Use For Sailing
During the Age of Sail, ships travelling from Europe to the East Indies or Australasia would sail down the west coast of Africa and round the Cape of Good Hope to use the Roaring Forties to speed their passage across the Indian Ocean, then on the return leg, continue eastwards across the Pacific Ocean and under Cape Horn before sailing up the east coast of the Americas to home. "To run the easting down" was the phrase used to describe the fast passages achieved in the Roaring Forties.
Round-the-world sailors also take advantage of the Roaring Forties to speed travel times, in particular those involved in record attempts or races.
Read more about this topic: Roaring Forties
Famous quotes containing the word sailing:
“Theologians should not be ashamed to admit that they cannot enter a contest with such antagonists [the sceptics], and that they do not want to expose the Gospel truths to such an attack. The ship of Jesus Christ is not made for sailing on this stormy sea, but for taking shelter from this tempest in the haven of faith.”
—Pierre Bayle (1647–1706)