Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 11-04-2015, 00:24   #151
Registered User

Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 120
Re: The Evolution of Cruisers

Quote:
Originally Posted by Buzzman View Post
Actually, I think the Greeks were around 800years BC, whereas the Vikings were sailing in the Middle Ages, around 800AD, while New Zealand, the last 'discovered' Pacific island was settled about 1000 years ago, so presumably their nav tech had been developing over the thousands of years the Pacific was being settled. So Greeks after Egyptians, then Vikings and Polynesians around the same time, with the Polynesians continuing up until the modern age.


Well the Polynesians were in Paupa New Guinea at least 6000 years ago.
http://www.cell.com/AJHG/abstract/S0...2811%2900010-3

Quote:
I don't really have an opinion on whether or not the evolution of sailors, sailing and sail tech is either a good or a bad thing.
I find that a little hard to believe! Surely everyone here does. You must have some feelings one way or the other.

I think it's a positive thing personally.
Tensen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-04-2015, 01:47   #152
Registered User
 
Buzzman's Avatar

Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Boat: Still building
Posts: 1,557
Re: The Evolution of Cruisers

Nah, no Polynesians in New Guinea, they're Melanesians. Ancestors of Polynesians.

when the Indo-Papua chain was still a land bridge all the way to Oz (given as up around 7000years ago) they could walk to Port Moresby from Malaysia.

Some time after the Ice Age ended and the seas rose, the Polynesians began charting their courses across the Pacific and settling the islands that had always been islands.

Anthropologists now accept that the last of these to be settled was New Zealand around 1000 years ago.

I tend to agree that the evolution of nav tech and sailing in general has been a good thing, but it appeared others were saying the opposite.

Frankly, I'll take an iPad and an ice-filled G&T over rum, sodomy and the lash ANY day..!!
Buzzman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-04-2015, 01:48   #153
Senior Cruiser
 
boatman61's Avatar

Community Sponsor
Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: PORTUGAL
Posts: 30,585
Images: 2
pirate Re: The Evolution of Cruisers

Quote:
Originally Posted by Island Time O25 View Post
Actually between Ug the Caveman and Cook there were many fine sailors by anyone's standard. Some probably much better than Cook, considering their lack of chronometers, etc. One named Magellan comes to mind.

To me Cook's greatness lies not so much in his seamanship as in his scientific accomplishments and in the fact that he represents a change in mentality from purely commercial goals to mostly scientific ones, although of course he was secretly charged with all kind of spying and comm'l missions by the Crown. And Darwin's Beagle expedition was really an extension of the exploration started by Cook.
LOL... were it not for a 'Schedule' Australia might have been like Brasil.. a Portuguese speaking Nation.. colonised before Cook even dreamed of the S. Pacific..
__________________

It was a dark and stormy night and the captain of the ship said.. "Hey Jim, spin us a yarn." and the yarn began like this.. "It was a dark and stormy night.."
boatman61 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 11-04-2015, 03:36   #154
Registered User

Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 120
Re: The Evolution of Cruisers

Quote:
Originally Posted by Buzzman View Post
Nah, no Polynesians in New Guinea, they're Melanesians. Ancestors of Polynesians.

when the Indo-Papua chain was still a land bridge all the way to Oz (given as up around 7000years ago) they could walk to Port Moresby from Malaysia.

Some time after the Ice Age ended and the seas rose, the Polynesians began charting their courses across the Pacific and settling the islands that had always been islands.

Anthropologists now accept that the last of these to be settled was New Zealand around 1000 years ago.
They'd reached Tahiti by 300 BC, and Hawaii by 300 AD, so I think they've got the Vikings pretty handily beaten.
Tensen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-04-2015, 20:36   #155
Registered User
 
Buzzman's Avatar

Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Boat: Still building
Posts: 1,557
Re: The Evolution of Cruisers

Yeah, I don't think of it so much as a 'contest' in which one 'side' or the other gets 'beaten'. Historically, the Polynesians may have been crossing the Pacific before the Norsemen invaded Greenland and the Americas, but I'm betting they used similar star following and wave pattern navigation techniques.

It's more like what the anthropologists call convergent evolution - where different populations of the same species develop similar characteristics (or skills) in geographically separated areas.

It's not totally inconceivable that the Polynesians taught the Vikings to navigate, but I haven't seen too many dark-skinned navigators or warriors in Vikings.

Perhaps that'll be in the next series.....????

Thor Heyerdal, eat your heart out.

[Tongue very firmly in cheek....]
Buzzman is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
cruise, cruiser

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
380: evolution of the 380 / 380 S2 dominiccc Lagoon Catamarans 4 25-04-2012 12:56
Mahe 36: Mahe36 vs. Evolution jbinbi Fountaine Pajot 1 31-05-2011 06:12
Mahe 36: Mahe 36 Evolution BIRDDOG Fountaine Pajot 12 06-02-2011 12:21
For Sale: Mahe 36 Evolution Jan Iversen Classifieds Archive 2 17-11-2010 06:09
Evolution 25 bitman Monohull Sailboats 0 02-11-2009 04:35

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 14:49.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.