Sail insignia ...

 

I got word from the sailmaker that the full-sized square sail is nearly complete.  After fabricating the test sail myself, I figured I had learned enough during the process to move along and hire a professional to craft the full-sized version; it will even have a foot of draft built into it (like a spinnaker) which is not something I wanted to even attempt.  Anyway, I will soon have a 180 square feet of 1.5 ounce ripstock nylon to proudly hoist.  You don’t see very many square sails around Lake Washington and Puget Sound, so I’m thinking about what unique insignia I can display on my blank canvas of dark blue, and I have a number of symbols influencing my attempt at graphic creativity.

If you’ve read through the design document (click HERE to view), you’ll know that I’ve incorporated the golden ratio (aka ‘the divine proportion’) into the design.  This is most visible in the dimensions of the square sail; the ratio of the foot (and height) to the head is 1.618.  It’s also imbedded in the symbol itself (see above); the longer vertical line is 161.8% the length of the shorter horizontal line & the diameter of the circle. You’ll find the golden ratio used in art, architecture, music and in nature.  It represents the perfection of the natural world and is mathematically identified by the Greek letter phi.

Greek letter phi

As I’ve been reading about the historical evolution of sailing, I ended up on a tangent and dove into a fascinating book about the siege of Malta in the 16th century.  The Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer Malta due to its strategic location in the Mediterranean and a betting man would have wagered heavily on the Turks to do just that; they had perfected siege warfare and the accompanying tactics and logistics  necessary for success.  Malta was defended by the local Maltese citizens along with a small contingent of knights from the Order of Saint John, the least known of the militant monastic orders.  These warrior-monks became, through necessity, quite good sailors; they functioned as church-sanctioned privateers, using their fleet of square-rigged galleys to disrupt and seize Ottoman shipping in the waters surrounding Malta. It’s no surprise the Ottoman Empire wanted to eject them from the island.

The vastly outnumbered defense force holed up in three fortifications and survived months of brutal bombardment and deprivation that is truly horrifying by today’s standards.  One of the forts (St. Elmo) did finally fall after heroically holding out much longer than expected, but the defenders’ ability to endure unimaginable suffering won out; the approaching winter weather and belated arrival of a papal relief force compelled the Ottoman army and navy to abandon the siege.  Christianity was handed a rare victory in what had been decades of Islamic military dominance.  The cross of Saint John (aka “Maltese cross”) serves as an icon of inspiration to me in remembrance of the knights’ valor, courage and sacrifice.

Cross of Saint John

Lastly, I draw upon the Celtic cross.  While I am not a fan of organized religion in general, the development of Catholicism in the Celtic lands during the centuries (5th c. - 7th c.) when it was mostly free from Rome’s dominance and Augustinian severity has guided and inspired me.  Celtic Christianity embraces a kinder world view, assumes people are essentially good and incorporates & celebrates the natural world in its theology.

Celtic cross

Combining these three symbols in a unified way has been a fun and meaningful project. Here’s the design evolution:

First draft

Second draft

Final version

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