A Ship Without Nails | National Geographic

for centuries the winds of the Indian
Ocean have brought explorers and
merchants to the island of Zanzibar
rough seas and monsoon weather one ship
has sustained trade and travel the Dow
at 150 feet this is the biggest thou
constructed on Zanzibar for some time
the Somali merchant who commissioned it
has waited for long years to see it
finish built without plans or power
tools even your wooden hull is fastened
together using the hard air routes of
mangrove trees instead of nails but the
final product is a sailing ship tough
enough to withstand the power of the
Indian Ocean and the force of monsoon
winds for as long as anyone can remember
constant winds have buffeted the Swahili
coast the predictability of these winds
made international trade possible but it
was the ingenuity of the Dow’s design
that made it practical there are dozens
of different kinds of doubt from every
country bordering the Indian Ocean but
they all share one common feature their
sale traditional European ships depended
on having the wind behind them but the
dowels adjustable sale could be turned
to catch the wind
any direction Swahili sailors love the
chance to display their skills
now races are the perfect opportunity
for the sailors of Zanzibar these
age-old ships continued to be at the
heart of a rich maritime tradition