Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

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Part 7: Sailing, Sailing …
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There’s no real need to
wash down and dry sails
for overnight storage, but
you should brush away any
sand or debris that might
cause abrasion.
Get Caught Up in the Race
Most sails are made of Dacron, a tough, low-stretch synthetic.
Dacron sailcloth doesn’t rot and has tremendous
resistance to tearing. However, Dacron and all other
sails should be washed with fresh water, and then dried
thoroughly before winter storage to prevent mildew.
It’s not necessary to take the mainsail off the boom for
overnight storage. It can be rolled up or flaked, with
alternating folds on each side of the boom, and then
secured in place with bungee cords so it’s ready to go in
the morning.
Most sailing fans turn to racing at least a bit as their skills develop and they want to know
just how good they are by competing with others.
To measure skill, there are “one-design” classes that pit boats of exactly the same length,
weight, and design against each other—some classes are so carefully defined that they
require all boats to be of the same color! Most one-design classes are comprised of the
same model boat from a single builder. This puts all the weight of winning on the skill
of the crew.
Some boats race in “formula” classes, which use a complicated set of parameters to rate
the sailing efficiency of completely different designs against one another. It’s a form of the
handicapping system, but no time allowance is made—the rating system is intended to
equalize hulls racing in the same class.
True handicap classes give time allowances, permitting larger, slower boats to compete
against smaller and/or faster ones.
The U.S. Sailing Association in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, maintains a complete list
of addresses and phone numbers for all the dozens of one-design racing classes (see
Appendix B, “Resources,” for contact information).
The Least You Need to Know
◆ Sailboats are categorized by height, placement, and number of masts.
◆ Sailboats can have one, two, or even three hulls. Each type has its own advantages.
◆ Sailboards and sport cats offer some of the most exciting and demanding types of
sailing.
◆ Modern sails are tough but take a bit of basic care to stay in top shape.