Sailing Technologies

In an effort to counteract the superior sailing technologies of the Norse in their long ships, Centurions have collected different technologies from across Europe and Asia and combined them in their North Sea fleets. They have many advantages over the long boats but the Norse do have a few advantages as well as the advantages of numbers. Centurions have made raiding the northern coast of Europe that the Norse generally avoid it and raid England, Scotland, Ireland, and Spain instead. Some have sailed as far as North Africa to do their raiding and there are even rumors that they have discovered new lands far to the west across the ocean.
Catamarans: Invented by southeast Asian peoples in 3,000 BC, these twin hulled boat designs have spread as far west as the Tamil region in southern India where Centurions first saw them.
Advantages: Catamarans are lighter, faster, more maneuverable, and more stable than longboats of the same size making them able to out sail even the best long boat.
Disadvantages: Catamarans can't carry as much cargo for their size as a long boat of the same length. (This is not important to Centurions but very important to Vikings because they are trying to collect large cargoes of goods, livestock, and slaves when they carry out their raids. Using catamarans themselves would limit their raiding.) Catamarans are also not as heavily constructed so a common Viking tactic is to try and ram a Centurion catamaran with their longboats since it will do far more damage to the catamaran.
Lanteen Sails: Originating in the Mediterranean, Lanteen sails are tall, trinagular sails that run fore and aft from the mast, in contrast to the tradition square sail that runs across the mast.
Advantages: Lanteen sails generate more power for the same size sail, respond more quickly, work better in light winds, and allow for sailing much closer to the wind.
Disadvantages: Square sails are generally easier to manage in high winds and are often preferred for sailing in storm conditions in the North Sea (which is notoriously stormy). Centurion ships also carry a square sail that they can rig if weather conditions necessitate it. A common tactic of Viking longboats is to sail during heavy winds and stormy conditions to eliminate some of the Centurion advantages.

Magnetic Compass: Dr. Manfried, a Centurion natural philosopher who accompanied a trading expedition to China, saw a Chinese fortune teller using a lodestone for divination. The Centurion, who didn't believe in magic but was fascinated by the lodestone, purchased one and began studying it. He soon realized that it always pointed North. He theorized that heaven might be in the northern skies and that the lodestone was pointing the way to heaven. Centurions developed a rough magnetic compass to aide in sailing under cloudy or stormy conditions. The compass tends to wobble under stormy conditions reducing its reliability but it is better than having no navigation at all. The Centurions consider this to be a secret technology so they protect it very closely and do not share it with anyone.
Telescope: Dr. Sheraton, a natural philosopher working in Castle Warrick on lenses, discovered an optimal grinding shape using conic sections (parabolas). She also developed a formula for a very clear crystalline glass. Combining these technologies she developed what she called a "telescope" which is Greek for "far seeing". This is useful for everyone but the Centurion Sailors of the North Sea view it as essential for their activities against the Norse. The Centurions consider this to be a secret technology so they protect it very closely and do not share it with anyone.

Centurion Fire: Centurion natural philosophers have developed a chemical that works in a manner similar to Greek fire. It is a tarry substance that self ignites when exposed to water, burns blue, and burns very hot. It cannot be put out by water, water will actually spread the fire, it can only be put out with sand or ammonia. Centurions smear it on woven mats wrapped around catapult stones. Special catapults with metal buckets then launch these "bombs" toward enemy ships. When the catapult stone hits the deck the mats disintegrate and throw the burning tar around the ship. A favorite Centurion tactic is to aim for the sails since setting the sails on fire will bring the enemy ship to a halt. The Centurions consider this to be a secret technology so they protect it very closely and do not share it with anyone.

by Henrique Pereira

A Viking Longship or Longboat. A fast, light ship with a shallow draft that is seaworthy even in heavy seas and can go almost anywhere. Designed to carry crews of anywhere between 20 and 80 they had rowing benches, could be beached, and even ported (carried overland) to reach other river systems that didn't connect. Longships could outperform any other ship in the water except a Centurion catamaran.

by Stan Shebs

This is a Polynesian Catamaran in Hawaii but it shows the basic design of a catamaran. Catamarans can be built of any size and the Centurions built them to be comparable in size to the Viking Longboats with crews between 20 and 60. The deck space in the middle of the boat allowed them to be outfitted with small catapults for hurling Centurion Fire. They could be rowed and ported but the longships were generally superior in performing these two activities.

by Public Domain

Lateen rigging, compare it to the square rigging on the Viking Longboat above. Lateen rigging outperforms square rigging in almost every way other than running downwind in heavy seas. Lateen sails can actually sail against the wind (not actually into the wind but they can sail upwind by zigzagging back and forth)

by Public Domain

Telescopes or spyglasses as they were also known.