Page "Sailing" Paragraph 3

Throughout history sailing has been instrumental in the development of civilization, affording humanity greater mobility than travel over land, whether for trade, transport or warfare, and the capacity for fishing.

The earliest representation of a ship under sail appears on a painted disc found in Kuwait dating to the late 5th millennium BC.

Advances in sailing technology from the Middle Ages onward enabled Arab, Chinese, Indian and European explorers to make longer voyages into regions with extreme weather and climatic conditions.

There were improvements in sails, masts and rigging ; navigation equipment improved.

From the 15th century onwards, European ships went further north, stayed longer on the Grand Banks and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and eventually began to explore the Pacific Northwest and the Western Arctic.

Sailing has contributed to many great explorations in the world.