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Subject: Re: Zheng He steered by the stars?
From: Peter Fogg (ffive@XXX.XXX)
Date: Sun Nov 24 2002 - 20:26:56 EST
Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:
> Do you mean each junk had 9 masts? It would be a wonder if they got
> anywhere.
>
I have a line drawing in front of me, and am tempted to include it as a small
jpeg file, alas this is not encouraged here - consider it available on request.
It shows the 9 masts, the funny thing is that they do not appear to be all
vertical. I don't know whether this is artistic license, in order to display
them all, or if some masts may have been off-set to better catch the available
wind. As is typical with junk-rigged masts, they appear to be unstayed -
without shrouds.
At 122 metres long by 27 metre wide (about 403 x 90 feet) they were not much
smaller than an aircraft carrier.
As for not getting anywhere, junks sail well despite their clumsy appearance.
Some people still prefer junk rigging over more modern designs, it has a number
of advantages as a crusing rig.
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