Boating on the country boats at the Hooghly River is definitely a fascinating experience. Carry your favourite book of love poems, your camera or your picnic hamper—an evening spent boating on the Hooghly River is bound fill you with an sense of wonder. Capture a panoramic view or enjoy the ride, every moment could be fascinating while boating in the river.
A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats.
Types of boats
Boats (boat types) can be categorized into 3 different types types of board categories, unpowered, motor boats, and sailboats. Recreational boats (sometimes called pleasure craft, especially for less sporting activities) fall into several broad categories, and additional subcategories. Broad categories include dinghies (generally under 16 feet (5 m) powered by sail, small engines, or muscle power) usually made from hardwood or inflatable rubber. paddle sports boats (kayaks, rowing shells, canoes), runabouts (15–25 ft. (5–8 m) powerboats with either outboard, sterndrive, or inboard engines), daysailers (14–25 Ft. (4–8 m) sailboats, frequently with a small auxiliary engine), Cruiser (25–65 ft. (8–20 m) powerboats with cabins), and cruising and racing sailboats (25–65 Ft. (8–20 m) sailboats with auxiliary engines).Center console (boat)(18 to 75 ft.(18-23m) power boats that have a large interior typically used for fishing, with its high speed performance design and engine also used in water sports. Deck Boats (25-35 ft.(8-11m) boats that characterized with a open deck area and used typically for leisure activities. Lifeboat (rescue) smaller, quicker water crafts equipped with emergency equipment in which to help voyagers in case of emergency in the water.
Small boats are typically found on inland waterways such as rivers and lakes, or in protected coastal areas. However, some boats, such as the whaleboat, were intended for use in an offshore environment. In modern naval terms, a boat is a vessel small enough to be carried aboard a ship.
Boats vary in proportion and construction methods with their intended purpose, available materials, or local traditions. Canoes have been used since prehistoric times and remain in use throughout the world for transportation, fishing, and sport. Fishing boats vary widely in style partly to match local conditions. Pleasure craft used in recreational boating include ski boats, pontoon boats, and sailboats. House boats may be used for vacationing or long-term residence. Lighters are used to convey cargo to and from large ships unable to get close to shore. Lifeboats have rescue and safety functions.
Boats can be propelled by manpower (e.g. rowboats and paddle boats), wind (e.g. sailboats), and inboard/outboard motors (including gasoline, diesel, and electric).
History
Silver model of a boat, tomb PG 789, Royal Cemetery of Ur, 2600–2500 BCE
After Homo erectus possibly used watercraft more than a million years ago to cross straits between landmasses, boats have served as transportation far into pre-historic times. Circumstantial evidence, such as the early settlement of Australia over 40,000 years ago, findings in Crete dated 130,000 years ago and in Flores dated to 900,000 years ago, suggest that boats have been used since pre-historic times. The earliest boats are thought to have been dugouts, and the oldest boats found by archaeological excavation date from around 7,000 to 10,000 years ago. The oldest recovered boat in the world, the Pesse canoe, found in the Netherlands, is a dugout made from the hollowed tree trunk of a Pinus sylvestris that was constructed somewhere between 8200 and 7600 BC. This canoe is exhibited in the Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands. Other very old dugout boats have also been recovered. Rafts have operated for at least 8,000 years. A 7,000-year-old seagoing reed boat has been found at site H3 in Kuwait. Boats were used between 4000 and 3000 BC in Sumer, where a 4000-year old boat has been excavated at Uruk, ancient Egypt, and in the Indian Ocean.
Boats played an important role in the commerce between the Indus Valley civilization and Mesopotamia. Evidence of varying models of boats has also been discovered at various Indus Valley archaeological sites. Uru craft originate in Beypore, a village in south Calicut, Kerala, in southwestern India. This type of mammoth wooden ship was constructed solely of teak, with a transport capacity of 400 tonnes. The ancient Arabs and Greeks used such boats as trading vessels.
Benefits of Boating
Being able to go boating during the pandemic—or at any time, really—is great news, because studies also show that being on or near the water is a boon for psychological health. And who among us couldn’t use a mood booster now and again?
Water is Healing
In October 2019, researchers at the University of Exeter Medical School in the United Kingdom published a study showing that people who live near the ocean are 22 percent less likely to report depression and anxiety symptoms than people who stay inland. The beneficial effects of “blue health”—interacting with bodies of water—were especially high among lower-income households.
ignite your blue mind
The British study followed a Canadian study in 2018 showing that people living closer to the water lowered their risk of mortality by as much as 17 percent. The “protective effects” of being near bodies of water were especially noteworthy among women and older adults.
In fact, just the sounds of bodies of water can help to reduce stress, according to a 2013 study. Get yourself within earshot of a lake, river or ocean, and you can immediately feel better.
Wallace J. Nichols, the author of Blue Mind, knows all of this information well. His bestselling book looks at the scientific reasons why being in, on or under the water can make us happier and healthier.
"Simply the mere sight and sound of water promotes wellness by lowering cortisol, increasing serotonin, and inducing relaxation," said Nichols.
In fact, he says, when it comes to reducing stress, being on a boat can be considered a type of medicine.