Plying a small corner of the Western Hemisphere, Haitian sailing craft must surely represent one of the simplest and most successful designs in history, having changed little since their presumed introduction to Haiti by French colonizers in the early 18th century.

Now I’m not a shipwright and I’m certainly not an an academic, so my knowledge of dhows is anecdotal, coming only from talking with the craftsmen and sailors (in broken Swahili/English) and spending a few days, joyously racing on the lateen rigged flying machines.