Readers, having read my book, sometimes ask me what other books on sailing I found interesting during my research, and that I would recommend.
Sailing Blog
In attempting to answer this question, it is hard to be precise. According to Google, in casual use, the word boat is often used to refer to any water-going vessel, regardless of its size or how it's powered. However, large ocean-faring watercraft—those that use multiple sails or engines—are more properly called ships. Other definitions refer to sailing ships as having bowsprits and multiple masts, or masts with multiple sections. However, modern racing yachts (boats) employ multiple sails, and the use of bowsprits is returning as they are employed to handle large reaching sails.
The following is an extract from Alan Villiers' book The Way of a Ship. It is about the famous Laeisz Flying 'P' liner, Preussen. She was a fully rigged five-masted steel windjammer - the biggest merchant vessel of the classic era of sail. She is discussed in my book, but what is interesting here are the details of a subsequent tank test done on her hull, which estimated that to move 8000 tons of cargo through the sea at 17 knots (her top speed), her rig was generating 6000 horsepower.
The space inside first steamship to cross the Atlantic was taken up entirely with fuel, machinery and quarters for the crew. The engines were inefficient and stokers were required to work 24 hours/day to keep the ship moving. Had she run out of fuel or had a mechanical breakdown she would have been helpless, adrift and at the mercy of the weather, especially the wind.
One of the themes of the latter part of my book is the extent to which the advent of steam, a technology that would eventually drive merchant sailing ships from the sea, actually worked with sailing ships to improve their efficiency and extend their economic lives by considerably improving their port turnaround. Before ocean-going tugs were developed sailing ships might have to wait in the offing for days for a favourable onshore breeze and tide to bring them into port. Similarly, on departure a favourable breeze and tide would be required to carry them out of and away from port.
