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Comment by prmoustache | Hacker News Reader

So they have sails on the Götheborg, but aren't actually using them?

Basically it is a motorized indiaman.

Meh.

In the post they mention that Götheborg had to adapt it's speed to the boat being towed, which probably limited the larger vessels sail-usage.

As another poster here, I also have a friend who has been able to sail on Götheborg once. The ship definitely have usable sails that are used most of the time. If I understand it correctly the motor is to some degree there as a modern safety requirement (and possibly it makes handling in port much easier, I would guess - don't know personally).

There's also the thing that while modern keeled sailboats are able to sail well upwind, that is not the case for these classic vessels which have a much smaller/shallower keel, and have a lot of trouble upwind. So if the wind is not right and you're on a schedule then motoring is the only option.

The keel is a factor but bigger factor are the sails. Modern sailboats are fore-and-aft rigged which can sail closer to the wind. Gotheburg is square-rigged which can barely sail upwind.

Square-rigged allowed for more sail. It also worked better for larger ships since had lots of little sails instead of one big one.

They are definitely using them, a lot (probably the majority of time).

(Source: I have a friend who have worked/sailed the ship multiple times)

I have sailed on the Oosterschelde (1918). One journey I was supposed to be on was cancelled as the diesel engine broke down and the insurance is not valid without a functional engine, even though we would sail 99% of the time.

The Oosterschelde once rescued a single sailor from his boat that was sinking in the middle of the Atlantic (I wasn’t on that trip).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oosterschelde_(ship)

Really? In the first picture you can clearly see people sitting on the masts, what are they there for if not for setting up the sails?

As you suspect, the post you're replying to is wrong.

It was on the Mediterranean Sea. I am also a sailor and can testify that the Mediterranean Sea is the hardest to sail because of often changing wind direction. I assume that’s why the didn’t use sails while rescuing. I wouldn’t either.

They were in the English Channel. Brittany is in the north of France. The map in the post shows the Channel Islands.

They used the engine for the rescue to minimize time and safely approach the small boat close enough to heave a line.

Doing all that under sail, like the OP seems to think they should, wouldn’t just be extremely difficult, it would be dangerous and profoundly irresponsible.

Modern sailboats (as in since 1900) have auxiliary engines for a reason…

That is why lateen sails came to be.

However they surely had their reasons for not using sails.

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