The Grey Havens

[Guinevere]

I only wonder how Legolas could have aquired the skill to build a seaworthy boat and manage to sail and steer it across the Sea! Sailing needs some practice! He had always lived in the woods and to my knowledge never spent any time at the seaside. But someone must have taught him...

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Guinevere

I only wonder how Legolas could have aquired the skill to build a seaworthy boat and manage to sail and steer it across the Sea! Sailing needs some practice! He had always lived in the woods and to my knowledge never spent any time at the seaside. But someone must have taught him...

Perhaps the smell of sea-air awakens in Elves some sort of latent affinity that gives them the ability to learn the craft of shipbuilding and the art of sailing quickly.

Maybe it's part of the music of Ulmo, which calls to all the Eldar.

[Puddleglum]

Originally Posted by Guinevere

I only wonder how Legolas could have aquired the skill to build a seaworthy boat and manage to sail and steer it across the Sea! Sailing needs some practice! He had always lived in the woods and to my knowledge never spent any time at the seaside. But someone must have taught him...

Well, first consider that he had, by that time, been living in Ithilien for close to 120 years - plenty of time to learn the art from Gondorian shipwrights at Pelargir or Dol-Amroth. Having the sea-longing already awakened in him, he would have been anticipating the time when he would finally "follow the longing in his heart" and sail away -- and would have been looking to develop his learning.

Also, when it says "he built a grey ship in Ithilien", it doesn't need to be interpreted that he built it "single-handed". The learning, then, would be developed in his community. And that could well have been assisted by contact with Mithlond in the North (as well has Gondor) for, while Cirdan had left, nothing reports that ALL of the mariners chose to leave at that time.

Similarly, while it suggests that he took Gimli with him, it never says they were the ONLY two persons on the ship.

So, I suggest he took the 120 years to, among other things, develop a community of mariners (drawing on the ship learning of Gondor and Mithlond), build a sea-worthy ship, and (at the end) captain a ship on which Gimli was a passenger (and companion) but which was sailed by a band of Elves led by Legolas.

[Mithalwen]

HAd Cirdan left? I thought he stayed on after the Ringbearers..

Sailing does need practice but we know Elves are quick learners and Legolas had handled small boats all his lfe.

My cousin has been dinghy sailing since early childhood and was a qualified dayskipper in his teens and yachtmaster at 20 He is just 25 an officer in the Royal Navy and qualified to steer warships. And could have been a couple of years sooner had he joined straight from university. There have been a few teenage solo circumnavigators so it isn't impossible to gain a high level of competence young. Yes they have the benefit of technology now but I suspect that the main issue is the right to take the Straight road rather than technical competence.

[Galadriel55]

Plus, Legolas didn't sail the day Aragorn died. After he decided to forsake ME he probably took some sailing lessons, before going.

[Mithalwen]

We know Gondor had a shipbuilding tradition and it is possible that some of the Elves who decamped with Legolas may have all got the sea longing. It is possible that as they attempted to restablish the North Kingdom that there was a certain amount of sea traffic between Gondor and Lindon. I imagine it would be more efficient for cargo transport certainly.

[Galin]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

HAd Cirdan left? I thought he stayed on after the Ringbearers..

This has been a matter of debate, but for myself, I currently fall on the side of Ciryatan leaving with Gandalf and the other bearers of the Three.