Although [Dutch] sails are clever, the cleverness is limited to contra...
wikipedia - 22 Oct 2021Although [Dutch] sails are clever, the cleverness is limited to contrary winds. In favorable winds they are not so good. A thing cannot be ingenious in all aspects—this is simply a principle of nature. If a Chinese ship runs swiftly with favorable winds, [the Dutch ship] will fall behind. So when being pursued by a red-hair’s ship, one should simply turn the rudder and run with the wind and thus one can outrun them. Against the wind, however, their ships seldom lose.[24]
