Tuesday, 20 April 2010




HOME :: Recreation-and-Sports / Boating Sailing Theory - Understand How a Sail Works

A sail can be likened to a wing in the way it works. When a wing moves forward, some air passes below the wing and some above. Due to a phenomenon known as the Coanda effect, air will tend to follow an adjacent surface that curves away from the flow as long as the curvature of the surface is not too great. When moving air changes direction, a force is generated.

A wing has a relatively flat bottom face, and a more rounded top surface. Since the wing has different shapes along its top and bottom faces, the air has to travel different distances, and thus at different speeds, across these faces. The faster moving air across the top face causes a region of low pressure, creating the lift that the wing needs.

A sail works in a similar fashion. As wind enters the front of the sail, it is split, with some passing along the windward side of the sail, and some to the leeward side. The wind passing to the leeward side is forced to travel a longer distance, and therefore has to travel faster, creating a low pressure region.

Similarly to the lift created in a wing, the low pressure created by changing the direction of the wind causes a force to be exerted on the sail. It is this force which is used to move the boat.

However, to utilise the force of the wind most efficiently, the sail has to harness the wind's power efficiently. And to accomplish this wind has to deviate in direction over a sail's surface as smoothly as possible. To generate the lift required, wind passing over both sides of the sail has to follow the curved profile of the sail surface. This is achieved with the correct amount of curve in the sail, and having the correct angle of the sail to the breeze.

To get the most amount of force moving the boat forwards, you need to deflect as much wind as possible around the sail. Upwind sailing can be a real challenge, and is an aspect of sailing that takes a lot of practice and patience to develop. Some may initially find it a little difficult to grasp the concept of upwind sailing, but with the aid of vectors the process can be explained a little easier.

When wind enters the sail, it is forced to curve around the belly of the sail. This curve in the sail can be represented by a force acting at 90° to the sail. This force is made up of 2 components - 1 acting sideways on the boat, and another pushing the boat forwards. By using a fin, we minimise the amount of sideways slippage, and maximise forward motion.

Reaching is a comfortable and enjoyable angle of sailing for many sailors. In the right conditions and with a good setup you can get a dinghy up on the plane and moving across the water quickly.

Reaching is basically an extension of upwind sailing. The wind is coming from roughly 90° to the boat, the sail is eased out to create a nice flow of air over both sides of the sail, meaning that the forwards force is increased, and hence the boat can potentially go faster.

Due to the fact that the sideways force is now smaller relative to the forwards force, sideways slippage will be reduced. Some sailors opt to raise the fin about 1/2 way to create less drag through the water, and hence go faster.

Sailing downwind or running is basically when you are sailing in the same direction as the wind is blowing. The wind is coming from behind the boat, the sail is eased almost all the way out, meaning that the forwards force is maximised. One problem with downwind sailing is that, since you are travelling with the wind, the wind across the deck, and hence the wind that is being caught by the sail, is less. Another issue is that since all the forces are (almost) in alignment, the boat can tend to become unbalanced, and it can roll over on top of you.

Due to the fact that the sideways force is now minimal relative to the forwards force, sideways slippage will be reduced even more. Some sailors raise the fin as high as possible without interfering with the boom to create less drag through the water, and hence go faster.

The more you pull the sail in, the smaller angle will become, which will result in a smaller force pushing you forwards. The smaller the forward force pushing the boat, the slower the boat goes. Conversely, the more you let the sail out (basically up until the point before it starts to flap in the breeze), the greater the force forwards, and the faster the boat can potentially go.

The fin acts in a similar fashion to the tyres on a car. They both minimise sideways movement and allow easy forward movement. For example, if you push a car on an angle, it will resist moving diagonally, and instead will only move in a forward direction.

For this reason the fin should be all the way down to minimise sideways slippage.

Thanks for reading my article. If you would like some more handy tips and advice, complete with diagrams, photos and videos, please check out my http://www.LaserSailingTips.com website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brendan_Hones

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HOME :: Travel-and-Leisure / Sailing Sailing and Diving in the British Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands

Probably our best trip ever... from the moment we landed on Beef Island to being picked up by our wonderful friends, Steuart and Fran and whisked away to their 57 foot Catamaran. The British Virgin Islands are such a civilized place to dive.

