Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Sailing
(968 words)

1. Principles

Sailing is the use of non-expendable wind energy for the propulsion of boats or ships, the movement of which is not limited to the direction of the wind, because they are moving within two media – water and air. With the wind from the side, the hull of the vessel is pressing on its immersed surface (the “lateral plane”) against the water in such a way that the wind pushes the vessel forwards at the desired angle to it. I…

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Ellmers, Detlev, “Sailing”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 02 June 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_027358>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20210601



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