physical adjustments of the sails via the rigging lines. There is
no substitute for actual “on-the-water” experience and after
your first couple of outings you may want to read through this
manual again in order to help you to gain a better
understanding of the “art” of sailing. While learning to sail, it
is a good idea to pick up on as much sailing terminology as
possible; this will make it easier to grasp some aspects.
READING THE WIND
When you get to your favorite pond, take a few moments to
observe wind direction, speed, and frequency of gusts and
adjust your sailboat’s rigging as necessary. What follows are
guidelines for tuning your ship’s sails and rigging, but with
experience you will gain the ability to fine-tune your sails and
rigging for optimal performance, regardless of conditions.
For light wind conditions (1-5 MPH):
Use the adjustment
blocks (bowsies) located between the tops of the sails and the
masthead to tighten the sails so they will respond to the
slightest push from the wind.
For medium wind (6-10MPH):
Loosen the sails slightly in
order to find the most efficient combination of sail shape and
tension. As a
rough
guideline, you will want it somewhere in-
between the light and high wind set-up.
For high wind conditions (11-15 MPH):
Loosen the jib and
main sail further. They will be better able to handle the high
winds and your hull will be less likely to lay over on its side.
GETTING WHERE YOU NEED TO GO
Sailboats can easily sail
downwind
but sailing against the wind
can be quite challenging. In fact, sailboats cannot sail directly into
the wind and attempting to do so will leave you
in irons
. Sailboats
can sail at up to a 45° angle against the wind, movements against
the wind are known as
tacking
. Take a moment to study the
diagram below as you read through these definitions.
DOWNWIND:
Sailing with the wind coming from stern
(a.k.a.
running
and
sailing free
).
8
WIND
PORT TACK
CLOSE-REACHED
PORT TACK
CLOSE-HAULED
STARBOARD TACK
CLOSE-REACHED
STARBOARD TACK
CLOSE-HAULED
IN IRONS
BEAM REACH
BEAM REACH
DOWNWIND
BROAD REACH
BROAD REACH
BROAD REACH
BROAD REACH
