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A comment on How Ancient Humans Reached Remote South Pacific Islands. Parent comment

Re:How Ancient Humans Reached Remote South Pacific Islands by calebsurfs on Wednesday November 02, 2016 @12:07PM (#12856273)
The ability to sail a boat up wind. The boats they used, catamarans, have a hard time sailing less than 90 degrees to the wind even today.
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Re:How Ancient Humans Reached Remote South Pacific Islands by civilian on Wednesday November 02, 2016 @02:10PM (#12857644)
Your comment is a little ambiguous--- we've built modern-day catamarans that can definitely sail upwind. I think you're saying that the catamarans that Polynesians have built were never able to go up wind.
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Re:How Ancient Humans Reached Remote South Pacific Islands by caf on Wednesday November 02, 2016 @07:10PM (#12860234)
The small catamaran I sailed as a teenager had no problem tacking upwind. I don't believe they're inherently any worse at this than a single-hulled craft?
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