An hour later, at the dock, Yang Fan cut the ribbon in person.
Chen Xi, who had slept for an hour and dressed beautifully, came to participate in the launching ceremony.
Yang Fan handed the wine jar tied with a cable to Chen Xi, and then Chen Xi pushed the wine jar hard into the hull, smashing it into pieces against the metal horn on the bow.
Suddenly, there was thunderous cheers. The gongs and drums sounded, the firecrackers were lit, and there was a loud crackling sound.
In the West, wine bottles are smashed. If the bottle is broken, it is considered safe.
Families of sailors regard the "drift bottle" as a symbol of disaster. So under the auspices of ancient religious figures, in order to pray for the safe return of the ship, there was a ceremony of smashing wine bottles.
Later, with the development of the times, smashing champagne bottles became a customary sailing ritual for the launch or maiden voyage of a new ship.
In order to pray for the safety of ships, the "bottle throwing ceremony" was born, hoping that there would no longer be such floating bottles on the sea. And the mellow aroma of wine fills the bow of the ship to drive away evil spirits and eliminate disasters.
So the more shattered the champagne is on the bow of the ship, the better, which indicates that the new ship will always be safe.
This is not just as simple as placing good wishes. Sometimes, this kind of thing is really evil.
For example, the launching ceremony of the Soviet K-19 nuclear submarine was held, and the champagne was not broken. As a result, there were countless accidents in his life.
Reactor explosion, nuclear leakage, collision with US nuclear submarine, two fires. So much so that he is jokingly called the Widowmaker in American movies.
After the "Bottle Throwing Ceremony" is over, the gods and spirits are invited to come out.
Yang Fan led the crowd to burn incense and offer sacrifices, and held a sacrificial ceremony. Offer sacrifices to the gods of heaven and earth, water gods, and ship gods, and pray for smooth winds and smooth water.
According to tradition, it is forbidden for women to be present and on board the boat when launching it.
There are taboos in various places when building ships. For example, it is taboo to say unlucky words at the shipbuilding site. It is taboo for women to board ships. Because traditional customs often equate women's boarding with the arrival of foul smell.
When a new ship is launched, people from all over the country are forbidden to attend or board the ship in mourning or visit, so as not to become polluted and cause evil spirits, etc.
But Yang Fan's system does not talk about this. Everyone knows that the master values equality between men and women, equal pay for equal work, and no discrimination against women. Most of the shipyard's sail and rope workshops are female workers, who are responsible for sewing sails, braiding ropes and other tasks.
So when Chen Xi came to smash the wine jar, no one said anything. Today all the workers were on site to watch the launching ceremony. After the launching, they followed the tradition of the shipyard. There will also be a large flowing banquet and a big meal for all employees to celebrate.
"Open the gate and let out the water." Mingyan shouted loudly.
Several workers used hammers to break open the lead-sealed water inlet of the dock, opened the gate, and cold seawater suddenly surged in.
Now that it is winter, it is time to launch these two cruisers before the Bohai Bay freezes. After being launched, they will head to Jeju Island to anchor and conduct sea trials in the warm East China Sea.
Experiment with the sail system, the safety performance of the hull in wind and waves, the driving performance, the performance of the steam engine propulsion system, and even prepare to find some unlucky pirates to experiment with the artillery.
As the water poured in, the dock slowly raised water from the bottom, and the two boats slowly floated.
Everyone was nervously watching the floating state of the ship to prevent the two ships from colliding with each other and being damaged. Thousands of workers around used ropes to pull the side of the ship to keep it stable. ….
Finally, the water level and the sea surface were balanced safely. Then dozens of strong men operated winches and pulleys to open the heavy dock door. The dock is connected to the sea outside.
Yang Fan nodded with satisfaction, everything went well.
"Let the relevant people get on the ship, drive out first, make a few turns, and then come back if there are no problems, and dock at the dock. In the afternoon we will board the ship and conduct long-distance voyage experiments." Yang Fan said.
The gangway reached the ship's deck, and groups of sailors, officers, and related personnel began to board the ship. In the past two years, more than a dozen clipper boats have been built and more than 2,000 sailors, officers, and technicians have been trained.
This time, for the launch of two cruisers, personnel selection began two months in advance. People on all ships have signed up enthusiastically.
Those who can board these two boats
They are all the best in the navy of Yang Fan's system. Everyone knows that the master will focus on training the personnel who can board these two cruisers. In the future, the backbone of the navy will come from these two ships.
The dock is busy, and various supplies and equipment for voyages are being transported upwards. Several pulley block steel frame cranes are also ready.
Watching the two graceful white sailboats sailing out of the dock and onto the sea, everyone felt excited. These two boats are so beautiful.
"Master, although this kind of soft sailboat is very beautiful, I have done experiments and found that the Chinese sailboat is the most efficient in terms of the efficiency of using wind." Chen Xi said while looking at the two beautiful white boats.
Not only in the Ming Dynasty, but even in later generations, traditional Chinese sails were the most efficient, and the West has been studying them.
