Chapter 17

"Since we have many boats, let's use one of ours for the test. Your grandfather won't be back until sunset, which is still two hours away, so we don't need to wait for him!" But Huang Hai was an impatient person. He saw Hong Tao sewing two old sails together, with a large string of bamboo braids and two horizontal poles attached, and he was very curious. He pulled Hong Tao to use his boat for the experiment and even had his son drag the small wooden boat onto the beach to run aground.

"This rope is the halyard, used to raise the sail to the right position and secure it. This rope is the sheet, which goes through the hole in the bulkhead to control the sail's direction. Once you find the right direction, wrap the rope around the bamboo tube a few times and secure it in the hole." With everyone's help, Hong Tao installed the patched sail on Huang Hai's small wooden boat and began explaining the main components and their uses. Not only did Huang Hai and his cousins come to listen, but Hong Tao also called over everyone on the beach, including the three children.

This type of sail is very easy to operate. Once you get used to it, one hand is enough. In the future, children around ten years old can steer and control the sail with one hand after simple training. Hong Tao believed that these people who lived on the sea and used boats as their vehicles would be at least as good as the city kids of the future.

Without pulleys, it's no problem. Drill a hole in the bulkhead at the stern, smooth it out, and it can serve as a makeshift pulley. Tie some knots on the hemp rope to prevent slipping, and use a bamboo tube over a foot long as a cleat. When you need to secure the sheet, wrap it around the hole a few times. This way, you can sit on the side of the stern and control the sail's direction with one hand. When you pull the sheet tight, the sail will be parallel to the boat, and you can choose whether to catch the wind on the port or starboard side. By adjusting the length of the sheet and securing it, the sail will fill with wind. The horizontal and diagonal poles will keep the sail from deforming too much, allowing it to catch the wind and propel the boat forward.

As for steering, Hong Tao followed the OP boat model, fixing a horizontal bamboo stick to the rudder handle, not too thick, just the size of a hoe handle. Sitting on the side of the stern, you can push and pull the rudder handle with your left hand through this bamboo stick, and control the sail with your right hand using the sheet. The halyard is also tied to the bulkhead at the stern, so you can raise and lower the sail without help, all by yourself.

This greatly reduces the labor on the boat. You no longer need to take turns rowing the oars. Just operating the sail and rudder saves most of your energy. You only need the oars when there's no wind or when you need to hurry. A rowing boat essentially becomes a sailboat powered by the wind. Whether this modification will work and meet Hong Tao's expectations, he wasn't sure, but he had to try!

"Raising the sail!" After installation and explanation, Hong Tao was ready for the maiden voyage. Everyone pushed the small wooden boat back into the sea, and Hong Tao, sitting at the stern, shouted loudly, then pulled the halyard to raise the patched sail.

What is science? Science is a discipline that works anywhere as long as the method is correct. Although the small wooden boat was larger and heavier than an OP boat, and the thick, coarse cloth was not as light or dense as synthetic materials, the basic principles were the same. The small wooden boat drifted on the sea for a few minutes. When Hong Tao found the right wind direction, the sail filled with wind, and the boat started moving, gradually picking up speed and heading out to sea.

"Ah Zhu, your eyes are good. Tell your sister-in-law why you liked him as soon as he came?" Everyone on the shore watched the boat sail farther and farther away, already faster than rowing, and it seemed to be accelerating. The men breathed a sigh of relief. With this, they wouldn't need to row anymore, freeing them from heavy labor and allowing them to catch more fish and crabs. The women, of course, knew why the men were happy. Bo Zhu's second sister-in-law credited her younger sister.

"I went to weave nets..." Bo Zhu blushed when her second sister-in-law asked her. While others knew about her and Hong Tao's relationship, she was still embarrassed to have it said so directly in front of everyone.

"The nets are done. You might as well help your sweetheart weave more bamboo braids. Maybe in a few days, you'll have your own boat, and it will come in handy!" Her second sister-in-law was a chatterbox, joking with her younger sister without fear of being resented. Bo Zhu tried to avoid her, but her sister-in-law pursued her with another joke.

"Ha ha ha ha ha..." The men and women on the beach burst into laughter. Having their own boat meant they would start a family, a tradition among the Tanka people.

Hong Tao couldn't hear the laughter on the beach. He was fully focused on the shape of the sail, gradually increasing the area catching the wind. Since he wasn't sure how strong the patched sail was or the flexibility of the bamboo poles, he didn't dare to let the sail catch the full wind. Breaking the sail would be a minor issue, but breaking the mast would be a major problem.

"Uncle Huang, would you like to try?" After a short trial, Hong Tao had adjusted the sail to two-thirds. Hearing the creaking of the bamboo poles and the mast, he thought they could hold. The boat's speed was now comparable to full-speed rowing. Seeing Huang Hai and Huang Lang sitting at the bow watching him operate, Hong Tao remembered the boat belonged to them and offered politely.

"Grandpa, let me try first!" Genuine sincerity often meets fake politeness. Huang Lang was clearly sincere. As soon as Hong Tao finished speaking, he jumped up, not even yielding to his grandfather, and walked to the stern.

"Sit opposite me, grab this rope with your left hand, and hold the bamboo stick with your right hand..." Hong Tao didn't move. This setup could be used on either side, so he handed it directly to Huang Lang. Hong Tao wanted to teach Huang Lang some techniques, but Huang Lang didn't give him the chance. After a brief adjustment, he started operating the boat himself. For a Tanka person who spent his life on the sea, finding the wind and making the sail catch it was almost instinctive. He just needed to get used to the feel, no instruction required.

"Grandpa! %￥￥#, it saves effort! %￥%￥#&..." Huang Lang's Mandarin wasn't very good. Hong Tao could only understand short words, and the rest was incomprehensible. From his expression, he was praising the sail to Huang Hai.