anchor, or take other drastic measures). Essentially, a sailboat has no brake.
But when you let out the sheet and let the sail luff, or flap in the wind like a
flag, you’ve taken your foot off the gas pedal, and your boat can coast to a
stop. Heavier boats take longer to slow down (because of momentum).
Some new sailors get nervous when the sails start luffing,or flapping — the
sails are loud, and the sheets attached to the sails can start whipping around
if conditions are windy. But relax. Luffing sails produce no power, and the
boat gently decelerates. So just stay low and out of the path of the flapping
sail (and that hard boom), as Figure 1-7 shows.
Sailing into the wind
You may wonder if you can sail anywhere. Our answer is yes, you cansail
anywhere! You can even sail to a point directly into the wind, but not by just
steering straight there. If you try steering your boat directly into the wind,
your sails luff, and you slow down and come to a stop. So to sail to a point
directly upwind, you must take an indirect zigzag route, as Figure 1-8 shows.
First, the zig: Pull in your sails (with their sheets) as hard as you can and
then steer a course as close as you can to the wind direction without having
the sails flap. Halfway to your destination, the time comes to zag and perform
the basic sailing maneuver oftacking. (Check out Chapter 5 for more about
tacking and other basic maneuvers.)
A tackentails about a 90-degree course change. In a tack, as you begin the
turn, your sails start to luff, or flap (because you’re steering directly toward
the oncoming wind). But as you continue your turn, the sails refill with the
wind now blowing across the opposite side. If you time your tack correctly,
you’re now steering directly toward your initial destination.
Arc of Boom
You must remember
to duck under the boom
as it comes across
the boat.
Figure 1-7:
Beware of
getting hit in
the head
with the
boom when
the sail luffs.
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Chapter 1: Ready, Set, Go: Time to Start Sailing
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