The first morning we headed off for The Chimneys. And what a re-introduction to diving it was, after a nine month hiatus.

We anchored the boat and slowly entered the water to descend to forty-five feet and head towards a spectacular site called The Chimneys which is, as you guessed it, a chimney-like vent which starts at forty-five feet in a large cavern and ends at the surface as you make you way through a small but comfortable opening ten feet below the surface. The light pierces it and forms a spectacular spotlight effect when you are at the base of the vent. Just Wonderful.

After snorkeling around a while, we also discovered that you could swim through the rocky outcrops above the water and within one of them was a hollow area which was just great as well. A deep pool surrounded by rock and coral engulfs you while inside, but you had better be a fairly strong and confident swimmer.

Later, we lifted anchor and headed off towards The Bitter End Yacht club and anchored off a small island just west of the club for the night.

The next morning, we set sail around the tip of the island and while we had plans to head to Anegeda, we chose to tack off towards the Baths on Virgin Gorda, a simply spectacular spot which is featured on this page to the right.

The Baths are truly amazing. Boulders the size of apartment buildings are leaned up against each other and in the center form a walkway which is incredible as you wander your way through 100 ton boulders perched inches above your head.

Our next stop was the world famous Wreck of The Rhone. Widely regarded as one of the best wreck dives in the Caribbean, the two halves can be dived separately. The Bow lies in 60 ft - 90 feet - divers can swim inside the ships hold and see coral encrustations along with many fish. Diving inside a wreck that has great ambient light is always fun On our first dive, Yim and Fran stayed above the wreck and followed our bubbles through the dive.

Lobsters and crabs apparently often hide inside the wreck. And I mean crabs. I found one that had at least a four foot span.

Outside of the wreck, the foremast and crows nest can be seen along with the boilers, condenser, wrenches and winch.

The stern, often done as the second dive (15 ft-60 ft), shelters lobsters and octopus hiding in the metal work of the boiler gear box housing, the rudder and the propeller. Many fish varieties including Barracuda, Southern Stingrays, Eagle Rays and Turtles live in this National Park area.

We swam through the open area beside the propeller... it's a great spot to boost a divers confidence in safe conditions.

After leaving The Rhone, we headed down to Peter Island and anchored in a deserted bay for the evenings, snorkeled around watching the rays search for food ten feet down and came on board for some yummy rum drinks.

Next morning, we headed off to the Peter Island Resort and were wowed... Wow. Visit it if you are in the area at least for breakfast.

Then, off to the Caves. Located on the southwest side of Norman Islands, these really are Treasure Caves.

You can swim right inside them and with a flashlight, can easily enjoy the huge colonies of anemones attached to the surface of the openings. It's a great mornings snorkel trip.

Then out to The Indians.

Three rocky outcrops which reportedly rise 55 feet above the water and 55 feet below. Whether that be accurate or not, this is one great dive and once is not enough. Fran led us on this trip through an underwater garden the likes which are rare today on any dive before heading us back to the base of The Indians.

Swimming along at the base of these slabs of rock closely will reward you with dozens of different soft corals clinging to the surface before you come to a short wide tunnel which we easily swam through and entered another small world.

It's just a really cool spot. Little caves to enter, tons of fish, huge rocks anchored all around you and beautiful soft coral.

And a maximum bottom depth of 55 feet. What else could you ask for?

To view the photographic edition of this story, go to [http://www.oceansedge.com]

----------------

Steve Roper is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer with multiple speciality certifications, including Underwater Naturalist, Photography, Advanced Navigation, Night, Deep and Drift Diving, Nitrox and Tri-Gas Mix (for details on Nitrox and Tri-Gas, see techie stuff). He has been diving for well over 20 years.

His travels have taken him from Montreal throughout the entire Caribbean, both coasts of the United States, Vancouver Island, the Pacific Northwest ,much of Central America and more recently, Fiji.

With well over 2,000 dives in his log book, Steve has the experience to comfortably introduce new divers into the aquatic realm. He has taught all ages ranging from 12 to 76, ranging in certifications from Open Water to Divemaster and works well with all, conveying his natural love for the water easily.