Yang Fan nodded and said: "Our sails are indeed better, especially when the wind is weak, they are very efficient. But have you ever thought about how heavy a hard sail made of bamboo is. A small boat may be able to pull it, but a big boat cannot pull it at all. It’s said that Zheng He’s treasure ship required two to three hundred people to pull the ropes to raise the sail.”
Chen Xi nodded helplessly. The heavy weight of the hard sail was the biggest problem.
Yang Fan sighed inwardly. The story of China Sail is a sad story to tell.
Today, there is no longer a wooden sailboat with Chinese sails visible along the coast of China. The technology has long been lost. Once something is lost, it is gone forever.
Europeans have preserved their sailing culture very well, and there are still many ancient sailing enthusiasts to this day. From galenic ships, carracks, and even Mediterranean-style sloops. They often organize competitions.
Even the Arabs and Turks retained their jib sailing culture.
It is a pity that Chinese sails and Chinese boats have all been eliminated because they cannot pass modern ship inspections. Now you can no longer see even a single traditional Chinese wooden sailing boat on the Chinese coastline...
Yang Fan read a story on the show of the self-talking CEO.
In 2004, a film crew traveled along the coast of China. They actually saw a beautiful wooden sailboat from a distance on the coastline of Zhangzhou, Fujian.
It looks like a white water bird fishing in Dongshan Bay. This is a wide boat. Experts analyzed that this ship may be 200 years younger and is a high-end Guangdong ship built in Hong Kong or Macau before and after the Japanese War. ….
Now, Captain Lao Tang and his family use it as a fishing boat. It has not been out of Dongshan Bay for many years.
As they spoke, the sailors on the ship began to maneuver the sails urgently. It turned out that there were more and more fishing nets in the inland sea, so the Jinhuaxing had to be alert at all times and avoid them in time.
Lao Tang said that in the early years, the ship was like a big family, with more than 30 members of the family living on the ship, relying on the sea to eat.
My current little black dog was born on the ship. It has never been off the ship. Hei is very powerful and is responsible for helping the sailors monitor obstacles on the ship.
Two cantilevers were installed on both sides of the Jinhuaxing, just like the two wings of a waterbird, and they were used to hang fishing nets.
The Jinhuaxing has a total length of 28.5 meters and a displacement of 200 tons. It does not have any modern equipment on board and relies entirely on sail power. The only electrical appliance on board is Lao Tang's radio, which is used to listen to weather forecasts.
This is the last wooden sailboat on the coast of China, and looking at its worn sail, no one can imagine the fate that awaits it...
Two months later…
Just two months after the film crew discovered the Jinhuaxing, a strong typhoon hit Dongshan Bay. The Jinhuaxing had experienced such typhoons countless times, and it was just a few more patches added to the worn-out mainsail.
However, the local fishery department thinks otherwise. They believe that the Jinhuaxing, which is not equipped with a power engine, is a major safety hazard in the upcoming typhoon season due to its lack of maneuverability. The crew cannot stay on the ship. At the same time, the fishery department issued a notice to dismantle it within a time limit.
Captain Lao Tang was reluctant to part with the Jinhua Xing. After many efforts, the film crew finally helped Lao Tang contact an advertising company in Zhuhai. The company was willing to purchase Jinhua for 180,000 yuan.
Xinghao, but the condition must be that Jinhua Xinghao be driven to Zhuhai for handover.
Can the Jinhuaxing really sail out to sea from Zhangzhou, Fujian to Zhuhai, Guangdong during the upcoming typhoon season?
The camera crew couldn't even imagine it, but Lao Tang nodded silently.
So, before dawn on an October day, the entire crew worshiped Mazu, and they quietly sailed the Jinhuaxing to the open sea, with a voyage of 280 nautical miles. After nine days and eight nights of typhoon journey, the Jinhuaxing successfully arrived in Zhuhai, the only The damage was to the pair of cantilevers, because when entering the port, the pair of cantilevers exceeded the limit, and Lao Tang had to personally remove the wings of the water bird...
Later, Lao Tang came ashore and worked in a clothing factory in Dongguan to print and hot stamp logos. He also got a motorcycle driver's license and was responsible for delivering goods. The four sons who originally worked as sailors on the ship had to separate and live their own lives. Only Xiao Hei still followed Lao Tang.
Lao Tang said that Xiao Hei had been in a depressed mood since he came ashore. He lay motionless next to the pond where the shrimps were raised every day. He was dizzy.
Xiu Gou, who was born and raised on a boat, has become accustomed to the rocking of the ocean.
The small pond made it feel better, but one day, when Lao Tang went to feed Xiao Hei, he found that it had quietly passed away...
In addition to the crew members who came ashore, what is the fate of the Jinhuaxing over there?
It turns out that the exhibition ship plan envisioned by the advertising company has never been implemented. By 2008, some enthusiasts photographed such a scene in Zhuhai. The Jinhuaxing had sunk to the bottom of the water...
This is the last traditional wooden sailing ship in China.
From then on, there was no longer a Chinese-style sailing ship made in ancient times along the coast of China. We have lost them forever.
A book full of poems and thousands of flowers
