| Did you know that can learn how to sail a boat better | | | | and stop tension as soon as you just begin to see a |
| when you understand the secret of how to move | | | | slight vertical crease along the luff. |
| draft. Once you know this, your power, speed, and | | | | Close Reaching |
| performance will soar! Read on for three simple | | | | Use the boom vang to help keep the sail under control. |
| methods to put you in control on any point of sail. | | | | Without a vang, the boom end will tend to lift up and |
| Hoist any sailboat sail and look at the sail from the side. | | | | destroy the sail shape. Tension the vang just enough |
| Notice how the sail curves from one long edge to the | | | | to keep the sailboat boom horizontal, but allow 1" to 2" |
| other long edge. Now imagine that make-believe | | | | of slack to prevent boom distortion. |
| wedges are inserted along any of those curves. | | | | Broad Reaching or Running |
| Somewhere along each wedge will be a specific point | | | | Use the boom vang as described above to keep your |
| deeper than all the others. That's called draft--which is | | | | boom horizontal and the sail under control. Ease the |
| the deepest part of a sail wedge. | | | | outhaul line to allow slack along the foot of the sail. This |
| When your sailmaker makes your sail, he or she | | | | increases the draft in the lower part of the sail for |
| positions the draft to keep the deepest part | | | | more speed and drive. |
| forward--or nearer the luff (leading edge) of your sail. | | | | Skipper Tip: |
| This shape creates the most efficient angle to the | | | | Ask your sailmaker to sew a Cunningham ring in your |
| wind for sailing to windward (beating). | | | | mainsail and headsail. It's a large grommet, placed a |
| But, unlike a rigid airplane wing, your mainsail and | | | | few inches above the tack. You reeve (thread) a line |
| headsail are flexible wings. And the harder the wind | | | | through the grommet and haul down on the |
| blows, the farther back that draft will move. Keep your | | | | Cunningham instead of the halyard to tension your luff. |
| draft in the right place with these simple techniques: | | | | This makes draft adjustments fast and easy. |
| Beating or Close Reaching | | | | Now you know how to sail a boat better on any point |
| Tension the mainsail or headsail halyard to move the | | | | of sail when you keep your draft in the right place. Use |
| draft forward nearer the luff. Take care not to | | | | these secrets to boost your sailboat cruising |
| over-tension either halyard. Watch the luff of each sail | | | | performance, speed, and power! |