Sailing is a sport that requires moderate exercise
and physical strength and agility. It demands mental
alertness and active participation at all times. Knowing the
fundamentals of sailing is essential to not only having a good time on
the water but for safety reasons also. Knowing the fundamentals is the
first step to learning the language of sailing and boating as a sport
and lifestyle. Sixty Minute Sailor video makes
this easy and entertaining.
One of the first things I learned about sailing was
the terminology. Suddenly, right was starboard, left was port and my
goodness don’t let me slip and say “I put that downstairs”.
It is, “I put that down below”. Ropes are
everywhere in every color but they are not ropes on a sailboat, they
are called “lines”. Dock lines, are the lines/ropes
that tie the boat to the dock. Sheets are lines that control the shape
of the sails, and halyards are lines that move the sails up and down.
Sailboats do not lean in the water they heel. The bathroom is called
the head, the kitchen is called the galley, the stairs to the cockpit
is the companionway, and a bedroom is called a V berth. The fundamental
words, symbols and phrases of sailing and being on board ship are like
another language but with practice they become second nature. Being on
board a sailboat is like another world. Once you spend some
time there you realize it is a wonderful place.
Buy at AllPosters.com
Knowing how to set the sails to catch the wind is a
basic fundamental skill of sailing. The Practical Mariner's Book of Knowledge:
420 Sea-Tested Rules of Thumb for Almost Every Boating Situation
is full of wisdom but also humor and a must have! Buy this book today
because it helps the study of basic fundamentals to not be so
boring.
One of the basic fundamentals of sailing is that you cannot sail in the direction the wind is coming from or "into the wind". A sailboat can only go 45% into the wind. The wind itself is described as true wind and apparent wind. True wind is the wind produced by nature. Apparent wind is the wind produced by a boats movement through the water together with true wind. Smoke rising and going with the wind, Wind-Tel Wind Indicators
on the sails
and wind indicators at the top of the
mast all show apparent wind direction.
One of the basic fundamentals of sailing is that you cannot sail in the direction the wind is coming from or "into the wind". A sailboat can only go 45% into the wind. The wind itself is described as true wind and apparent wind. True wind is the wind produced by nature. Apparent wind is the wind produced by a boats movement through the water together with true wind. Smoke rising and going with the wind, Wind-Tel Wind Indicators
The mainsail is the key force on a sailboat. A
mainsail that is very flat and close hauled (pulled in tight), has the
potential for giving you a lot of speed and high pointing ability. The
helmsman with the right touch will first trim the mainsail loosely to
get his speed up. Then as the wind hits, you trim the sails and
position the boat with gentle sheeting changes and smooth steering.
These fundamentals take practice. Coordinating your steering
and sail set with the wind and sea conditions must be subtle, smooth
and simultaneous.
The mainsail has a strong relationship with the
jib, the forward sail on a sloop sailboat. The fundamentals of sailing say
that when going to windward the jib
increases the velocity of the wind
on the leeward side on the mainsail. This makes for suction that
gives
greater speed for the sailboat. Roller furling
on the jib makes it easier to make subtle adjustments on bigger boats
but on small sailboats quick adjustments manually by the helmsman and
crew is all it takes.
Sailing fundamentals are the same in light and
heavy winds. The sails do the same work but they need different
configurations to sail well. After setting
the sails in light winds, have your crew move to the leeward side of the boat. This
helps the boat heel (which puts less of the bottom of the boat in the
water for less drag caused by friction) and can work for small boats when you want them to go faster. 
Buy at AllPosters.com Heeling has the added effect of allowing the sails to be in the
shape they were designed for and then they can work more efficiently.
No one article or book can cover all aspects of
sail trim and fundamentals of sailing but hopefully this has sparked
your interest and you will continue to study and practice the fundamentals of
sailing. Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Started
Sailing is a funny and informative book about sailing
basics and fundamentals. I hope you have fun learning to sail.