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Subject: 
Re: What we can do... (my 2 cents)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.loc.pt
Date: 
Thu, 27 Sep 2001 22:55:06 GMT
Viewed: 
793 times
  
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Pedro Silva writes:

Examples of Arab influence are all but scarce around here. And I'd even risk
saying that the New World was colonized by europeans thanks to an arab
invention: the lateen sail, said so because of the use the Southern European
nations made of it. And it is arguable that England or France would send
expeditions due West if Spain and Portugal hadn't done it first...


Well noted on the arab influences, but the lateen sail was supplanted by the
square-rigged sail for transatlantic voyages fairly quickly, though it
remained popular in the Mediterranean for many centuries.  Columbus' caravel
Nina was converted to a square rig, for example, though much early Spanish
and Portugese exploration was with lateen-rigged caravels.  There is some
evidence that the Romans may have used lateen sails, though what I have seen
is far from conclusive.

Let's not forget 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc.
:-)

Bruce



Message has 2 Replies:
  Re: What we can do... (my 2 cents)
 
(...) All true... but I still believe that the concept behind the lateen sail (triangle + rotation around mast) allowed travelling against the wind, unlike square sails - better for back-winds (no pun intended). And I'm not sure if ALL the sails in (...) (23 years ago, 27-Sep-01, to lugnet.loc.pt, lugnet.off-topic.debate)
  Re: What we can do... (my 2 cents)
 
(...) It's arguable that Portugal had very little interest in going West at any time (before Napoleon came around, of course :D ). Until very nearly the end of the 17th century, the Americas were more "obstacle" than anything else (Spain's dumb-luck (...) (23 years ago, 29-Sep-01, to lugnet.loc.pt)

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