Sails

The first boats were simple dugout canoes or craft made of skin stretched over a wooden frame.  They were propelled with paddles or oars. But sailing boats have a big advantage, because much bigger vessels can be powered without rowing.

No one knows for sure where or when the first sailing boats appeared. The way the wind. The first known picture of a boat with a sail, dating from about 5,000 years ago, comes from the Nile valley. Areas such as Iran and Iraq, which have similar conditions, may also have seen early sailing boats. By the time of the pharaohs in Egypt, after about 3000 BC, sailing boats were common. There were many simple travelling and fishing boats that plied the Nile. They had a single square sail and a large oar aft used for steering. Masts made of wood and simple rigging to adjust the sail and point it in the right direction were also developed at this time.