Humankind has sought to harness the power of the sea since pre-historic times and there is evidence of man taking to the water for trade and exploration at least 10,000 years ago.

The sea-faring power of different nations has varied throughout history and there have been many famous ships during the course of time – from England’s 16th century Mary Rose to the massive, modern, Chinese shipping container, OOCL Shenzhen.

Constant striving by history’s famous shipping pioneers like Christopher Columbus and Zheng He have extended the boundaries of our maritime knowledge. This remarkable heritage played no small part in Ellen MacArthur being able to successfully circumnavigate the globe single-handed in less than three months in 2005.

The sea has always played a very important role in our existence and evolution. The long history of shipping and the fact that we still use boats for trade, transport and pleasure today say much about how important they have been in the development of mankind.