The modern sailing ship was developed by a man who never went to sea. He was Prince Henry of Portugal， the younger son of the Portuguese king and an English princess.
Prince Henry lived in the fifteenth century. As a boy he became devoted to the sea， and he dedicated① himself to improving the design of ships and the methods of sailing them. In 1416， when he was twenty-two， Henry founded a school for mariners， to which he invited everyone who could help him—Jewish astronomers②， Italian and Spanish sailors， and Arab mathematicians and map makers who knew how to use the crude compass of the day and could improve it.
Henry’s goal was to design and equip vessels that would be capable of making long ocean voyages without having to hug the shore. The caravel carried more sails and was longer and slimmer than any ship then made， yet was tough enough to withstand③ gales④ at sea. He also developed the carrack⑤， which was a slower ship， but one that was capable of carrying more cargo.
To Prince Henry the world owes credit for development of craft⑥ that made oceanic exploration possible. He lives in history as Henry the Navigator.
① dedicatev. 以……奉献，以……供奉[(+to)]
② astronomern. 天文学家[C]
③ withstandv. 抵挡，反抗；禁得起
④ galen. 强风(尤指八级风)
⑤ carrackn. (十五、十六世纪的)武装商船
⑥ craftn. 工艺，手艺[C][U]
航海者亨利
现代帆船是一位从未在海上航行过的人研制的，他就是葡萄牙的亨利王子——葡萄牙国王和一位英国公主所生的次子。
亨利王子生活在15世纪，少年时代便迷恋于航海事业，后又致力于改进船只的设计和航行的方法。1416年，他22岁时，创建了一所水手学校，广邀能帮助他的人士来校讲学，其中包括犹太天文学家，意大利和西班牙水手，以及阿拉伯数学家和地图测绘家。这些阿拉伯人懂得怎样使用当时的粗糙罗盘，并能加以改进。
亨利的目标是设计和装备能够进行远洋航行但是却不需要靠岸的船只。一种轻快多桅的帆船比当时制造的任何其他种船只都能张更多的帆，其船身也更长，更纤巧，可是又很坚固，足以能够抵挡海上暴风的袭击。他又研制出了一种宽身帆船，那是一种航速较慢、但却能装载更多货物的船。
世界把发展船舶工艺、使远洋探险成为可能的光荣归于亨利王子。他以航海者亨利的名字永载史册。
