Read a couple of good sailing-related books recently. Both are very quick reads and very interesting. The first is To Harness the Wind,
by Leo Block. It is a history of the development of the sail. It really
covers more than just that. I learned all sorts of useless tidbits like
the origin of the terms starboard and port.
The other was a gem I stumbled onto at Half Price Books called Those Vulgar Tubes: External Sanitary Accommodations Aboard European Ships of the Fifteenth Through Seventeenth Centuries
by Joe J. Simmons, III. If you’ve ever wondered how early seafarers
“took care of business” look no further. Like To Harness the Wind, you
can pick up more from this book than what you might expect from such a
narrowly-focused title.