Visit his web site at [http://www.oceansedge.com].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Roper

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HOME :: Travel-and-Leisure / Sailing Sailing The Labrador - An Expediton of a Lifetime

We're aboard the good ship Wanderbird, anchored snugly in in Shoal Bay on the south central coast of Labrador. The wind is blasting over the vessel at 50-55 knots and, much to my relief, the anchor is securely set. It is 4 pm and the clouds are speeding by close overhead. The worst of the wind should be over before darkness which will be somewhere around 11 tonight. I am on watch here in the wheel house as the seventeen other adventurers relax below. We are seven days into our 12 day coastal Labrador Expedition aboard the vessel Wanderbird.

Yesterday, as we sailed in close proximity to an iceberg that dwarfed our vessel, Karen and I hugged. We had just began to fully enjoy the culmination of the four years of hard work since we had started the conversion our North Sea fishing trawler to an expedition vessel suitable for cruising the remote coast of Labrador. We built upon the already sturdy hull to create this most unique small passenger expedition trawler, the Wanderbird. Twelve guests from England, Switzerland and the United States joined us in St. Anthony, Newfoundland to join us on our first Labrador charter. We all had planned on an adventure of a lifetime and we have not been disappointed! As we sailed from St. Anthony harbour we received word that a pod of Orca or Killer Whales were in the vicinity. The six foot tall dorsal fin of the Orca was soon sited and we all logged our first viewing of this king of the food chain. We motor sailed at 7 knots on a northerly course to clear Cape Bauld and then set a course that brought us across the Strait of Belle Isle to Labrador. I have to say that I have NEVER seen such a display of wildlife as was presented to our fine ship's company aboard the Wanderbird.

During the five hour, 35 nautical mile crossing, we sited no fewer than seventy five humpback and finback whale accompanied by hundreds of white beaked dolphins and thousands of pelagic sea birds of countless varieties. We all agreed that this most remarkable spectacle was the ultimate definition of the term "Teeming with life". Our wonderful dolphin escorts never left our side as we sighted land and toasted our own arrival to this most beautiful and wild place, The Labrador!

The first harbour that we entered was Henley Harbour in Temple Bay on the South Eastern Coast. We all stared mouths agape as our sturdy ship weaved among the rocks to enter this long deserted fishing outport. Henley Harbour was defended by an English fort built in 1766. A graveyard and remains of the fort were visible on the outskirts of a quaint and decaying village that was totally abandoned in 1995. After a fine afternoon of hiking, exploring and stocking our fresh berry supply, we returned to our floating home for another of the mouth watering feasts that we would enjoy throughout the entire voyage. After breakfast the following morning we got underway headed North. After an hour of working along the magnificent coast, our bow lookout shouted "Iceberg ahead" and we all rushed to the starboard side to view another first. The shimmering gargantuan appeared in brilliant blue/white at a distance of 5 miles. Having never seen one of these giants before, we had trouble actually gauging the size of the behemoth until we were close enough to see that it towered over our sixty foot mainmast and reduced the 150 ton Wanderbird to the proportions of a toy boat as we stood along side at a respectful distance. WOW, all this in our first twenty four hours in Labrador!

During the time that I have been writing this brief, the wind has already diminished and the sun is beginning to peak through the speeding grey clouds. The weather here in Labrador is described wonderfully in this paragraph of the Labradorians by Lynne D. Fitzhugh." Labrador's is among the most lethal climates on the continent not because it is the most harsh, but because it is so utterly disarming. The balmy southwest breeze that glorifies a summer morning can slam around in a heartbeat - dark shadows racing across the limpid sea like chills, stripping the skin from the flattened water and hurling it against the land so hard it makes the ledges flute and scream. Within minutes waves are leaping and foaming like a pack of mad wolves on the deepening swells. In October 1885, one of the many gales to hit The Labrador that fall claimed sixty-four vessels and three hundred souls in about an hour." "Weather in Labrador is dramatic, capricious, and omnipotent, ruling the lives of residents like a band of outlaw gods. Temperatures in a single day can span sixty degrees, wind spins a full 360 and weather switch in minutes from the thickest fog to brilliant sun to driving rain. But there is a terrible beauty in such unfettered wildness - and the sky shows are spectacular: lenticular clouds that drift in from the great bergs like a fleet of space ships: white ice fog that rolls over islands and hills like a heavy blanket, keeping the shapes of the land beneath; evening landscapes chiming with larks and stagelit by the lingering golden dusks of Northern summer: double rainbows radiant against the dark back of a retreating storm: burnished sunsets in four acts; Northern lights that begin as gently flowing curtains and end in storms of pulsating energy fierce as the trumpets of the apocalypse."

