![physics 101 dvd you tube physics 101 dvd you tube](https://www.artfulhomemaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2017-2018-homeschool-curriculum-8th-grade-332x500.jpg)
Just as a car won't turn when it's parked, a sailboat must be moving in order for its rudder to be effective. To steer a sailboat, you use the tiller or wheel to turn the rudder to direct the flow of water passing over its surfaces-which turns the boat. Steering as close to the wind as possible with your sails fully trimmed but not luffing will allow you to progress most efficiently in the direction of the wind. Once the sails are trimmed in all the way, your steering keeps them from luffing. As you turn toward the wind from a beam reach to a close reach to close-hauled, you must gradually trim your sails to keep them from luffing. Sailing close-hauled (beating)Ī boat can't sail directly into the wind, but it can sail toward the wind, as close as about 45 degrees off the wind's direction. Inexperienced sailors shouldn't be out alone when there are whitecaps. This occurs at around 12 to 14 knots, a point at which many small boats begin to get less stable. One telling indicator of wind strength is when whitecaps (white tufts on the waves) just begin to form. Gradually turn your boat toward the wind you'll be straight head-to-wind when the sails are luffing on the boat's centerline.
![physics 101 dvd you tube physics 101 dvd you tube](https://www.artfulhomemaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2017-2018-6th-grade-homeschool-curriculum-332x500.jpg)
When you ease your sails, they will luff and line up with the wind. You can also use your sails to find wind direction. A masthead fly, with a wind arrow, goes at the top of the mast and points into the wind. Telltales are lengths of yarn or strips of nylon tied to the shrouds and backstay. There are simple tools that can help you find the direction of the apparent wind. Other helpful indicators are flags, smoke, and other sailboats. (Larger waves are caused by the longer-term effects of the wind and current.) Learning to determine the wind's direction by looking at the water's surface takes much practice, but it's the most accurate method. Wind blowing across water causes friction on the surface, forming small ripples perpendicular to the direction of the wind. There are many ways to tell the direction of the wind. When you're sailing, it's important to be aware of the strength and direction of the wind in order to harness its energy efficiently and sail safely. The wind itself is invisible, but its effects are not. Depending on the surfaces it passes over, the stability or instability of the air, weather systems, and even the effects of other boats, the wind is constantly changing in both strength and direction. Wind will blow more strongly out of valleys and will be almost nonexistent on the leeward side of a high hill. It flows over and around obstructions, seeking the path of least resistance. While air is made up of gasses, in many ways it behaves like a liquid. Wind is the movement of air from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. As you gradually head up, turning toward the wind, you will need to trim your sails to keep them from luffing (flapping in the wind) as you sail onto a broad reach, then a beam reach, close reach, and finally back up to close-hauled. If you continue to turn, you will gybe, so that you are on a run with your sails on the opposite side of the boat. When you are sailing directly away from the wind, you are sailing on a run with your sails eased all the way out. As you bear off, steering away from the wind, you will ease your sails as you sail onto a close reach, then a beam reach (where the wind is blowing over the side, or beam, of the boat), then a broad reach. When sailing as close to the wind as possible, with the sails trimmed in all the way, you are close-hauled or beating. Different angles of sail, called points of sail, change as your boat changes course, and the sails must be adjusted to harness the wind as efficiently as possible. The angle of the sail is the difference between the direction your boat is heading and the direction of the wind. If you get too far out of position, you could unbalance the boat and cause a capsize. Since centerboard boats don't have heavy keels, the crew must use their weight to counteract the heeling forces. As the boat heels, the weight of the keel pulls back down. Keelboats have a heavy concentration of weight, usually lead, in their keels.
![physics 101 dvd you tube physics 101 dvd you tube](https://i2.wp.com/iawberkeley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/MI6-Final-One-Sheet-e1532671968247.jpg)
The combination of these forces pushes the boat forward.įorm stability and ballast keep a sailboat from tipping over sideways (capsizing). The flow of water over the underwater surfaces creates lift, too-a sideways force countering the force of the wind. A sailboat would slide sideways with the wind if it did not have a centerboard or keel underneath the hull.