THE HISTORY OF YACHTING
CHAPTER I
MEDIÆVAL PLEASURE-CRAFT AND EARLY
DUTCH YACHTS
Pleasure-craft of antiquity—Purple sails of royalty—Galley of Tyre—Cleopatra—Galley race described by Virgil—Yachting began with the rise of the Dutch Republic—Victories of Hein, Von Tromp, and Ruyter—Yachts belonging to the Burgomasters of Amsterdam, and Maurice of Nassau, younger son of William the Silent—Review of yachts in honor of Queen Mary of France—State yachts—Admiralty yachts—Dutch East India Company's yachts—Yacht parades—Mock battles—Peter the Great—Evolution of the sloop—The Peruvian balsa—First embodiment of the centre-board—Distant voyages and exploits of armed Dutch yachts.
PLEASURE-CRAFT, or what we now know as yachts, have existed among maritime nations from the most remote period; but the records of these gorgeous vessels of antiquity have perished except in fragments to be found scattered here and there among the writings of ancient authors.
In ancient times it was customary for vessels to carry sails of various colors, to denote their different characters. The sails of royal vessels were wholly purple, and were used by members of royal house-holds only; no other vessels were permitted to carry them.
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