Waertagi from ian (i.) gorlick on 1996-05-27 (Glorantha Digest Vol 02)

From: ian (i.) gorlick <"ian>
Date: Mon, 27 May 1996 18:08:00 -0400

Sandy about the waetagi:
>They have developed a technique to "tack"
>against the water, much as sailing ships can tack back and forth
>against the wind, and thus, they can actually propel their ships and
>small boats _against_ the current.

I'm sorry Sandy, but I can't buy this without some sort of justification other than "it's a mystery" or "it's magic". Tacking against the wind involves playing off the forces of the wind on the sails against the forces of the water on the keel and rudder. Tacking a boat against the current makes as much sense as tacking a balloon against the wind, which is to say none at all.

Most of the rest of your post made a lot of sense except that, if the waertagi are so flexible and adaptable, then why wouldn't they adapt the use of sails when appropriate?

Undines are great when you have a sorceror-priest to control it. What about small craft that don't have such a worthy on board? You say yourself that sea monsters are rarely used to tow craft. Is the only alternative rowing? Okay for short runs, but if you are going off for any length of time then clever adaptable people will find an easier way, and I believe that sails are such a way. Okay, they are not as dependant upon them as other people, but I still see the waertagi finding them very useful.