Chapter 91

"Ah Jiao, Karl, if you were the captain, what would be the most important thing to do at this moment?" Seeing that Bo Jiao and Karl had both come out of their shock, Hong Tao had also finished scolding them. However, he still stood at the bow of the ship, enjoying the heavy pounding of the waves on his back, as if it were a massage from Xing. Then he began to teach them the basic knowledge of long voyages. Overcoming fear is far from enough; this storm has more value to be utilized.

"Lower the sails..." Bo Jiao finally managed to think of how to navigate in strong winds, even though he was almost scared out of his wits.

"Also, point the bow towards the waves..." Karl had a stronger sense of the steering wheel; he enjoyed the feeling of standing behind the large round disk and turning it back and forth.

"If you were the sail handlers and helmsmen, your answers would be perfect. Unfortunately, you are the captains, and these tasks should not be done by the captain. At this moment, the captain should hold the sextant and keep a close eye on the hourglass to ensure the ship's heading is correct. Otherwise, protecting the sails and the hull would be in vain. It's easiest to deviate from the course during a storm. Even if you can't see the sun, you must remember the ship's approximate speed in such conditions and mark it on the chart. If the course does deviate, this data will be the basis for finding the correct route again." Hong Tao pointed to the sun, which was barely visible behind the clouds, first affirming their answers and then teaching them how to be a qualified captain.

"Captain... I, my chart was washed away by the waves..." Bo Jiao only then remembered the whale skin he had placed on the deck. There was no need to look; it would be strange if it were still there.

"Um, very good, the people on your ship are basically dead. You have killed a whole ship of people. Isn't it fair to make you clean the deck for a day? Karl, what about yours?" Hong Tao was amused by Bo Jiao's incompetence. There were three charts, and the ones they had were just practice sheets, so losing them wasn't a big deal. However, they needed to remember this, and the best way to do that was through punishment. People have the strongest memory when they are in pain.

"Mine is still here, it's always in my arms! Hehehe..." Karl was a slick one; even though he was scared, he wouldn't neglect anything like Bo Jiao.

"Oh, can you take it out and show me?" Hong Tao asked with a mischievous smile.

"Of course... I can feel it... Oh, no... no!" Karl was initially quite proud and deliberately turned his back to block the waves, reaching into his arms to pull out the whale skin. But as soon as he opened it, he was stunned. The dye hadn't dried completely and had smeared when it got wet, turning into a pile of black blotches.

"Hehehe... very fair, after the storm, you and Ah Jiao will clean the deck together. Every spot must be spotless, or you won't get any food, hahaha... I'll go get some food first." Hong Tao was very happy; as long as someone was worse off than him, he could be happy, regardless of his own misfortune.

The Explorer looked fragile but was actually quite sturdy. It must be said that Old Wen's craftsmanship was excellent. Apart from a slight leak in the lower hold, the ship had basically survived the storm, which wasn't too severe, intact. It could be considered a capable cruising sailboat. However, there was one thing that Hong Tao wasn't quite satisfied with: the rudder. This was very important; if it broke, it would be difficult to repair and could be fatal. A large sailboat couldn't adjust its direction like a sailboard by relying on wind direction and center of gravity.

The rudder hadn't broken; it was quite sturdy, but it was very heavy to operate in strong winds, especially when the wind was coming from the side. Hong Tao had already thought of a solution to this problem. After returning, he would have Old Wen replace the rudder with a new one. This new rudder would have over a dozen fist-sized holes drilled into it to reduce the resistance when turning, without affecting its function. This technology had been applied to sailboats very early on, but modern sailboats mostly had hydraulic assistance, so this wasn't an issue. Hong Tao, who was familiar with modern sailboats, hadn't thought of this, and it wasn't Old Wen's fault.

The storm wasn't very strong but lasted a long time, almost 24 hours. By night, not a single star was visible. At this time, the Explorer was truly drifting on the sea. The sextant was of no use. When the sun reappeared, Hong Tao didn't let Bo Jiao and Karl clean the deck first. Instead, he had them each use the sextant to measure the sun's angle five times within an hour. After calculations, the Explorer's course had been blown off by about 3 degrees to the north.

