Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

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Part 7: Sailing, Sailing …
In this chapter, you’ll become familiar with the names of all the parts of a sailboat and its
rigging; the masts, sails, and lines that make it sail; as well as the points of sail and an
assortment of other terms that will make sailing easier. It’s a simple language, and one
you’ll pick up quickly as you spend a bit of time aboard.
Sailboat or Powerboat?
Powerboats are a means to an end, useful tools to go fishing, picnicking, water skiing, or
gunk-holing. In sailing, the sailing itself is often the end, as in flying a sailplane or an
ultra-light. It’s usually not just about getting from point A to point B—but if you want to
take really long voyages, sailing may be the only way to go.
Because you rarely have to visit a fuel dock, larger sailing craft and motor-sailers, sailboats
equipped with dependable diesel engines and spacious cabins, are often the choice of
those who make long-distance voyages to the remote corners of the world.
Here are some good things you can say about sailboats that you can’t about powerboats:
◆ You never have to change the oil.
◆ They always start. (At least, if the wind is blowing.)
◆ You never have to buy gas.
◆ The captain gets to give lots of orders.
◆ You don’t have to deal with smelly exhaust fumes.
Getting Started
It does take a bit of application to get started in sailing, but in retrospect, those who have
learned feel it’s almost intuitive. I once wrote in my newspaper column that sailing was a
technical sport that took a fair amount of instruction. An avid sailor wrote back in a huff
that sailing is not a technical sport. “Give me three full days and I can teach anybody to
sail,” he wrote.
Boat Bytes
The American Sailing
Association, 310-822-
7171, and the U.S.
Sailing Association, 401-
683-0800, both offer listings
of sailing schools nationwide.
See Appendix B, “Resources,”
for more information.
I guess he meant it wasn’t technical in the sense that
nuclear physics is technical. But compared to powerboating,
it’s pretty complex.
Note that there are hundreds of sailing schools
throughout the world, but almost no “powerboat
schools.” This should tell you something.
The first difficulty you will encounter is the vocabulary.
If you know what to call all the parts of a sailboat,
instructions suddenly become much clearer.