Sailing the 7 Seas - Where are they ? And why are there 9!???

[MarkJ]

Hey you modernistic apologists fro short cuts! Lake Иркутск is not one of the seven seas! Take it from me, I have been around it on the train

Nor is this crap about the pacific ocean...

You can't just do a regular circumnavigation (all far to easy these days) and claim the seven seas just because you popped down south a bit and up north.

The Seven Seas are the motly old European ones. Go sail those and you have sailed them.

Its like the Seven Wonders of the World DO NOT INCLUDE MT RUSHMORE!!!!!! To sail the Seven Wonders you have to go to the Mediteraininan too! No shortcuts!

When you have done the hard yards you can then sit in the Taverna and say: Yes, sonny, I know those seven seas...... Chundered in all of them....


Mark

[seahag]

I always thought the "Seven Seas" thing was a big misnomer, and wondered what they meant by that. But, to my thinking it's ONE sea; tell me where I'd be wrong by saying that there is only one ocean, since they are all basically connected.

[bill352]

Originally Posted by seahag

tell me where I'd be wrong by saying that there is only one ocean, since they are all basically connected.

Depends on whether you count the Caspian Sea, which some have done.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by seahag

I always thought the "Seven Seas" thing was a big misnomer, and wondered what they meant by that. But, to my thinking it's ONE sea; tell me where I'd be wrong by saying that there is only one ocean, since they are all basically connected.

Well, that's a bit like saying Europe is just one country, because they're all basically connected. Or USA is just one state, or would that be three, because most are basically connected.

"before the fifteenth century, the seas of the world were:

• the Red Sea
• the Mediterranean Sea
• the Persian Gulf
• the Black Sea
• the Adriatic Sea
• the Caspian Sea
• the Indian Ocean "

[seahag]

I think the Caspian Sea has generally been accepted as an inland sea, or debated whether it is really the world's largest lake. Since I'm fond of Lake Superior and spend time there, I'd fight against the lake designation and so, let it be sea...

Virtual Vagabond's reply to me was a good way to help break it up, as I don't feel as connected to Europe (except for screwing up the stock market) as I do toSouth America.

There's a few problems with his list of the seas, even back in the 15th century:
The Atlantic ocean is not mentioned, and the Adriatic is just part of the mediterranean.

Transpose those and you have seven.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

Well, that's a bit like saying Europe is just one country, because they're all basically connected. Or USA is just one state, or would that be three, because most are basically connected.

"before the fifteenth century, the seas of the world were:

• the Red Sea
• the Mediterranean Sea
• the Persian Gulf
• the Black Sea
• the Adriatic Sea
• the Caspian Sea
• the Indian Ocean "

Or...
You could have..

The Baltic Sea
The North Sea
The Irish/Celtic Sea
The Mediterranean Sea
The Black Sea
The Red Sea
The Arabian Sea

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

if I had to name the 7 off the top of my head I would have chosen:

• Mediteranean Sea
• Indian Ocean
• The Carribean
• Black Sea
• The Pacific Ocean
• The Atlantic Ocean
• The South China Sea

I still think I am right ....but I will concede probably Eurocentric and inspired by a mix of literature (and movies!) both about ancient times and the 16th / 17th Century tales of exploration.......and Piracy .

For me would be a not too bad "to do list" - especially given that I can only presently cross off 1 (and that arguable ) - shorter than many as am discounting paddling in sandals at waters edge.......

[Johnny Cruiser]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Planning (far far ahead in the future!) - no real destination in mind, but thought it would be kinda cool to be able to answer the question "where have you been", with "I have sailed the 7 seas"............I was however somewhat surprised to find that (according to Wikipedia) their are in fact 9 of them!

"Medieval European and Arabic literature often spoke of the Seven Seas. Which seven seas are intended depends on the context. The "Seven Seas" was a commonplace phrase in many ancient literatures before it was taken up by the Greeks and Romans; it appears in a translation of one of Enheduanna's hymns to Inanna (Hymn 8), written about 2300 BC in Sumer (Meador 2001). The number seven has ancient magic of its own in many traditions, informing many groupings of seven. "Seven" as an indefinite number remains for a long time synonymous with "several", as in the Greek Seven Seas[1]. In Greek and Western culture, the "seven" seas were arbitrary and changed over time, varying depending upon the part of the world and the period of time. However, they were usually seven out of the following list of nine bodies of water:"

• Adriatic Sea
• Aegean Sea
• Arabian Sea
• Black Sea
• Caspian Sea
• Indian Ocean
• Mediterranean Sea
• Persian Gulf
• Red Sea

I can't say that up to now I have given this a great deal of thought.

"Sailing the 7 Seas" has for me just been a saying that has been known since I was a kid, and means "have been sailing everywhere" and is a phrase usually used by 16th and 17th Century Privateers (Hey, my Ancestors were NOT Pirates, we had licences ).

It is surprisingly hard to pick "just" 7 Seas!! - I guess the solution is to do all 9??.......BUT, interestingly (??!) if I had to name the 7 off the top of my head I would have chosen:

• Mediteranean Sea
• Indian Ocean
• The Carribean
• Black Sea
• The Pacific Ocean
• The Atlantic Ocean
• The South China Sea

........which add a couple more

I wonder if my GPS has a button for "Goto the 7 Seas" ??

David,
FYI here is a list of 111 different seas.
List of seas

John

[Geoduck]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

I still think I am right ....but I will concede probably Eurocentric and inspired by a mix of literature (and movies!) both about ancient times and the 16th / 17th Century tales of exploration.......and Piracy .

For me would be a not too bad "to do list" - especially given that I can only presently cross off 1 (and that arguable ) - shorter than many as am discounting paddling in sandals at waters edge.......

Excuse me but you only have 3 seas on your list - the rest are oceans - I've seen a few gulfs in there too - only one of you has it right so far!

[Johnny Cruiser]

Originally Posted by Geoduck

Excuse me but you only have 3 seas on your list - the rest are oceans - I've seen a few gulfs in there too - only one of you has it right so far!

List of Oceans in size order
What are the Oceans of the World | Ask Kids Answers

John

[Johnny Cruiser]

Originally Posted by Johnny Cruiser

List of Oceans in size order
What are the Oceans of the World | Ask Kids Answers

John

As Nicole Kidman once said to Tom Cruise on TV talk show,
"Size matters!"

[Triton318]

Don't forget about Mare Tranquillitatis. Unless we're restricting ourselves to terrestrial seas.

[barnakiel]

EU-centered humbag!

;-)

They are, for the most part, but lakes!

The funny thing is, on the easiest rtw route, it is oh so easy to cross all the oceans but not quite oh so easy to sail seven seas!

Cheers,
b.

[David Chrissy]

To have sailed the seven seas meant in the days of the clippers to have done the longest trade route, namely the tea run from Europe to China. Could be!

[Mexdon]

Wikipedia has an interesting report on the subject showing the use of the term seven seas dates back to 2300 BC and flows through to the seven major oceans of the world today.