HA LONG, Vietnam -- The name might sound trashy and inappropriate, but the vessels known as junks represent one of the most successful shipbuilding designs in maritime history.
Ingenious, versatile and dating as far back as second-century China, the half-watermelon shape of the junks ensures their stability in cyclone-prone seas. The keelless hull gives them access to rivers, while bulkheads create watertight compartments sailors can use to repair leaks at sea. And their curved sails redirect wind into each other to make junks as fast as ... the wind.
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