"See, we've deviated from our course by nearly 600 miles. Without the sextant and this chart, we would have ended up in Qiongzhou. This is still in the coastal area; if we were in the open sea, these 600 miles would have cost us our lives. If you want to be the captain of a large ship and return to your homeland as soon as possible, you two need to become proficient with this instrument. Once you fully master it, I will teach you how to use the mathematical methods I've taught you to calculate the correct course. Now, you can go clean the deck. Remember, if it's not clean, you won't get any food!" Without understanding the principles, memorizing the use of the sextant was a difficult task. Unfortunately, Hong Tao didn't have time to train them in trigonometric functions before teaching them navigation, so he had to do both at the same time.

"I'll use it first! The captain is my uncle!" This was the first time Bo Jiao and Karl had seen the power of the sextant. Losing the chart had already made the young man feel ashamed to face his grandfather. If he didn't learn the sextant, it would be a question whether Hong Tao would take him out again. With enough pressure, people become shameless and will use any means, such as family connections.

"Karl, let him use it first. You take the helm and try to be the captain. He will be your navigator, and the two of you should try to work together to bring us home. I will help you calculate the data, but I won't be responsible for the course. This ship is in your hands." Hong Tao didn't favor either Bo Jiao or Karl. Since there was only one sextant, he had to give Karl something to do.

"What if... if we make a mistake?" Karl thought more comprehensively. The more he recognized the power of the sextant, the more cautious he became. This was a normal reaction; ignorance is bliss.

"Don't worry, even if you two are done for, I'm not! Remember, I am the master of the sea. As long as I'm here, the sea is like land. Run boldly, and let me see what you've learned these past few days." Hong Tao's words were grand, but they fit his current role. To Karl and Bo Jiao, he was indeed a towering figure. Giving them knowledge was not enough; he also needed to give them confidence.

After assigning tasks to Bo Jiao and Karl, Hong Tao returned to the cabin and lay on the chart table made of huanghuali wood, carefully drawing a new chart on a new piece of whale skin. The original chart had a significant scale difference, which Hong Tao had intentionally created. He was cautious of small people, not gentlemen. Trusting anyone completely at this time would be irresponsible. This chart, except for himself, no one else could know its exact appearance. Even if he needed to give it to someone in the future, it would only be a small relevant area.

In addition to the chart, the inaccuracies in the sextant needed to be corrected. This was something Hong Tao couldn't do himself. Whether using whale bone or hardwood, the fine teeth were too intricate for him to handle. He would need to find a professional for help. Using the current sextant as a reference, he would make several sextants out of copper-silver alloy. This was the only material he could think of that was hard, corrosion-resistant, and relatively easy to process. A skilled goldsmith would be sufficient to handle the fine teeth.

Another issue was the construction of new ships and continued whaling. Whale oil was in high demand. This odorless, high-brightness lamp oil, though expensive, was no problem for the wealthy scholars, officials, and merchants of the Song Dynasty. Luo Youde's stock was running low, and if the supply was interrupted, his earlier advertising efforts would be in vain. To build larger and better ocean-going ships, he had to risk his life at sea again. The thought of being exhausted to the point of aching back and legs made Hong Tao feel like dying. Once a hobby becomes a job, it loses all its fun.

Building new ships was relatively easier. The design would still be like the Explorer, without major changes. With Old Wen's family now involved, construction should not be too difficult. However, the cost would be several times higher. A 20-foot ship cost over 100 guan, while a 50-foot ship would cost over 600 guan. The main reason was the high demand for materials. A 50-foot piece of good wood was more than ten times the cost of a 20-foot piece and was harder to find.

Money was no longer a concern for Hong Tao. As long as he could find whales, it was like finding money. However, with larger sailboats, the sails needed to be larger. Using heavy Li cloth was no longer reliable. The weight and thickness of the sail itself were a burden on the mast, and increasing the area would require a thicker and longer mast. This type of wood was easy to find, but how to secure such a heavy and long mast to the keel was a significant challenge for shipbuilding technology of the time. Therefore, finding a lighter and more airtight sail material was the major problem Hong Tao needed to solve. Without solving this, the large sailboats he imagined would not meet the requirements for high speed and good seaworthiness. Building a slow, top-heavy sailboat would be meaningless.

"Ah, after all this, I still have to go whaling. I need larger whales!" After much thought, Hong Tao couldn't come up with a better solution.

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