Wind With Rigging

The blue waters glisten in the sun, sending rays up into the sky, reflecting off the white sails and soft sea-soaked rope as they shake around in the sweet smelling wind. You relax upon the deck, letting the healing energy of the ocean penetrate your skin, your heart, and the darker recesses of your tired and tumultuous mind. The great sea heals your spirit and settles down the demons that were only a moment ago about to enter your soul. Rigging is the apparatus through which the force of the wind is used to propel sailboats and sailing ships forward. This includes masts, yards, sails, and cordage. In Antiquity, ships only used oars during battle. The sails could hinder the quick maneuvers needed in advancing the warship. Since the main rig took time to put up and take down, they implemented another rig. One that was capable of being erected faster than the main rig. It was called the emergency rig. It was known as the emergency rig because its main use was to get the ship out faster if it got into trouble and could not get the main rig up fast enough. There is question on what equipment was in the emergency rig. Since there are no pictures/drawings of the emergency rig in use there are questions as to what exact material it consisted of. There is a comparison of the rig to a bow-sail, because it could be carried at all times. After the 4th century BC the existence of the emergency rig is questionable in the Athenian Navy, because there is evidence that the entire emergency rig was substituted for a lighter sail.