Introduction To Sailing

Sailing is the process of moving a craft through water by managing the force of the wind on the sails. The reaction of the inertia of the sails to the moving wind is what causes the boat to propel forward. Wind is the necessary component in order for sailing to take place. On a calm day when there is no wind to move the sails, a boat will not move on the water if the wind and the water current are moving in the same direction. When the wind and water currents are moving in different directions or against each other, then the boat will move.

The sails of a boat use the energy of the wind and the motion of the boat. The reaction causes apparent wind as the flow of the water current does cause wind to occur in the sails even if it is not a windy day. The air that is flowing around the sails causes a lift, but this lift is not really wind.

You do need more than a sail in order to propel a boat through the water. If you only have a sail, you will only move in the same direction as the wind. A boat has to have some physical components to help it sail, which are the keel, a centerboard and a hull or some other form of underwater foil. These components are all located underwater and serve the purpose of an additional sail. Thus, the two surfaces work against the wind and allow the boat to move in different directions. As the water flows over the hull, this creates a hydrodynamic force and this helps to propel the boat in the water.

When sailing upwind, the sails of the boat need to be properly adjusted so as to create the lift required for sailing. When sailing with the wind, there is no need for this lift as the wind will simply push the boat forward.

There are certain techniques that one has to use when sailing. These are:

• Heading up – this refers to steering the boat so that the wind comes directly from the front

• Trimming the sails – pulling the sails closer to the center of the boat

• Tacking – this is a basic turning technique so that you bring the bow of the boat through the wind so that it is on the other side

• Jibing – this is another turning technique in which you bring the stern of the boat through the wind so that it is on the opposite side

When sailing, it is important to keep the boat in trim. There are five main points in trimming and are the essentials of sailing. These five points are:

• Course to Steer – This is the course you want to take and is a definite bearing.

• Trim – the balance of the boat fore and aft

• Balance – the weight of the boat so that it doesn’t tip from side to side

• Sail – the sails should be pulled in until it puffs up with the wind

• Centreboard – a movable centerboard should be lowered when sailing into the wind and raised when sailing downwind.