The Wanderbird is perfectly suited for comfortable cruising in locations such as this. We are completely self-sufficient for up to a month without having to re-provision and our fuel supply provides us with an operating range of six thousand miles. The safety equipment aboard is second to none and daily safety drills keep us prepared. Tonight we will be having a survival suit demonstration in the form of a fun ship board competition to see who can get into their suit the fastest. This incredible voyage has been presented with one wonderful spectacle after another and tomorrow we will regretfully begin our southerly trip back down the coast towards our return to civilisation. It's hard to believe that we have not seen another person in almost a week. Our "Little Cod" wood stove in the coach house has been burning regularly with each and every northerly breeze that brings us forty plus degree temperatures directly from the Arctic. It's amazing that when the winds turn southerly that the temperature rises up into the seventies! We will soon be headed back to our wonderful new homeport in Belfast, Maine to share pictures and stories of this remarkable expedition. A look at the ship's log shows that we will have travelled almost four thousand nautical miles by the time we return to Belfast! We have all found that our initial fears about staying "out of touch" with news, television and radio has turned to a calm contentment, as we fully immersed ourselves in the natural surroundings and the fellowship that can only be shared between voyagers on adventures such as this. The solitude, scale and wildness of Labrador cannot be described. Karen and I are hooked! Labrador has touched us very deeply and we have decided to return again next August for three more expeditions. Six of our twelve guests have already agreed to join us.
Capts.

Rick and Karen Miles own and operate the ecology expedition vessel WANDERBIRD sailing world wide from Belfast, Maine. http://www.wanderbirdcruises.com 1 866 SEA BIRD

http://www.wanderbirdcruises.com Capts. Rick and Karen Miles 1 866 732 2473

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HOME :: Recreation-and-Sports / Boating Sailboat Racing - On the Regatta Road

There are two kinds of sailors, cruisers and racers. And there are two kinds of sailboat racers. There are club racers, who keep a boat at a club and go out to race around buoys once or twice a week for as long as the sailing season lasts in their home locale. Then there are regatta racers, who drive all over the interstate highway system, in a car packed to the rafters with clothing, food, cooking gear, sailing gear, and possibly an ample supply of rum, towing a boat with a fully loaded trailer. Of course, there are some wealthy sailors who fly around to regattas in private jets, stay in fine hotels, and pay someone to get the boat to the dock. The rest fend for themselves.

Sailors in the latter category often drive straight through to their destination, sometimes 40 or more hours, rotating drivers to save the expense of a hotel room en route. For lodging near the regatta, options include staying in private homes, renting a house or condo by the week, and staying in hotels. It is sometimes difficult to find a reasonably priced hotel near a regatta location, but shop around, and insist on a room with a refrigerator. If there is space in your vehicle, pack a slow cooker. Making beef stew in a hotel room is a memorable event, and creates a whole new aroma experience inside and outside the room. Bring a box of kitchen tools including a cutting board, a sharp knife, a couple of coffee mugs if you dislike drinking from Styrofoam, salt and pepper, dish soap, artificial sweetener, microwave popcorn and whatever else is important to you. Keep a list of everything that belongs in the box, so that you do not forget anything when preparing for the trip.

Bring Your Own Lunch, Yes or No?

Regatta organizers often provide lunch on race days to the sailors, but it's usually box lunches meant to be eaten on the water, in the boat, between races. If members of your team have dietary restrictions or sensitive digestive systems, you will want to bring your own lunches, hence the need for refrigeration. Pack sandwiches in a soft-sided cooler, chips and cookies in a separate bag. Many racing sailboats in the smaller classes have no cabin for onboard lunch preparation, nor is there an ice chest or a head (toilet)!

