![second person to find helm of raedwald second person to find helm of raedwald](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vW7aZXrI2VA/sddefault.jpg)
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We have no clues from the 1939 remains how this might have been done in the original ship, if it was done at all. One end of each windward shroud is trying to tear itself away from the ship’s side the other end is pulling the top of the mast downwards, resulting in a large compressive force through the mast into the bottom of the hull.įor the reconstructed Sutton Hoo ship to withstand such forces, the hull would have to be strengthened, and the downwards point force from the bottom of the mast would have to be distributed. There remains a small net force that moves the ship forwards. They strain the ship internally, but for the ship as a whole they largely cancel out. These two large forces, from the wind and from the water, largely oppose each other. The sideways movement of the hull is resisted by a reaction force from the water. A sailing boat heads towards the lighthouse at the end of the Needles rocks on the Isle of Wight, Hampshire, UK. The effect can be seen in this picture of a modern yacht. The large force from the wind makes the ship heel. The windward shrouds – the lines from the windward side of the hull to the upper parts of the mast – tighten. The ship presents a long side to the water, and naturally resists being pushed sideways. When the wind is from the side, the forces on the rig are much greater. Once moving with the wind, the force on the sail will diminish, and there will be even less strain on the rig. The ship is designed to move in that direction, with the minimum drag from the water. It can quickly get up to speed without large forces on the rig. With a following wind, the ship can easily move forward in response. Only practised sailors, they will suggest, can understand such things as: the forces on the mast, the stays, the shrouds and the rudder the significance of a keel, leeway and ‘weather-helm’ the fore and aft position of the mast the usefulness of being able to sail just that bit closer to the wind and so forth. It is difficult for the sailors, whatever their views, to avoid patronising the non-sailors. Opinions about whether or not the Sutton Hoo ship sailed differ between sailors and non-sailors.