[Glorantha] Re: Animal sizes and sailing

[Donald R. Oddy]

In message <60585.84.144.206.26.1151412764.squirrel at webmail.toppoint.de> "Joerg Baumgartner" writes:

>My most serious concern is that Genertela lacks the equivalent of the
>Mediterranean. Neliomi Sea is like North Sea or Atlantic, Homeward Ocean
>at its best is like Biscaya and the Channel and at its worst like
>Atlantic.
>
>While the Mirrorsea Bay is excellent galley territory (no wave action) and
>both Mournsea and Pasos Isles offer somewhat sheltered canals, both
>require less mediterranean vessels at normal or bad weather.

The way I see this is that Dormal's magic allows technologically
inadequate ships to operate with an acceptable level of risk. Even
16th Century galleys had problems operating outside the Mediterranean
as the Spanish Armada found. Which explains The Closing as a failure
of shipping magic.

>The phoenicians managed to enter the Atlantic with their vessels and even
>to get into contact with the Cornish tin trade, although I suspect that
>most of the tin was carried by Celtic vessels. I may be prejudiced there,
>but to me that means large coracles on frames similar to the Hjortspring
>look, paddled mostly, or towed.

I do remember something about the Celts of Northern Gaul having
wooden sailing ships at the time of Julius Cesear. The illustration
was of a primitive cog without the fore and stern castles. It was
some time ago so the sources may have been discredited.

>I'm still curious about the Waertagi city ships, for instance. Are they
>the skins and skeletons of sea dragons, reworked as giant coracles, or
>simply carved as tunnels and chambers into the corpse.

I can't see a ship large enough to be described as a city being made
as a coracle. Hollowing out a vast sea creature seems more plausable
provided you've got preservation magic.

>Artmali yachts appear to have advanced rigging - lots of separate sails,
>probably some of the sailing characteristics of say Napoleonic era
>frigates or brigantines.

I'd expect them to have lanteen sails rather than the square rigging
of frigates and the multiple masts with multiple sails would be 
unmanagable on a small ship like a yacht.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/