Monday, November 16, 2009

Main Points of Sailing

The points of sailing are the most important type of theory to remember. The no go zone is about 45° either side of the true wind, which can be achieved by sailing upwind at a very fast speed. The highest rate that a sailing boat can achieve is upwind 50°-55° to true wind. As I mentioned earlier, no sail boat can sail directly into wind, which would create much drifting and can be seen when the sail begins to start luffing, which is flapping. Sail trim depends on which point sail is on. There are 5 main sailing points:

  • Close haul (45°-the least angle that the boat and it’s rig can manage, sails pulled in tightly)
  • Close reach (between close haul and broad reach, sails let out)
  • Beam reach (90° apparent to wind)
  • Broad reach (between running and a beam reach)
  • Running (close to directly downwind, sails let all the way out)

www.spinnaker-sailing.com/lessons/keelboat/

No comments:

Post a Comment