Sailing technique

The oldest depiction of a sail dates back to ancient Egypt. Around the globe, peoples have used the wind for seafaring with a wide variety of sail shapes. The type and shape of the sail depended on the shape of the hull, the wind conditions in the area where the ship was sailing, its purpose, the materials available, and the size of the crew. Sailors have always incorporated their experience into the next new ships they built.

There are countless different sail shapes and combinations. Here are just a few examples of rigs that are currently used or planned for modern cargo sailing ships.

The idea of rolling up sails instead of stowing and lashing them down by hand not only makes cruising yachts safer, but also forms the basis for modern rigging systems such as the Dyna rig and the Indosail rig.

Futuristic systems designed to harness wind power for cargo ships have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Whilst technically efficient, they face physical limitations when applied to large vessels. And as long as fossil fuels remain cheap, shipowners’ interest remains limited: to date, only one in every ten thousand ships has been fitted with such systems.