was pitched or sheathed lead sheets.
The first ships soldiers were rather light vessels and had length only 30-35 m. Depending on quantity of rows of oars first built single-row unirhemes and two-story birema. The usual easy unirheme had 12-15 m had 25 rowing oars from each party. The metal ram on these vessels was served by the huge spear of approximately 10-meter length.
Gradually time changed appearance of warships. Trirema became the main vessels of most the Mediterranean fleet (Greeks called from grain-cleaning machines). Three tiers of oars gave this name to them. The total number of oars on such vessel reached 170.
Merchant ships of Greeks (lemba, keleta and kerkura) were improved quicker, than military. With the length of 20-25 m they had the loading capacity of 800-1000 tons. On the merchant ship quite often established two masts. The main mast carried the quadrangular sail strengthened on the yard. As ballast sand was used.
Sailing vessel of Ancient Greece
The first sailing ships of the Middle Ages appeared at the time of crusades. At this time appeared sailing the nave. The first naves were single-masted. Subsequently their began to equip with two masts-odnoderevkami. The high foremast was established on the rostrum. The mainmast was in the middle of the case, and were longer than the keel.
On naves there were three boats and many anchors – usually to twenty. It was almost impossible to lift the anchor which weighed more than a ton. Therefore seamen preferred to leave the anchor which executed the mission, without regret chopping off the anchor rope.
Crews of some naves totaled 100-150 sailors. Such vessels could take up to one thousand passengers on the vessel. Naves were floridly painted and decked by bright flags and pennants. Except all this were made out by carved jewelry, sculptures of mermaids and gods. Sails were color: from scarlet to black.
Types of the sailing ships were various at all times. Besides the original design the sailing vessel could be modified at the request of the owner, depending on conditions of swimming or local traditions. Navigation of the sailing ships can borrow from one day to several months, however long navigation assumes careful planning with calling ports for replenishment of stocks.
There are different types of the sailing ships, but all of them have the general basic characteristics. Each sailing vessel has to have the case, the spar, the rigging, and at least one sail.
Main components of the sailing vessel
Spar - the system of masts, yards, gafely and other designs intended for placement of sails, signal lights, observation posts, etc. The spar can be motionless (masts, steng, the bowsprit) and mobile (yards, gafel, geeks).
Spar
The rigging - all tackles of the sailing vessel, represents the tense cables. The rigging is divided into standing and running. The standing rigging serves for deduction on the place of the spar and plays the role of extensions. Cables of the standing rigging on modern sailing vessels are made, as a rule, of galvanized steel. The running rigging is intended for management of sails - their rise, cleaning, etc.
Rigging
Sail - the propeller of the sailing vessel - the part of fabric, on modern sailing vessels - synthetic which fastens to the spar by means of the rigging, allowing to transform wind power to the movement of the vessel. Sails are divided into direct and slanting. Direct sails have the form of the ravnoboky trapeze, slanting - the form of the triangle or the neravnoboky trapeze. Use of slanting sails allows the sailing vessel to move abruptly by wind.
Sails
Types of masts
- Foremast. It is the very first mast if to consider from the vessel nose.
- Mainmast. It is the second design of this kind from the rostrum. On two-three-mast vessels it is also the highest.
- Mizzen-mast. The fodder mast which on any vessel is the latest from the nose.
The most widespread classification of sailing vessels is separation on type and quantity of masts. From there is also the name like the sailing ship. So, all sailing vessels can bear on the masts various types of sails in various quantity, but all of them are divided into the following categories:
Single-masted sailing vessels
- The yawl - the light beskilevy sailboat (shvertbot). The mast on the yawl one, often removable is also called the foremast.
- Cat - the sailing vessel characterized by existence of one mast which is taken out far ahead that is near the nasal part of the boat.
- The sloop-of-war - the single-masted sea sailing vessel.
- The tender - the single-masted sea sailing vessel having three appearance of the sail on the mast - the staysail, the trisfir-tree and the top mudflow.
- Kutter - the sailing vessel having one mast with slanting, as a rule, gaff arms at two staysails.
Two-mast sailing vessels
- The yole - the two-mast vessel at which the mizzen-mast is located in the stern near the wheel head, and the having slanting sailing equipment.
- Kech - the two-mast sailing vessel different from the yole a little bigger mizzen-mast. Besides the area of the sail of the fodder mast is about 20 percent of the general windage of the sailing vessel. Such feature gives advantages on controllability at strong wind.
- Schooner (Bermudas schooner) - the sea sailing vessel having two masts with slanting sails.
- The brigantine - the two-mast sailing vessel with the combined sailing equipment having direct sailing arms on the foremast and slanting sails on the mainmast.
- Brig - the two-mast sailing vessel having direct sailing arms.
Three-mast sailing vessels (multimast sailing vessels)
- The caravel - has three masts with direct and slanting sails.
- Bark - the big sailing vessel with three and more masts having direct sailing arms on all masts except the fodder mast which is equipped with slanting sails.
- The barkentine (schooner bark) - as a rule, this sailing vessel with three and more masts with the mixed sailing equipment, also has direct sailing arms only on the foremast, on other masts slanting sails are located.
- The frigate - the sailing vessel having three and more masts with direct sails on all masts.
Yacht
Initially sailing yachts represented the fast and light vessels which are used for transportation of the high-ranking persons. Subsequently the yacht began to call any sailing and motor, motor or just sailing vessel intended for the tourist or sports purposes.
The first yachts appeared in the eighteenth century. They were rather fast and comfortable for this reason rich people preferred this type of the sea transport. Modern sailing yachts have the suspended motor which allows to maneuver easily in port and to float with the low speed even during the full calm. They are divided into cruiser (on their board there is the cabin), walking and racing.
Except above-mentioned types of sailing vessels in the history of navigation there was the large number of other names, many of which disappeared eventually, but thanks to enthusiasts some vessels reached our days in the form of full-function copies or remarks: corvette, flutes, galleon, lugger, clipper, shebeka, karakka, vindzhammer.
Classification of sailing vessels
by the form cases:
- Wooden.
- Plastic.
- Steel.
by the number of cases:
- Single-unit
- Two-case (sailing catamarans)
- Three-case (sailing trimarans)
depending on use of the keel:
- Keel yachts (on such vessels use the heavy keel, it allows to reduce significantly drift of the vessel and to lower the center of gravity).
- Shvertbota (on such yachts is established special shvert, in need of him it is possible to lift and reduce vessel draft).
- Yachts compromises (on them use intermediate constructive decisions between shvertbota and keel designs).
Ancient sailing vessels and their navigators deserve our admiration and respect even now, at the end of the 20th century when there is both the radar navigation, and space sails. All of them - the general heritage of mankind. The old sailing vessels which remained till our time became the museums or are placed in the museums.