Who can answer this maritime question for me?

Question

In the 1500's the Frigates and Galleons were able to cross the Atlantic ocean from either direction. I was lead to believe the masts and sails were positioned so they could travel foreward against the wind. Is this true? Or would they just have to maintain the best heading they could until more favorable wind conditions came?

Makes sense people, thank you all.

Answer 1

They tended to seek different prevailing winds at different latitudes in those days. The main knowledge Columbus had was not the roundness of the world, which was already known by educated people then, but rather his knowledge of winds and currents. He knew the wind blew mostly toward the west at one latitude and mostly to the east at another. However, sailing vessels, especially fore-and-aft rig boats, can sail partly against the wind. For example, if the wind is from the north, they can sail northwest or northeast, but not directly north. They can then zigzag their way north by going first northwest, then northeast and back again. This is called tacking.

Answer 2

Ocean current could be favorable at certain latitudes. It is similar to a story of a monk sailing to America from China, so to say.
Wind is seasonal, and the direction can be changed.
But a sail and mast could not positioned to make a ship travel forward against the wind.
I believe they sailed at different latitudes.

Answer 3

They tacked.

Takcing has nothing to do with Bernouillis principle - it is more like squeezing a bar of soap. When you squeeze a bar of soap from either side it squirts forward out of your hand, in a direction different to either of the forces you applied. Ships have a sail that can be trimmed to apply the force of the wind in different directions, and a keel that gives a counter force from the resistance of the water. Using these two forces a ship can tack a zig zag line around the direction of the oncoming wind.

Answer 4

It is true that masts and sails can be positioned to travel against the wind. This is called Bernoulli's Principle.

http://library.thinkquest.org/27948/bernoulli.html

Kind of in a nut shell..Right now, get up and get yourself two pieces of note book paper. Place them one inch apart. Blow in between them. You would expect the papers to push apart, but instead they come together. This is because of Bernoulli's Principle.

There is a formula, but basically something has to give..If speed goes up, pressure has to go down.

Check out the link =)

Answer 5

Different areas of the oceans have different prevailing winds. It usually required a different path on the return trip.

Answer 6

They can "trim" their sails, angle them to the win, and tack a course to take advantage of the prevailing winds and currents.