Why was they afraid to sail in the late 1700'?

Question

Why was they afraid to sail in the late 1700'?

Answer 1

The modern belief that especially medieval Christianity believed in a flat earth has been referred to as The Myth of the Flat Earth.[1] In 1945, it was listed by the Historical Association (of Britain) as the second of 20 in a pamphlet on common errors in history.[2] Several scholars[3] have argued that "with extraordinary few exceptions no educated person in the history of Western Civilization from the third century B.C. onward believed that the earth was flat" and that the prevailing view was of a spherical earth.[1] Jeffrey Russell states that the modern view that people of the Middle Ages believed that the Earth was flat is said to have entered the popular imagination in the 19th century, thanks largely to the publication of Washington Irving's fantasy The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus in 1828.[1] Although these writers reject the idea of a flat earth, others such as the Flat Earth Society accept or promote the hypothesis.

Here you go - one of the biggest misconceptions in history!  By the way, who in the h**l said that pple in the late 1700's were afraid to sail?  This was the golden age of pirateering, privateering, spice trade, and even global circumnavigation!  Yes, by this time, people have sailed around the globe!  Please get your facts before you post - thanks.

Answer 2

First.. who is they, and why did you think they were afraid?

Most people would not set out on a voyage if they were afraid. That is why Europeans did not venture far during the middlle ages.

Fear of the unknown is a natural human emotion.

Until the late 1700s Navigation was accomplished by following lines of latitude. From Britain to Bermuda, one would sail south along the  European coast. Then when at the proper latitude (roughly 32 degrees North) they would sail west; maintaining their latitude. Coincidentally, this would be Madeira off the coast of Safi, Morocco. This would also put them in the trade winds. A quartering wind is perfect on a square sail rig.

So, much of the open ocean was unknown. If caught in a storm they would not know with much accuracy, where they were until the sky cleared enough to determine the latitude. If off course, they would sail a course of 315 degrees until they intercepted their desired latitude.

Answer 3

Who says they were afraid? By the late 1700s, all major land masses, with the exception of Antarctica, had been "discovered" by Europeans. The Chinese operated vast trading fleets with hundreds of ships and thousands of crew, sailing as far as the southern tip of Africa, perhaps beyond, by the 1420s. Evidence suggests they sailed also to the Pacific coasts of North and South America during the same period. The Polynesians, perhaps the world's greatest navigators, explored and colonized every habitable island in the Pacific - under sail - by the 1500s. The ancestors of the Hawaiians were not born there; they emigrated in sailing canoes. Was sailing dangerous in the late 1700s? Yes; more so than today. The fact remains that most of the world's trade traveled by sea much earlier than that. Many people are afraid; don't be one of them (and pay more attention to your grammar, for goodness sake!)

Answer 4

In those days there were many things to be afraid of.  Sailing ships could be stuck for days in the doldrums - an area with no wind.  They could run out of water.  They could be boarded by pirates or by enemy ships of another country.  They did not have the kind of equipment to help them ride out storms or get out of trouble that we have today - when at sea they were totally on their own.  They were scared because they knew there was a good chance they might be away from home for years, and in fact might never see their families again.  Many people believed that the world was flat, so they were scared the ship might fall off the edge of the world.  They were scared of sea  monsters and mermaids, ghost ships, storms, and of being swallowed up by strange currents.  Life on board sailing ships in those days was rough and difficult so they were scared of that.  They were scared of the illnesses that claimed many sailors lives - scurvy, infections, various wounds.  I hope these thoughts help.

Answer 5

The boats of the day leaked badly, sanitation was poor, navigation was crude, charts were cruder, fresh water was hard to keep fresh,  food was dried or spoiled,  there was no satelite weather to avoid or predict weather...

They were nuts not to be afraid.

Answer 6

Maybe they were told of stupid tails such as weird sea creatures.......... or maybe that was when they thought the earth was flat and that they would sail off the end! i know that there was a period when people thought this kind of rubbish but not too sure when it was exactly.

Answer 7

They thought the world was flat and the boogie man lived in the oceans....Steve