Can Chinese Junk actually circumnavigate?

[Lister]

Zheng He was a famous Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral, who led his fleet of 240 ships for circumnavigation of the world nearly one century prior to Christopher Columbus.

Lister

[MastMonkey]

I have often seen twin masts, especially astern, on Junks. On the large model above it seems plausible due to its apparent beam (talk about a great liveaboard!). I would compare it to the biplane rig on a catamaran. But I have seen it on much smaller ships as well, shown below. Does anyone know what the purpose was?

[BATAAN]

Originally Posted by MastMonkey

I have often seen twin masts, especially astern, on Junks. On the large model above it seems plausible due to its apparent beam (talk about a great liveaboard!). I would compare it to the biplane rig on a catamaran. But I have seen it on much smaller ships as well, shown below. Does anyone know what the purpose was?

The windward mizzen mast is always in clean air. On a normal vessel with a centerline mizzen, it's often backwinded by the main when on the wind. Theory only, but from many years of sailing a Chinese main rigged yawl. Also there is twice the area of mizzen, an advantage since junks use light canvas rarely.

[MastMonkey]

Thanks,

I figured it probably had to do with keeping the mizzen in clean air. I just wondered if there was a less intuitive reason. I was thinking maybe they believed they were catching the wind of the front and back of the mainsail independently. It would seem strange to fly both at one time, the leeward sail would always be in the wind shadow. I wonder if the payoff is enough to make up for the extra drag. That is one thing that I like about studying Chinese Junks, they are boundless examples practical and unique problem solving.

[Lister]

The sails of a junk are typical lug sails as depicted on the stamps to the left and right. They are made of plaited mats and stabilized with long bamboo battens.

[BATAAN]

A few more photos of Junks and Junk yacht ideas that have been built and used. Upper color pics are Big Eye Chicken in 1970s. Note slavish (why invent when you can copy?) resemblance to BERTIE's new mainsail being bent on here a few years ago. Applying traditional industrial cargo carrying or heavy fishing sail technology, of any origin, to modern yacht usage is a delicate path due to generally smaller size and much less proportional displacement. BERTIE, being a fat 18th century workboat essentially like SPRAY, took to the huge heavy sail well due to her absurdly stiff initial stability. We put the mast head in the water at least once and she always came back up very violently to upright, so I guess the rule of thumb design worked in this instance. I know she strains her rig badly under some conditions so needs the wire shrouds and stays.
Allen Farrell did a nice job of really making a less stiff, medium displacement, shallow draft, practical coastal cruising Junk Yacht in CHINA CLOUD. Last photo by Dag Goering from Maria Coffey's book "Sailing Back in Time" to be recommended to those who love the whole idea of sailing paradise in a boat built of beach scavenged logs in the woods with hand tools, getting it right, and actually being a very good sailor as well as artist, writer, linguist, gymnast, etc. along with his wife Sharie. Note his much lighter rigging than BERTIE, because CC does not need it, nor as large a mainsail. CC is about the same LWL but half the displacement of B.
Allen had a heavier displacement, more long distance design, in his mind to build after this one but it never was as he was in his 80s and this was enough boat for him and should be for almost anybody. To the end, no engine of any kind, just a Yuloh and a long pole for shallows. The rudder is in hoisted position grounded out on the beach in British Columbia. Under sail it was lowered almost two feet to make a centerboard effect.
I never 'sailed' with him but spent a lazy late afternoon aboard CC in Bargain Bay in a dead calm with all sail up, waiting for a wind listening to stories of sixty years of commercial fishing, building dozens of boats and all the magic of a dying day as the sun set.

[BATAAN]

Here's an imbed of some footage sailing BERTIE to British Columbia in 98.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Zw6mdrcDL1o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[BATAAN]

Correction on the youtube address.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw6mdrcDL1o

[BATAAN]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KIogS_ftM8
Very lovely trailer with actual junk sailing footage for film on junk FREE CHINA, now rotting away near Bethel Is. CA and needing love. Got to crawl all over her for a day in the 70s when Harry Dring had her. Built 1870s and fished all her life. 80 some years old when came across Pacific to SF. Very interesting construction of flat bottom and sides of split logs left round on one side, many camphor wood bulkheads with huge grown 'floor timber' lower sections, all edge-nailed and the iron wasn't as rusty as you'd expect. When I viewed she was about 100.

[BATAAN]

Part two of BERTIEs trip to BC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFb3AfxxgO0

[BATAAN]

Part three
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIBDOUSd-Ag

[BATAAN]

Part three has a lot of BERTIE surfing downwind with no one steering.

[BATAAN]

Junks crossing the Pacific and more.
http://chinesejunkboats.tripod.com/s...iles/phdCJ.pdf

[Lister]

Originally Posted by BATAAN

Junks crossing the Pacific and more.
http://chinesejunkboats.tripod.com/s...iles/phdCJ.pdf

Bataan this seams to be an amazing paper. Thank you for posting it.
I really enjoy your films, I didn't know you are a filmmaker, and a very good one.
Lister

[BATAAN]

Thanks Lister. Hope our horror movie makes a buck, crass as it sounds.
Boatbuilder wins a million dollars, reporter asks him what he's going to do with it, boatbuilder says, "Oh same thing until it's gone I guess".
Same thing with movies, but it's all a crap shoot and we may have a hit.