Learning the Essentials of Sailing - Sailing involves knowledge of simple essentials for a smooth sailing experience. Your boat should remain balanced on starboard and port sides. If your yacht heels away from the wind, it will luff up or turn into the wind.
Getting Started – Basic Sailing Knowledge is Must for Smooth Cruising Experience
New York (USA), September 02, 2017
Getting Started – Learning the Essentials of Sailing
Sailing involves knowledge of simple essentials for a smooth sailing experience. These include:
Sailboat Balance
Your boat should remain balanced on starboard and port sides. If your yacht heels away from the wind, it will luff up or turn into the wind. If your yacht heels towards the wind, it will turn downwind. In both cases, rudder movements can keep boat straight on course. You can sit on boat deck at specific point to steer boat in desired direction and maintain sailboat balance.
Sail Trimming or Setting
Sail should be pulled in perfectly until it fills with wind. The front edge of sail should exactly be in line with the wind. A simple technique to check is to let out sail no further than it starts to flap gently along leading edge. Pull in sail sufficiently enough to stop flapping. This allows even flow of wind across both sides of sail.
Position of the Centerboard
When your yacht moves forward, wind blowing on sails would push it sideways across the water. This is making leeway. Your yacht requires better grip on water. This is provided by keel, daggerboard, or centerboard. Daggerboard moves up and down vertically while centerboard spins around a bolt. If your yacht has a movable centerboard, lower it when sailing close to the wind or raise it fully when going downwind to reduce drag. Centerboard position should be monitored whenever you change course. Some yachts have a keel or sometimes the hull in place of a centerboard.
Fore and Aft Trim
Crew weight should remain evenly distributed in aft and fore. This distribution is as important as balancing the boat. You should move forward in the boat while sailing windward and move backward while sailing downwind. This adjustment helps achieve an even keel. Shape and direction of hull and wind speed also affect fore and aft trimming. If winds are very strong, sit further aft to maintain proper balance. However, position of crew does not matter immensely if size and weight of the boat increases.
Course Made Good
Theoretically, course made good implies selecting the best way to reach your destination from starting point. Plan your course such that you can reach in the shortest possible time. You may go on a straight-line course when sailing off wind in deep and current-free inland waters. In that case, there should be a steady breeze. If you are going leeway, you should know about when and how to tack and gybe.
When sailing always check that all these sailing essentials are adjusted to your sailing direction. You should check them each time you change course.
Guide to Sailing and Ocean Cruising in a Medium Sized Yacht
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