Windrider

Yeah, our guild made the first Windrider. Bloody difficult thing to get working. The winds always come from the south, so it's tricky to move sideways through a strait that gets as small as ten meters wide safely.

A Windrider is a type of boat designed to cross the straits that span Orlend. They are commonly used by traders who plan to cross the continent, such as from the Kingdom of Erdantia to Selerin. They have proven ineffective in moving across large bodies of waters, as they perform poorly when moving parallel to the wind, and are almost impossible to tack with.

History

Windriders were first made in 1497, by the Adley trading guild, a merchants guild centered in Erdantia. They were made to cope with the high costs in ship repairs for vessels travelling along the straits, as damage along that route was common. As a solution, a ship with the express purpose of traversing that area was made. The design was quickly adopted by other guilds in Erdantia, and eventually in other nations across the straits, such as Eseris and the Duchy of Ober.

Propulsion

They tend to use sails (although oars can be used if the wind is too calm or too rough to sail well). The sails are specifically designed to provide thrust from winds from the side.

Maneuvering

Windriders have a single rudder at the back, which can lock in the middle to stop it from changing course. A large fin runs through the middle, making turns very slow, but stopping the boat from drifting sideways.

Armor and defense

The hulls of Windriders are often quite thick to protect against collisions.