Sailing

The captain and crew, wheel, keel, hull, deck, masts, sails, anchors, cannons, signalling flags, and rigging are all very important parts of 'an old sailing ship'.

how does the area of the sail affect how a model boat sail

There should be a special bin set aside for the disposal of oily rags. Do not throw the oily rag into the water. What to do should be stated on a noticeboard of rules and regulations.

A wheel or a tiller is used to influence the direction of the rudder, which steers the boat.

Winch and ratchet.

Here's a Wikipedia explanation of the purpose of a running backstay: In some sail boats, there are two running backstays. Each one runs from each lateral corner of the stern to the mast at the level where the forestay begins in the fractional rig. Together with other rigging, it supports the mast. During beating or reaching, the running backstay in windward side is in tension. The one in the leeward side is lazy. As the boat tacks they change over. Another function of the running backstay is to adjust the tension of the forestay to suit the sailing angle and sea condition. In general, during a hard beat when the boat sails very close to the wind, the running backstay is tightened to increase the tension of the forestay. The genoa is sheeted in. Under these conditions, the draft of the genoa is brought foreward reducing the drag.

Having searched lists of shipwrecks to no avail, I request that you state the country of origin/registry for any ship you want information on.

A centerboard is lighter, therefore not as strong. The centerboard is retractable, the keel is not.

Please see the related link below:

They were great merchants and explorers

The sail acts as an aerofoil so that when the boat is sailing close-hauled (close to the wind) the wind hits the leading-edge of the sail end on, the curve of the sail then deflects it and produces the force that has a component in line with the boat that drives it forward, with the keel stopping too much sideways movement.

land lubber

The term bullet, in sailboat racing, means taking first place in a race.

The words need some context before one can answer the question. For example, if one is asking about blanketing and backing in the context of sailing, they mean something quite different than in the context of bedroom furniture. In the context of sailing these are generally not nouns (a blanket and a back) but verbs -- something you do. Blanketing occurs when one sail interferes with the wind that would otherwise get to another sail, either on the same or a different boat. When while racing another boat blankets your boat, it really takes the wind out of your sails. Backing is when the clew of a sail is forced to the same side of the boat as the wind or when in the eye of the wind and dead in irons forcing the clew (usually that of the jib) to one side. Backing the jib pushes the bow to the opposite direction.

Perini Navi shipyards in Viareggio, Italy.

Depending on the type of sailing the list is extensive.
There are the necessities of life such as food and water,
Safety equipment, life jackets, radio, flares.
Spare sails or repair kits.
Charts and instruments
Toolkit
Knowledge

There are several poles that hold sails. The one you are probably refering to is the mast, which is vertical and usually at least the length of the ship. Some designs can have more than one mast, in which case there are several different names for various arrangements, and the masts have different names as well.

Another type of pole that holds a sail is the boom, which is a spar that connects the bottom edge of the mainsail to the mast so it can be controlled. Other types include spinnaker poles and whisker poles, which allow the use of different headsails to make the boat faster or more efficient.

It may cause you to change directions often (called 'tacking') or cause you to be stranded far from shore (called 'in irons').

They are - most inboard engines are 4-stroke. But as with land vehicles, you can get a smaller engine with 2-stroke (or more horsepower with a smaller engine) so the small engines like some outboards tend to be 2-stroke.

Stays and shrouds are mast supports. Shrouds support the mast to the sides of a boat while and a stay supports the mast in a fore and aft direction. More specifically, a forestay attaches to the mast near the top and runs to the bow. A headstay is a forestay, but is usually the highest forestay and runs furthest forward attaching to the bow or bowsprit.

If the white light is flashing, it will tell you what type of mark it is, depending on the flash code.
If the light is steady, it is probably a riding light. Riding lights are sometimes used on a float, to show which way the current is flowing.
Some flash codes (characteristics)

Quick flash. = North cardinal
3 Flashes (groups of 3) = East Cardinal
6 flash then 1 long one = South Cardinal
9 Flashes = West cardinal
2 flashes = Isolated danger

The Pacific Ocean.

Most probably, you would sail through the Gulf of Mexico and into the Atlantic Ocean.

Depends which way the wind was blowing! With the wind behind you, no problem. With the wind against you, 4 possibilities: 1) Tack; most vessels, especially if fore-and-aft rigged, which river boats usually were, can sail at a wide angle into the wind; in a wide river, one can thus go from side to side, put about and go back towards the other side, constantly gaining headway. 2) Club-hauling. Sail across the wind, getting up speed; at the end of the run, drop all sails, turn upwind, and coast for as long as possible. Then up sails and do it all again. 3) If the worst comes to the worst, kedging. Put a small anchor in a boat, send the boat upstream to the length of your cable, drop the anchor, haul in on the cable until you reach the anchor. Meanwhile, the boat has gone ahead with another anchor, and the process can be repeated. 4) If the river is not very wide, tow with horses or oxen (or, in many cases, the wife) from the bank. On particularly fast-flowing rivers, like the Dordogne in France, you simply didn't sail upstream. You built a raftlike boat at the headwaters, loaded it with trade goods, floated down the river, and at the mout sold the trade gooda AND the timber from which the boat was made. Then you got on the horse you'd taken with you and went home.

The lateen sail was used at the same time a square sail was used, but has different uses.

The square sail is fine if you have a heavy boat and always fiind a wind that is blowing in the direction you want to go. Under such conditions, a lateen sail isn't much of an improvement. It was only once boats were made lighter (to faster get from the Atlantic to the Orient) that the triangular sails were an advantage.

Also, if the wind is often blowing sideways to the way you want to go, a square sail, even if angled, doesn't work as well as a lateen sail. A triangular sail actually has a bit of lift to it so you can point your boat closer to the eye of the wind and still sail. This makes it ideal for sailing in and out of harbors and along the coasts. So small boats orginated the lateen sail for dexterity.