Sailing FUNdamentals & Points of

Rick Morefield Skipper S/V Amante

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• – How they sail • Points of Sail • Wind • Destination Elementary School •Don’t know anything •We all learn differently

•Social - Crew •PII vs Pie •How to tell time? Mickey’s big hand is on the 12 and Mickey’s little hand is on the 3 •Shortest distance between two points

3 Technical Terms (We're Not Going to Discuss)

• Center of Lateral Resistance • Center of Effort • Laminar Airflow • Detached Air Flow • Wing Tip Vortex • Drag Coefficient

4

Sailboat – Side View Elementary Physics • Balance • Levers and Fulcrums • Gravity • Resistance

10 Stability and Balance SeaSaw/Teeter Totter Vertical Sea-Saw 14 Ooops! Frisbee Frisbee and Lift Wings - Sails and Sail Controls

• Sails are 3D objects – not flat • Sails are raised by lines called halyards • Sails are controlled by several lines to include: – Sheets – control the angle of the sail to the wind – Out haul – controls the foot tension of the main sail – Cunningham – helps control the luff of the main sail • Traveler – controls the angle of the boom • fairlead – controls the angle of the jib sheet and therefore the tension on the foot and leech of the sail • Back stay – part of the standing from the stern of the boat to the top of the mast. Induces mast bend which helps flatten the main. 20 Wind • True Wind • • Direction –Wind Vane –Other Boats –Smoke Stacks –Mother Nature –Boat Feel 22 23 Points of Sail 25 Overhead View Sailboat Overhead View Sailboat Overhead View and Gybing • Two ways to turn the boat onto a new course • Tacking is taking the bow of the boat through the eye of the wind • Gybing is taking the stern of the boat through the eye of the wind • Tacking is benign - usually the worse that can happen is getting into irons • Gybing is more dangerous - you must control the travel of the boom by first bringing it to center and then letting it out again • An accidental gybe can injure crew members and damage the boat 30 31 Sailboat In Irons

32 In Irons Leverage

34 Points of Sail

• Close Hauled • A point of sail as close to the eye of the wind as possible usually between 33 and 45 degrees depending on the boat. Here the sails are pulled in towards the center of the boat. This is also called beating.

• Close Reach • Close reach is not a precise point of sail and includes any angle to he wind between close- hauled and a beam reach (beam reach information to follow). Here, the sails are let out more than close-hauled and the centerboard is raised to about ¾ of being fully down. Also known as ‘Fetching’ this is a more efficient point of sail than close-hauled and can allow for faster speeds. A close reach point of sail also endures less heeling force than a close-hauled point of sail and can be more comfortable to sail.

• Beam Reach • This is a precise point of sail and is exactly perpendicular, or 90 degrees, from the direction of the wind. Here the sails are let half way out and the centerboard is set to half way down. This is generally the most efficient point of sail and can provide for the fastest speeds.

• Broad Reach • A broad reach is not a precise point of sail and can be any angle from the wind from a beam reach to directly down wind. The sails are about ¾ of the way out and the centerboard is only ¼ of the way down. Even though you are starting to sail down wind a little bit, you actually lose efficiency from a beam reach and will generally see slower speeds. Points of Sail • Running

• This is a precise point of sail where you are in the same exact direction as the wind. Here the mainsail is let out all of the way while the centerboard is fully up. The headsail will no longer get airflow directed to it from the mainsail and is either moved to the opposite side of the mainsail or replaced with a sail. This is also the only point of sail where the sails are actually “catching” the wind rather than generating lift and generally allows slower speeds.

• Running can be a very relaxing point of sail. There is very little, if any, heeling force on the boat meaning that the boat is rather upright while sailing. There is also no wind blowing across the boat since the wind will be coming from directly behind the boat.

• Often referred to as the ‘Don’t Go Zone’, running can be a very dangerous point of sail. Since the stern of the boat is already “in the eye” of the wind, any sudden wind changes or mistakes while steering could cause the boat to accidentally causing the boom to swing dangerously across the boat to the other side. Due to this, it is often advised to beginner sailors to sail 10 degrees off of a true run until they gain enough experience to be able to safely handle it. Points of Sail Slices of Pie

Questions????

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