Dragon boats are the basis of the team paddling sport of dragon boat racing, a watersport which has its roots in an ancient folk ritual of contending villagers, which has been held for over 2000 years throughout southern China. While competition has taken place annually for more than 20 centuries as part of religious ceremonies and folk customs, dragon boat racing has emerged in modern times as an international sport, beginning in Hong Kong in 1976. But the history of dragon boats in competition … [Read more...]
About Dinghies
The word dinghy founds its origins in Hindi, Urdu, and Bengali languages. A dinghy is a small boat usually used as an auxiliary for a larger one, being towed or carried by them. They are usually rowboats, or they have attached a small motor in the back. There is a difference between these type of dinghies, and some other types, with sails, specially designed for competition. A dinghy should have a strong ring on the bow, and, conventionally, it will have an oar on each side. Many modern … [Read more...]
Cruise Ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are a part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way. Transportation is not the prime purpose, as cruise ships operate mostly on routes that return passengers to their originating port, so the ports of call are usually in a specified region of a continent. There are even "cruises to nowhere" or "nowhere voyages" where the ship makes two - … [Read more...]
Cornish Pilot Gig
A historical boat still in use today, the original purpose of the Cornish pilot gig was as a general work boat, and the craft is used for taking pilots out to incoming vessels off the Atlantic. At the time, the race would be the first gig to get their pilot on board a vessel (often those about to run aground on rocks) got the job, and hence the payment. [cf. Wikipedia] This not very unusual floating device is a six-oared rowing boat, built of Cornish narrow leaf elm, thirty-two feet (9.8 … [Read more...]
Coracle, a Lightweight Boat
The coracle is a small, round boat made of wickerwork or laths covered with a waterproofed layer of animal skin or fabric used in Wales, Ireland, and parts of western England. I found this beautiful fragment somewhere: "In times gone by, people living on the many small islands of Scotland would carry food and comfort to their neighbors using a small boat, called a coracle. A coracle is a carrier of nurturing friendship". Very beautiful, but everything else I found about this boat, is based on … [Read more...]