Sailing History
Sailing wasn't just always a fun hobby. It was a way of life. Sailing ships were used for fishing, to feed entire villages, been used for trading, used for war purposes and used for transportation purposes.
Sailing in sailboats used to be the only way to travel long distances. All cultures and countries had developed their own forms of sailboats. The Chinese built boats called junks. These had very short masts. The Europeans developed square rig sail boats.
The primary use of the sailing boat during the late 15th century to the 17 century were for trade and transportation. They were rarely used for personal uses or for "holidays". After this period however, sailboats did become used for personal enjoyment. Yachts were the first boats used for pleasure and the word yacht originated from the Dutch.
Sailing as a sport was introduced by King Charles II to England. This started the spread all the way over to the new world of America. It was in 1720 that the first yachting club was formed in Cork in Ireland. The first American yachting club was formed in 1844 in New York. It is still considered the older yachting club in America. The greatest sailing race in the world is the America's cup and this came about as the American beat the British in a race around the Isle Of Wight in 1851.
Sailing today is a hugely popular sport, even featured in the Olympics. There are many manufacturers coming up will all sorts of new designs to make the boats lighter, cheaper and faster on the water. Sailing can be done by most ages. Sailing for children has become a very popular past time as well.
Featured Sailing Articles
Basic Sailing ClassesSailing classes are the ideal way to get started learning how to sail if you do not have any previous experience. Not many of us are fortunate enough to know an expert sailor who would be willing to teach us everything we need to know about the sport.
Sailing Navigational ToolsThese are the tools you will need to navigate the waters while you are sailing. Having all these tools will help you immensely in your travels, especially if you are sailing at night or are sailing in waters you are not familiar with.
Sea SicknessThe cause of sea sickness is of course the movement of the water. This is why its considered a form of motion sickness. It unbalances you by impacting the middle ear.
Catamaran SailingA Catamaran has two Hulls and is expected to be a lot faster than a sailboat with only one hull. It is also considered to be lighter and boasts of more stability that is a result of its feature of covering a bigger distance from one part of the boat to the other.
Sailing TripsSailing trips are one of the most enjoyable things that you can do, whether you are a long time sailing enthusiast or if you have never even set foot on a boat your whole life.