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Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

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25<br />

Chapter<br />

The Mechanics of <strong>Sailing</strong><br />

In This Chapter<br />

◆ What makes a sailboat sail?<br />

◆ Rigging the sails<br />

◆ Getting underway on your first sailing trip<br />

◆ Downwind turns <strong>and</strong> all that jibe<br />

◆ Zig-zagging away—sailing upwind <strong>and</strong> the art of tacking<br />

By now you have some idea of the sailor’s vocabulary <strong>and</strong> the different types of<br />

sailboats that are out there. But before you jump on board <strong>and</strong> sail off into the<br />

wild blue yonder, there are a few basics you need to know.<br />

In this chapter, we’ll tackle the nitty-gritty of sailing, including the basics of rigging<br />

the sails, <strong>and</strong> then leaving the dock <strong>and</strong> going for a sail across the bay under<br />

the power of the wind. You’ll also learn the basics of turning under sail, going<br />

both upwind <strong>and</strong> down.<br />

Why Sailboats Sail<br />

A sailboat sails on the same principle that allows an aircraft to fly. Air passing<br />

over a rounded or convex section, be it a wing or a curved sail, goes faster than

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