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  Category: Articles » Travel & Leisure » Sailing & Cruises » Article
 

Sailing is not a complicated sport




By Michael Sanford

It seems obvious how a sailboat sails downwind: It is
pushed along by the wind in its sails. Less obvious is how
it can sail upwind or how some sailboats can sail faster
than the wind.

Sir Isaac Newton formulated three basic laws that pertain
to the motions and accelerations of all objects.

Let us have a look at the third law:
For any force exerted on an object, an equal but opposite
force must be exerted by that object onto whatever exerted
the force.
A direct consequence of this law is the conservation of
momentum (Momentum equals mass times velocity). The
conservation of momentum tells us that if the velocity of
one thing is somehow changed (in either magnitude or
direction) that the velocity of something else must also
change accordingly.
Moreover, a large change in velocity of a light object can
be balanced by a small change in velocity of a massive
object. This is, of course, how a sailboat sails. Because of
its large sail area, a sailboat can change the velocity of a
huge amount of air in a small amount of direction or
speed.
The change of velocity that the sailboat imparts to the air
hitting her sails is mainly a change in the direction in which
the air is moving. So a sailboat can experience a large
driving force even when she is sailing against the wind.
In the real world, there are two forces. One is the wind
pushing on the sail when it is changing direction. The air
traveling over the leeward surface of the cambered sail
creates the second force. It has to travel a longer way to
reach the end of the sail (the leech), and as a
consequence goes faster. This is causing a pressure
differential in accordance with Bernoulli¡¯s principle. (More
speed gives less pressure and less speed gives more
pressure).

So a sailboat can sail upwind with the addition of these two
forces. But remember that the force created by the
depression is four times bigger that the one created by
pushing the air sideways.
A fluid flow exerts a force upon an object in a direction
perpendicular to the uninterrupted flow of that fluid. As a
result, a lift is generated. But there is also creation of a drag
that is a force acting in the direction of the fluid.Because lift
and drag are defined as being perpendicular to one
another, any force acting on a sail can, using trigonometry,
be divided into a lift component and a drag component. By
separating the force into these two components, we can
study the relationships between lift, drag, the shape of the
sail, and the angle between the sail and the airflow( AOA
or Angle Of Attack with the Greek letter)

Sailing is not a complicated sport. Anyone can do it and
enjoy it.
Spend time on the water
You just need to take a little time on the water. Trying and
collecting experience is one of the best way to learn. I am
sure you will have a great time on the water.
You can start just by yourself.
Plenty of sailors started buying, renting, borrowing or
otherwise obtaining a boat for their first sail without any
knowledge.
Let me say that you have to take care because it could be
hazardous to your health.
Get the Right Boat
For a child, learning to sail in a dinghy seems natural. For
an adult, it is not so simple. You react less by instinct and
fear to go on this unstable machine could surface. For this
reason, many people opt for a larger, seemingly more
forgiving big boat to learn on.
It is another way, but they miss out on a pure form of
sailing not experienced in larger boats.
Is it Dangerous?
Which danger could threaten you on a small sailing boat?
You could tip over. It is called ¡°Capsize¡±. Capsizing and
learning to right your boat again are all part of the learning
process and could be fun.
With the fear of capsize behind you, you will be able to
concentrate wholly on sailing maneuvers instead of
constantly worrying about getting wet.
Don't wait and Jump
Remember, you told everyone that you would like to
become a sailor and go across oceans¡­
Well, it's time to make good on that.
At first, gauge how you feel about the water.
During your last summer vacation, did you jump right in
the water or did you cautiously wade in?
Okay, I agree it could depend of the weather and the
temperature of the water.
But if you're a jumper, you can stop reading here. Just take
a day off from the office, buy or rent a boat, or ask an old
friend sailor to come with you, and get out of here!
If you're still with me, then you're a wader. Don¡¯t worry. I am
not a jumper too, and I sailed during the last 40 years
having fun. It is difficult for me to take the decision to go,
but if I fall, by accident,in the (cold) water, it is not such a
big problem for me. The more I think about, the less I go¡­
Have no fear. Nobody is going to splash you. Let's start
with dipping our toes into the water. The way to do that with
sailing is to go out and buy a few books about the sport.
Stay away from anything boring, technical, or overly
historical. You need an easy book, with a lot of drawings,
and nice to read.
Lobbying, Lobbying
Now let's go to a more serious work. Figure out a way to
catch an invitation onto a sailboat. The important thing is to
get sailing. You can pay to go on a sailing boat with
skipper, or twist a friend¡¯s arm to be invited aboard his next
sail. I don¡¯t care the method. You need to go on the water.
As a good info, it is very rare to be sick on small boats. You
are outside, in the wind, all thing concurring to have you
feeling well.
Just take care not to do a race with a crazy guy who will
cure you of sailing. You have to start with a mellow sailing
day.
Take a Course
It's time to move on to the second step. Find an adult
sailing course and sign up for it. Personally, I would
recommend taking your first lessons in a small sailing
boat, a dinghy. For sailing courses they are designed for
beginners. They will give you an immediate response to
any shifts in the variables that affect sailing (weight, wind,
waves, and weather).
If your wife (or your husband, boyfriend or girlfriend) wants
to learn sailing too, take separate classes. It's difficult
enough to learn a new sport without having your partner
watching over your shoulder at every step of the way.
It will be time later to sail (and should the occasion arise, to
fight) all together, as an old couple, on the same boat.

 
 
About the Author
For more information on sailing please visit the sailing resource center at http://www.sailing-advice-guide.info

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