The
Incas used guaras, or centreboards, which they thrust down between
the logs, and working with sails, could more effectively tack
into the wind than any European ships. Since the guaras function
in the currents as sails do in the wind they are essentially
“sea current sails.” By the guara technique a skilled
crew could sail a balsa raft in any wind or current to any part
of the Pacific. The importance of centreboard sailing was unknown
to European boat builders until the late nineteenth century
and not understood by scholars until Thor Heyerdahl’s 1952
presentation of “Guara Sailing Techniques Indigenous to
South America.” Even then few scholars trusted Heyerdahl’s
work.
From
Atlantis in America – Navigators of the Ancient World
by Ivar Zapp and George Ericson
