2nd of 5 Sea Days to Bora Bora - Day 28

Love Boats - Humans have built boats for as long as they have lived near water, for fishing, transportation, trade, migration, exploration and fun. A 10,000 year old boat carved from a log was found in the Netherlands. Long before that humankind colonized places that scientists say could only have been reached by water by some sort of floating vessel - Like humans documented in Australia 40,000 years ago, Crete 130,000 years ago, and the Indonesian Islands of Flores some 900,000 years ago. Current evidence suggests that animal pelts, bamboo, reeds and hollowed out logs were among the earliest natural materials used to make seaworthy crafts. With the advance of the Iron Age larger boats could be created by fabricated larger strong enough building planks. The Vikings are often credited with perfecting the art of ship building. The gracefully designed long boats evolved between the 8th and 13th centuries with clinker built ships that use overlapping sealed wooden planks. These early techniques can still be traced to modern ship building practices and adaptations. As trade increased throughout medieval Europe, ships increased in size to accommodate the larger loads of cargo. The early ships were several stories high with a web of masts and curtains of sails to propel them along their way. Sailors learned about the importance of ballast, from these towering ships, which when appropriately placed kept them more stable and upright. As the Age of Discovery dawned, the need to protect the valuable cargo for the powerful rulers, soon included guns and ammunitions on the decks of cargo ships. Today, there is an endless number of small and large vessels on the seas, for all manner of desired and functional purposes, and all have been built to master the world’s waters for the advancement of humanity. Keel Hauling - This was a severe naval punishment during the 15th and 16th centuries. The victim, presumably a delinquent sailor, was tossed overboard and dragged from one side of the boat to the other - underneath the kneel. He was unusually allowed to catch his breath before suddenly being tossed overboard again. The term is still used to describe a rough reprimand. While on a typical map the Pacific Ocean is divided, however, it is significantly bigger than the Atlantic when N. & S. America are not placed in the center. See pictures below.Read more