(no subject)
During my vacation with my dad, I did a lot of sailing (4+ hours a day). It was almost all small boats (mostly a laser and two different catamarans). I'm going to write down everything I remember about sailing so that I'll remember next summer.
First, there's your boat. Starboard = right, port = left, bow = front, stern = back. Pretty simple, yeah? Next, the big sail is the mainsail and the small one that is only on some boats is the jib.
The sail is what makes the boat go (obviously) but it's not obvious how the sail works. It basially works on the same principle as the wing of a plane or of a frisbee, namely that the air passing over one side has to go faster than the air on the other side, creating a difference in pressure that will propel the boat forward. For this reason, wind has to traveling at different speeds on either side of the sail, which means you can't sail directly into the wind. Actually, there's a 45 degree arc on either side of the wind where most small boats can't sail (known as the luffing zone), just because they don't have enough wind on either side to push the boat forward. However, the other 270 degrees are all available for travel.
Sailing into the wind (close haul): To sail near the edge of the 45 degree arc you have to pull the sail in all the way.
Sailing with the wind: Let the sail out as far as it can go without luffing (flapping around). This means that more and more wind will fill the sail. The fastest any sail-powered boat can go is when it is traveling with the wind directly at it's back, pushing the boat forward.
There are two ways to move to the sail from one side of the boat (wind) to the other, and they are known and tacking and gybing.
A tack is when you bring the boat near the edge of the luffing zone, pull the sail as tight as possible, then push the boat around to the other side of the wind. This is only possible if you have some headway before making the turn or you will end up directly into the wind and dead in the water.
A gyb is when you sail with the wind to your back, then just keep turning until the wind pushes the sail over to the other side. This is one of the most dangerous maneuvers that is performed on a sailed vessel, since there is really no warning for when the wind will push your mainsail to the other side. On a boat with a boom (large metal pole that holds the mainsail on, projecting into the area where people are sitting), the boom will suddenly swing around and knock people off/out.
There's really not a lot to sailing. All you have to do is get the feel for the wind and how the boat will handle, and after that it's all fun sailing (unless it's a laser and actively trying to kill you every second).
First, there's your boat. Starboard = right, port = left, bow = front, stern = back. Pretty simple, yeah? Next, the big sail is the mainsail and the small one that is only on some boats is the jib.
The sail is what makes the boat go (obviously) but it's not obvious how the sail works. It basially works on the same principle as the wing of a plane or of a frisbee, namely that the air passing over one side has to go faster than the air on the other side, creating a difference in pressure that will propel the boat forward. For this reason, wind has to traveling at different speeds on either side of the sail, which means you can't sail directly into the wind. Actually, there's a 45 degree arc on either side of the wind where most small boats can't sail (known as the luffing zone), just because they don't have enough wind on either side to push the boat forward. However, the other 270 degrees are all available for travel.
Sailing into the wind (close haul): To sail near the edge of the 45 degree arc you have to pull the sail in all the way.
Sailing with the wind: Let the sail out as far as it can go without luffing (flapping around). This means that more and more wind will fill the sail. The fastest any sail-powered boat can go is when it is traveling with the wind directly at it's back, pushing the boat forward.
There are two ways to move to the sail from one side of the boat (wind) to the other, and they are known and tacking and gybing.
A tack is when you bring the boat near the edge of the luffing zone, pull the sail as tight as possible, then push the boat around to the other side of the wind. This is only possible if you have some headway before making the turn or you will end up directly into the wind and dead in the water.
A gyb is when you sail with the wind to your back, then just keep turning until the wind pushes the sail over to the other side. This is one of the most dangerous maneuvers that is performed on a sailed vessel, since there is really no warning for when the wind will push your mainsail to the other side. On a boat with a boom (large metal pole that holds the mainsail on, projecting into the area where people are sitting), the boom will suddenly swing around and knock people off/out.
There's really not a lot to sailing. All you have to do is get the feel for the wind and how the boat will handle, and after that it's all fun sailing (unless it's a laser and actively trying to kill you every second).