Sailing

Sailing info, ideas, and photos

On The Wind
Photo: Umberto Fistarol, through a Creative Commons Attribution License

Sailing is the art and technique of piloting a boat using wind power. Sailors manage the force of the wind on the boat's sails by shifting the rudder, rigging, and center board, which all affect the direction and speed of a boat. While sailing can be difficult to master, and sailing mastery only comes with lots of experience in varied wind and sea conditions, few endeavors are as rewarding as sailing.

Sailing takes place in many varied water environments from small lakes in the Midwestern United States to the azure waters of the Mediterranean, to the wild and unpredictable seas of the Southern Ocean. A huge variety of sail boats exists from small sunfish, to catamarans, to ocean-going yachts. Sailing as an essential means of transport has gradually died out, in all but the most remote third world coastal countries. At the same time, sailing for recreation has become a huge activity worldwide. Sailing races have become big business with small local races to the large scale ocean races like the America's Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race.

Sailing, of course is all about shifting the the boat's rudder, rigging and center board in response to the boat's position to best take advantage of wind conditions. The sail above the water is used to catch the wind. Below the water, the keel or centerboard and the rudder work together to provide and opposing force in response to the sail, and this push and pull is what allows the sailor to direct the boat in virtually any direction.

When a boat is traveling roughly perpendicular to the wind is called reaching. A beam reach occurs when the boat is sailing at 90 degrees perpendicular to the wind, the sails positioned somewhere close to a 45 degree angle to the wind. A broad reach is used when the boat is more than 90 degrees away from the wind. Depending on the boat design, a broad reach or a beam reach may be faster.

Sailing upwind, or into the wind, is possible with a close reach. As long as the sail is kept at an angle outside of what is called the no-go zone, which varies from boat to boat, the boat will continue to travel upwind. This is known as beating, or close hauling. A fast ocean-going racer will be optimized to be able to sail upwind with as little as a 35 degree angle to the wind. A weekend sailboat might be able to close haul with a 50 degree angle to the wind. A boat sailing upwind to its destination will have to make a zig zag course, and each turn in this course is known as a tack. A boat that points too much into the wind and into the no-go zone will experience what is called "luffing," the speed of the boat will slow and the sails will begin to flap like a flag.

A boat is sailing down wind, when the wind is coming from directly behind the boat. Running with sail at 90 degrees perpendicular to the wind, the sailor must exercise extreme caution. Sailing downwind, it's important to watch out for rapid changes in wind direction which could cause the sail to shift dangerously. Also, sailing downwind, because there's less pressure on the tiller or rudder, it's more difficult to stay on course. Another danger of running down wind is the build up of bubbles of turbulence on the sail, which when combined with the rolling of the sea can lead to a death roll of the sail boat.

Here's a list of 10 sailing spots every sailor should sail at least once.

San Francisco Bay

Sydney Harbor

Marquesas Islands

Inside Passage, BC

The Grenadines

The Virgin Islands

Greek Islands

Catalina Island

The Abacos - Bahamas

Ionian Coast of Turkey

One of the biggest misconceptions about sailing is that you have to have a lot of money to do it. That's just plain wrong. You get get into a small sunfish boat that's perfect for learning for less than $1,000.

There's something really interesting about sailing in that you don't really know yourself unless you have been out on a sailboat by yourself. That's one reason solo sailing is such a big deal -- it pushes your boundaries.

Sailing Alone Around The World by Joshua Slocum

Endurance by Frank Arthur Worsley

The Long Way by Bernard Moitessier

Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific in a Raft by Thor Heyerdahl

The Complete Sailor: Learning the Art of Sailing by David Seidman

Sailing For Dummies (For Dummies (Sports & Hobbies)) by J. J. Isler and Peter Isler

Sailing Fundamentals by Gary Jobson

How to Sail Around the World : Advice and Ideas for Voyaging Under Sail by Hal Roth

Bluewater Sailing

Sailnet.com

Sailing Magazine

Sailing World

Sailing Anarchy

Sail Magazine

Sailing Source

Sailing Beach and Harbor Cams

Sailinglinks.com Blogs

Sailing Blogs - My Home Harbor.com

Sailblogs.com

TripSailor.com - Sailing Blogs

Sailing: Fun for all, aloft and alow - The Independent

Dee Caffari joins exclusive sailing club - the first woman ever to sail solo around the world non-stop both ways - Telegraph

SAILING; Crew Details How Sailor Died During Ocean Race - New York Times

THE BOATING REPORT; Sailing and Learning Together - New York Times

Sailing Troubled Waters - The Independent