When it’s that certain time of season and you look out on the waters, you are bound to see people sailing their boats. These days, seeing sailboats on the water let us know it is time to come outside and enjoy the weather, however, this isn’t always the case. Some sailboats are large and are used to sail in any weather. They are able to navigate storms and push through rough weather. The sailboat can represent the serene and also the storm. Because they are able to symbolize many ideas and traits, you will see a lot of sailboat tattoos out there.

Sailboats are not just dainty two man boats. They can also be giant works of art that take a whole crew to navigate. Whether you are looking for a mid-day sail on the lake or to navigate the rough waters of the sea, the sailboat is your answer. Not only are they used today but they were used by everyone before the motorized boat was created. There are lots of stories and lore attached to the sailboat and when you find out about these tales, it might make you consider getting yourself a sailboat tattoo.

In this post we are going to review some of the history surrounding the sailboat. Then we will talk about the meaning of the sailboat tattoo and what it means to those that decided to have the sailboat immortalized on their body. Between the stories and symbolism of the sailboat, you will have a really fascinating tattoo that you can be proud of. We will also talk about some of the variations of the sailboat tattoo.

History of the Sailboat

When humans figured out how to catch wind with material to make a boat move, there was no looking back. For the earliest rafts and boats, animal skins were used for sails. In ancient Egypt, the people made these sails by using mats and weaving reeds into them. That being said, the Egyptians were the first create sails made of cloth and this was around 3300 BC. The great Phoenicians sailed with cloth sails as well. Over the years, many materials have been used to create sails including flax, jute, hemp and ramie. Flax was the main material used but were replaced by cotton as the processing of cotton became easier. The cotton sail got a big push in popularity as they used it on a yacht from the United States called America for a race. The US yacht sailed around the Isle of Wight off coast of England and beat 14 British sailboats.