In this article of sailing beginner, I am going to be discussing sailing terms associated with sails. In general there are three general types of sails known as the Mainsail, Jib, and the Spinnaker used for downwind sailing. The main sail is typically triangular in shape and the top of the sail is known as the head where the halyard rope is attached for raising it up on the mast. The bottom of the sail is known as the Foot.
The Tack is where the sail is attached to the boom and is located on the bottom luff side of the mainsail or the side closest to the mast. The Clew is where the sail is attached to the boom and is located on the bottom leech side of the mainsail on the opposite end of the mast. As mentioned the Luff is on the mast side of the mainsail and runs the length of it. The Leech is the opposite side of the mainsail and runs the entire length from the bottom or the foot to the head or top of the sail.
Although there are various kinds of sails, the mainsail is the workhorse of them all. It allows the sailing boat the ability to sail up or down wind. With that said, as a sailing beginner, you may want to use just the mainsail initially when tacking upwind. Otherwise it can be overwhelming to control two sails at once especially in high winds! The mainsail can also be reefed in high winds, which is nothing more than reducing the area of the sail. More about reefing in my next article. So in essence the mainsail is the most versatile of the three general types of sails because it can be used in all sailing applications, techniques, and adverse weather conditions.
The next type of sail used is known as a Jib and this is what I have on my Renken pocket cruiser. Jibs are located in front of the mast, triangular in shape, and are the main source of propulsion when going upwind or sailing into the wind. The Genoa is similar to the jib, but overlaps the mainsail when in place, unlike the jib’s leech side that remains in front of the mainsail. The Gennaker is a hybrid of both the genoa and a spinnaker that was developed in the 1990’s and is used primarily for racing. Most common of the three are jibs and most likely as a sailing beginner, it’s most likely the sail you will use of the available headsails.
Also as a word of caution, please be careful using the jib when sailing in high winds, especially if you are sailing perpendicular to the wind. Just recently while sailing, I was deceived into thinking that the wind was not all that bad and raised my jib sail while sailing downwind. It was smooth sailing up to that point until I was forced to make a starboard turn because I had to navigate around a point of land on my port side. I steered my sailing vessel into a port jibe or gybe, and all of the sudden a gust of wind of over 15 knots hit me so hard that I was just short of taking in water on my port side.
At this point, my adrenaline put me into high gear and I put as much of my weight on the starboard side almost sitting directly on the side of the boat, and was contemplating on jumping on the keel if I was able. It was either that or jump ship!
In this case, I made the split decision to stay aboard. So with my hands white knuckled to the tiller pushed away from me, I was able to counteract the force of the wind and upright my boat. Mind you this is a 1,200 pound sailboat with a keel that weighs over 400 pounds! And I was single-handed sailing that day, but I was able with much difficulty to retrieve the jib while I had my Renken in irons while in the middle of the lake.
The last most commonly used of the three general types of sails is the spinnaker. The Spinnaker also called the Kite or Chute is used for sailing downwind or when the wind is behind you. Much like a parachute, the spinnaker fills up with air and creates a maximum amount of lift, thus propelling the sailing boat forward while going downwind. Since a spinnaker can be twice the size of the mainsail, it takes more effort to raise and to retrieve it. I hope that this gives you a general idea of the sailing basics associated with sails. Until my next post- Happy Sailing!
I hope you are enjoying my sailing beginner blog, however, if you’re really pressed for time, I have also put together an audio and e book for a nominal price, so that you can learn how to sail while commuting to work or anytime you can listen to your favorite audio playing device. So now there is no excuse for you to daydream any longer about sailing! Get started today, you will be glad you did. Just click this link: www.sailingbeginner.com for more information in getting your hands on a copy of my audio and e book. Until then- Happy Sailing!
The Tack is where the sail is attached to the boom and is located on the bottom luff side of the mainsail or the side closest to the mast. The Clew is where the sail is attached to the boom and is located on the bottom leech side of the mainsail on the opposite end of the mast. As mentioned the Luff is on the mast side of the mainsail and runs the length of it. The Leech is the opposite side of the mainsail and runs the entire length from the bottom or the foot to the head or top of the sail.
Although there are various kinds of sails, the mainsail is the workhorse of them all. It allows the sailing boat the ability to sail up or down wind. With that said, as a sailing beginner, you may want to use just the mainsail initially when tacking upwind. Otherwise it can be overwhelming to control two sails at once especially in high winds! The mainsail can also be reefed in high winds, which is nothing more than reducing the area of the sail. More about reefing in my next article. So in essence the mainsail is the most versatile of the three general types of sails because it can be used in all sailing applications, techniques, and adverse weather conditions.
The next type of sail used is known as a Jib and this is what I have on my Renken pocket cruiser. Jibs are located in front of the mast, triangular in shape, and are the main source of propulsion when going upwind or sailing into the wind. The Genoa is similar to the jib, but overlaps the mainsail when in place, unlike the jib’s leech side that remains in front of the mainsail. The Gennaker is a hybrid of both the genoa and a spinnaker that was developed in the 1990’s and is used primarily for racing. Most common of the three are jibs and most likely as a sailing beginner, it’s most likely the sail you will use of the available headsails.
Also as a word of caution, please be careful using the jib when sailing in high winds, especially if you are sailing perpendicular to the wind. Just recently while sailing, I was deceived into thinking that the wind was not all that bad and raised my jib sail while sailing downwind. It was smooth sailing up to that point until I was forced to make a starboard turn because I had to navigate around a point of land on my port side. I steered my sailing vessel into a port jibe or gybe, and all of the sudden a gust of wind of over 15 knots hit me so hard that I was just short of taking in water on my port side.
At this point, my adrenaline put me into high gear and I put as much of my weight on the starboard side almost sitting directly on the side of the boat, and was contemplating on jumping on the keel if I was able. It was either that or jump ship!
In this case, I made the split decision to stay aboard. So with my hands white knuckled to the tiller pushed away from me, I was able to counteract the force of the wind and upright my boat. Mind you this is a 1,200 pound sailboat with a keel that weighs over 400 pounds! And I was single-handed sailing that day, but I was able with much difficulty to retrieve the jib while I had my Renken in irons while in the middle of the lake.
The last most commonly used of the three general types of sails is the spinnaker. The Spinnaker also called the Kite or Chute is used for sailing downwind or when the wind is behind you. Much like a parachute, the spinnaker fills up with air and creates a maximum amount of lift, thus propelling the sailing boat forward while going downwind. Since a spinnaker can be twice the size of the mainsail, it takes more effort to raise and to retrieve it. I hope that this gives you a general idea of the sailing basics associated with sails. Until my next post- Happy Sailing!
I hope you are enjoying my sailing beginner blog, however, if you’re really pressed for time, I have also put together an audio and e book for a nominal price, so that you can learn how to sail while commuting to work or anytime you can listen to your favorite audio playing device. So now there is no excuse for you to daydream any longer about sailing! Get started today, you will be glad you did. Just click this link: www.sailingbeginner.com for more information in getting your hands on a copy of my audio and e book. Until then- Happy Sailing!
