We are aware that today there is a growing interest in recovering everything that was once everyday and, therefore, part of our culture, our traditions. Like so many other things from our past, sailing, and more specifically lateen sailing, was part of the landscape of our Mediterranean coasts and the life of the people who inhabited them, dedicated to fishing and commerce, for hundreds of years. by Mare Nostrum.
However, the Latin candle has an uncertain origin.
It is known that it already existed in the 9th century, according to graphic documentation from the Byzantines. It is a sail born in the Mediterranean Sea to be able to sail with the unpredictable winds that occur here, and it also allows the boats complete autonomy since it can go upwind, something that was not possible with the square sail since it always I needed supporting winds. It will be used for centuries especially for trade and fishing throughout the Mediterranean.
The decline of the lateen sail is possibly due to the appearance of the cangreja, guaira, al tercio, marconi sails which, in addition to having the virtues of the lateen sail, do not suffer from its great drawback: the lateen rig on large boats has a heavy maneuver. which requires a large and experienced crew. Also say that, in adverse weather conditions, the lateen sail can be a bit dangerous.
On the other hand, the growth of maritime trade will require increasingly larger vessels, which is why it would be changed to a more divided rig that was easier to master by a smaller crew, which would also reduce costs.
Even so, the lateen sail will continue to be used in coastal and fishing vessels since it was appropriate for fast and short voyages.
The appearance of the internal combustion engine for small boats will mean that the previous fishing boats that previously rigged the lateen sail will stop using it and it will simply be replaced as a small auxiliary sail in the event that the engine fails.
In the case of pleasure and racing boats rigged with lateen sails, their disappearance is due to the creation of higher performance and cheaper monotypes such as the “snipe”. However, in the eighties, the Menorcans began to rescue these old helmets and their beautiful equipment from oblivion.
LLAUTE
It is the most common traditional boat on our coasts. He was destined for fishing and cabotage since he is a very good walker. Its length was usually between 20 and 40 hands. The bow stem ends in the typical nose shape and the stern is closed and protrudes above the edge.
BOT
The bot is a boat that was surely inspired during the English domination of Menorca. It had a different name depending on its purpose: longliner bots, fishing bots or racing bots. The main characteristic of the bot is the straight or mirror stern and the bow that is less launched and barely has a nose. The thinnest and most stylized ones were used for regattas.
The most used rig in the bots was the typical hammer sail combined with a jib and a mizzen, although the traditional lateen sail could also be carried. Their length reached up to 50 hands in the largest longliners and between 22 and 30 hands in the rest.