Chapter 65

The construction of a sailboard is quite simple: it’s just a piece of wood smoothed down, with no particular shape required for the ends, a stabilizing board inserted in the middle, and a shorter fin attached to the tail. Young people in coastal areas of Canada and the United States often make these devices themselves, and few buy ready-made ones except for professional athletes. They can finish the job in a few days in their own garages. However, they have places to buy parts and modern tools, which Hong Tao currently lacks. All the processing has to be done with primitive tools. The most critical part is the universal joint, which is used to secure the mast. How can he fix the mast?

The mast on a sailboard isn’t fixed; it’s inserted into the middle of the board through a universal joint. When changing direction or accelerating, the mast needs to be constantly adjusted to catch the wind. But in this era, there are no bearings, let alone a universal joint. Where can he find one? Hong Tao and Wen Qi tried carving a few from hard woods like huanghuali, but the results were not good. Even the hardest wood is not as durable as steel, especially when the parts are small. They would break easily under stress. In the end, Bozhu came up with an idea: why not use a rope? The goal is to secure the mast in the small hole in the middle of the board so it can move freely in all directions. A rope can be threaded through the middle of the bamboo mast, down through the board, and tied off. This would secure the mast and allow it to move freely. If the rope wears out, it can be easily replaced, and there’s plenty of hemp rope available.

With the mast fixed, the sailboard was basically complete. The sail was easy to make: a few bamboo strips were twisted into a thick stick and tightly wrapped with fine hemp rope, then attached to the mast at a height of over a meter. This served as the sail support. The two supports naturally formed a bow shape due to the elasticity of the bamboo, which not only held up the sail but also provided a good grip without slipping, making it both light and sturdy.

At this point, the sailboard still couldn’t go into the sea. A piece of coarse hemp cloth needed to be attached to the middle of the board where the feet would stand to prevent slipping. The foot straps were unnecessary, as many competitors didn’t use them. They needed to control the board’s center of gravity with different standing positions, and overly restricting the feet would be a hindrance.

"Family Board!" This was the name Hong Tao gave to the new sailboard, symbolizing that it was a creation of him and Bozhu, the young couple. After the first one was completed, Hong Tao tried it out in the bay. It was great! The sail was a bit heavy, making it less suitable for women and children. But that was no problem; he could make several different sizes of sails and masts. The sail and mast were connected, so they had to be replaced as a set. With the experience from the first sailboard, the second and third were much easier to make, taking only a day or so to complete. They didn’t even need to be painted, as camphor wood is very water-resistant, and the paint would make the board slippery underfoot.

"This kid really grew up by the sea; his ideas are beyond what one family or one generation could come up with." Watching Hong Tao speed across the sea on a piece of wood with a small sail, occasionally leaping into the air, Wen Laoer was thoroughly convinced. He, a shipbuilder with a family legacy, had never imagined humans could move so freely on the sea, as if walking on flat ground. He didn’t know the phrase "as if walking on flat ground," but that’s how he felt.

"Thanks to Ahzhu, otherwise we couldn’t keep him. This kid has big ambitions; a few hundred strings of cash mean nothing to him. This isn’t my opinion; it’s what the sea merchant from the Luo family, who does business in Nanyang, said. Who knows what he can achieve with Ahzhu and the other Tanka kids. My son told me that Hong Tao told him the Tanka people can turn the sea into their own country, bigger than any land-based nation." Huang Hai didn’t return to the Ningyuan River mouth with everyone else; he stayed in Zhenzhou to contact the merchants on shore for seafood and to continue translating for Hong Tao, as Tanka language was still a challenge for him.

"Our descendants will have their own fortune. We Tanka people have never been afraid of hard times. He might really be from the Dragon Palace; who else could rule the sea besides the Dragon King? Forget the kids; if he takes me to the Dragon Palace, I’d want to see it too!" Wen Laoer was a practical man; he believed in those who were more skilled than himself. Since Hong Tao promised to teach shipbuilding to the Wen family’s younger generation, he was fully committed to following Hong Tao, even if it meant rebellion. As long as it protected his descendants, he would do it. No matter which country or who the emperor was, having a skill meant not going hungry. His thoughts were that simple.

"Don’t you want to try it? We Tanka people have spent our lives at sea, but have we ever had such a thrilling experience?" Seeing Hong Tao, Ahzhu, and Wen Qi tired from their efforts, they all sailed their boards back to shore, Huang Hai couldn’t resist the temptation. Like a driver who gets itchy hands when he sees a good car, he wouldn’t pass up the chance to try it out.

"I still need to help the kid fix this boat. That thing isn’t useful in the open sea; the real good stuff is here. What are you looking at? Get to work! Have you finished bending the big pieces I asked for? Your master will be taking it out to sea in a few days; if you delay, he won’t teach you any skills." Wen Laoer swallowed hard, resisting the temptation. He had more important things to do; Hong Tao’s sailboat still needed repairs. Seeing Wen San craning his neck to watch the sailboards in the sea, Wen Laoer almost threw his axe. From his experienced shipbuilder’s perspective, the sailboard, though impressive, was just a toy. The sailboat was the real treasure, and his son was too shortsighted to see it. Instead of tending to the treasure in his hands, he was envious of others’ toys, which made Wen Laoer furious.

Wen Laoer’s judgment was indeed sharp; the sailboard was indeed not a practical tool. Hong Tao mainly created it out of boredom, as a toy that wasn’t too wasteful but still satisfying. It also served to train the children’s understanding of modern sails. Explaining Bernoulli’s principle to them was pointless; the only way to make them understand modern sail technology was through the most basic method: practice. Constant practice and exploration would eventually make their understanding of sails and wind a part of their blood.

The large sailboat didn’t give them the time for daily practice; it was too advanced and lost the opportunity to experience the basic principles. The simple sailboard was perfect for this. Hong Tao originally wanted to go back to the Ningyuan River mouth with the Bo family to see the crab traps, as he had made three fishing tools, and had already tested the ground traps and rolling hooks, but not the crab traps. However, Bo Fu and Chen Mingen both thought he should stay on the Wen family’s beach to be the children’s teacher, watching over his new sailboat and teaching the kids, acting as a full-time teacher. Wen Laoer and Huang Hai also agreed, saying that with the three fishing tools, the families could easily support everyone in the cooperative without Hong Tao having to risk going to sea. If anything happened to the teacher, where would they find another one for their children?

PS: Click, collect, and recommend! Throw them all at Hong Bapi...

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