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Saturday, 2 March 2013

Jangadas Again


Do check out the April 1 post on jangadas at http://rowingforpleasure.blogspot.com/ . Nice photos, and very nice Brazilian music with more jangada photos in the YouTube clip.

I had meant to discuss just a couple more details of the jangada's rig in my last post, but the subject got away from me, so here they are:
  • The upper end of the mast is apparently very flexible: it appears bent severely back in every photo I've seen, and I presume that the bend is put there by tension on the mainsail's leech.
  • The loose-footed sail is huge, but since it's made of muslin, it probably lets a good deal of wind through. The Jangadieros carry a carved wooden scoop with which they throw water on the sail to swell the fibers and make it a bit less porous to the wind.
  • Most or all of the sails have advertisements printed on them. According to Hollander, savvy marketers in Brazil, who recognize the value of such a picturesque, tradition-laden image, provide the jangadieros with the sails for free.
All for now.

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