Boat Stuff

Your first few journeys to out-of-town regattas will involve many trips to the marine supply store or chandlery. After a few regattas, your traveling rig will be stocked with many common spare parts, boat washing equipment, solvents, tapes, tools, new and used rope and bungee cords. Be cautious about letting your competitors know that you are so well equipped, or they will find it easier to borrow your stuff than to make a trip to the chandlery themselves! On race day, in particular, know how helpful you are willing to be. "Do unto others" is a good rule to follow. If a competitor breaks something at the last moment, and you know that the same thing could have happened to you, it would be a sportsmanlike act to offer assistance.

Medical

And last but certainly not least, people get hurt on boats. You should have basic first aid supplies on board. In addition, each sailor should bring any prescription drugs they are taking, and the team supply box should include bandages in many sizes, antiseptic and antibiotic ointment, and medications for pain, indigestion, diarrhea, sinus congestion and cough. Everyone on the boat needs polarized sunglasses, a hat with a brim, and sunscreen. Don't forget lip balm with sunscreen. Sunburned lips are very painful. Insect repellent and insect bite treatment may also be needed.

Well, that's a start. It may seem that you are taking everything but the kitchen sink, and typically there are stores at your destination that have whatever you may need. But you are there to accomplish a goal, and that is to race and win. Every trip to the store is an inconvenience and a distraction, not to mention the expense of having to buy something like that darned cutting board, knowing that you have several of the same item at home and do not need to own another one.

Carmella Zagone Foster is an avid sailboat racer who lives in Minnesota. Driven by a passion for living near or on the water, Carmella founded Deephaven Direct, a source for nautical themed items to put you in an "at the lake" state of mind.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carmella_Zagone_Foster

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Labels: Sailboat Racing - On the regatta road



HOME :: Travel-and-Leisure / Sailing Which Sailing Course Should I Take?

Sailing has been a hugely popular pastime, as well as method of travelling, exploring and invading, for many centuries. Today it continues to thrive, with interest being sustained by the promise of escapism from the hurly burly of modern life.

But if you're just starting out and are looking to find your sea legs, what is the best course to take? Where should you start? Well the good news is, particularly for those living in coastal areas, that there is no shortage of sailing schools offering professionally run courses designed to take you from beginner to seasoned sailor.

RYA accreditation is the recognised standard for sailors of all levels. So when you're looking for a sailing school, you should always look for those that are able to offer a full range of RYA courses. There are five unique practical levels currently available, which are:

RYA Start Yachting
This is very much the introductory course for those who are new to yachting. It takes participants through the fundamentals of seafaring and the boat itself. This will include an insight into the various parts of a yacht, how to steer it and what you should be keeping a lookout for. This generally takes two days and will allow you to move on to the next level.

RYA Competent Crew
This five day course is a slightly more comprehensive version of the RYA Start Yachting induction. This is also a great place for novices to start, particularly if you have a little previous experience or are looking to learn as quickly as possible. There are a good deal more tasks involved in the completion of this practical segment. You'll learn the fundamentals of sailing, including dealing with ropes, maximising your sail usage and mooring techniques; teaching you everything you'll need to know to form part of a yacht's crew.

RYA Day Skipper
As the next level up, you will ordinarily have to complete the Competent Crew and theory tests before being able to start the Day Skipper course. Once again, it's a five day teaching process where you'll get some real hands on experience of piloting a yacht and dealing with the complete maintenance and safety of the vessel at sea.

RYA Coastal Skipper
Whilst the two previously mentioned courses can be completed over a couple of weekends if necessary, the RYA Coastal Skipper course must be done over the course of five consecutive days. It involves a far more intensive training, including the first introduction to sailing overnight. It refines the skills developed in the earlier courses for use in the more confined coastal waters.

The Coastal Skipper course can then be followed up by a RYA/MCA exam, which will result, pending successful completion, in a Certificate of Competence from the aforementioned governing bodies.

RYA Yachtmaster Offshore
Last but by no means least is the MCA/RYA Yachtmaster Offshore exam. This is the very pinnacle of seamanship and is only available to those with significant experience; including 50 days seatime, five spent as skipper, five journeys over 60 nautical miles including two overnight and the same number as skipper. As the highest attainable qualification there are a number of courses dedicated to helping you to develop the skills needed to succeed at this level.

So when you're plotting out which course you want to take, make sure you pick one that suits your standard and experience. RYA provides the most widely accepted definitive yachting standard for competence on the water. Their exams and training provide the starting point for anyone looking to get into and enjoy yachting.

Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who represents a number of UK businesses. For the very best in RYA Day Skipper Courses he recommends Southampton and London based Sailing School First Class Sailing.

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HOME :: Recreation-and-Sports / Boating Sailing For Beginners

One of the most wonderful sensations in this world is to be propelled along by the wind in a boat. It has that magical sense of achievement which some say is even better than flying.

Anyone can buy, hire or borrow a sail boat to make it onto the water. There are also thousands of boating clubs around the world where members are searching for crew. A small yacht provides a stable platform to gain experience on the water. A dinghy can be a wet and sometimes very active experience. I feel the time to start dinghy sailing is as a young child under the guidance of a sailing club or qualified instructor.

I hope that my 35 years of practical sailing experience qualifies me to pass on some of my knowledge to help you "get started". To make it possible to raise the sails, the standard sailboat requires a mast and a boom. These are essential to support a mainsail and a foresail. If you are sailing a yacht, I will assume that this is already on the water either on a mooring or at a wharf. The sails can be raised reasonably safely while a boat is attached to a swing mooring. If a sailboat has a motor, it may be safest to motor out into clear water away from moored craft. I consider this to be essential for "starters".

The general principle for raising and securing a mast is to secure the front wire or forestay which should already be attached to the top of the mast. The first step is to attach it to a tang or eye provided at the bow or front of the boat with a D-shackle. In a well prepared sailboat these should be left attached to the end of the stays at all times.

The port and starboard stays should then be attached to the eyes provided on each side of the boat. The backstay should then be attached to its tang at the stern. After all of the stays have been attached, rigging screws, called turnbuckles are then adjusted so that the mast is vertical.

The port and starboard stays should then be attached to the eyes provided on each side of the boat. The backstay should then be attached to its tang at the stern. After all of the stays have been attached, rigging screws, called turnbuckles are then adjusted so that the mast is vertical. It is important to adjust the turnbuckles so that the mast does not move about. Failure to adjust the mast correctly can be dangerous and may cause the stays to stretch unnecessarily and reduce their life-span.

Some dinghies have "un-stayed" masts where a sleeve is provided in the luff or front of the mainsail and the mast simply slides inside of it. The mast is then inserted into a hole or pocket which is moulded into the deck of the boat which supports it. With this system a fore-sail is often not used. Setting up is always much easier with two people.

The boom is attached to the mast at a slight distance from the deck. It is usually attached by a joint called a goose-neck. This allows for the movement of the boom and adjustment of the mainsail on any plane. The mainsail should be attached to the boom. It is often inserted into a track on the boom with metal or plastic slides or with a rope, called a boltrope, which is attached into the bottom edge and luff or front edge of the sail. The boom should be allowed to swing free while raising the mainsail, or else the wind can cause the boat to sail and heel over while completing this procedure. Crew should be careful of the affects of an unrestrained boom.

The mainsail is most easily raised with the boat pointing directly into the wind. A crew member is required to man the helm, i.e. the tiller or wheel, to maintain the direction of the boat into the wind. Once again, the boom should not be sheeted in with the mainsheet or cleat. When the boat is pointed into the wind the crew is then able to reach the boom to insert the mainsail. The mainsail luff slugs or boltrope should then be inserted into the track on the mast. The main halyard is then attached with a D-shackle. This is then hauled to raise the mainsail. This will require careful "feeding" of the boltrope or slugs while hauling on the halyard. When the mainsail reaches the top of the track, the halyard will then be tied off on its dedicated cleat. On a yacht a winch is used to assist in raising the mainsail. When this is complete, the sheet is placed on a cleat or held using a jammer.

It is standard on a yacht these days to have the mainsail fixed to the boom on a reasonably permanent basis. This is then covered with a boom bag, which is a dedicated cover. A foresail or jib is usually attached to a sailing dinghy's forestay with special hooks called piston-hanks. Some racing yachts also have a special aluminium section attached to the forestay into which the sail can be fed.

The jib sheets are then attached to the rear end or clew of the sail, using a knot called a bowline. Yachts of today often have the jib or genoa permanently attached to the forestay with a roller-furler. All that is required to unfurl the sail is to pull on a sheet. At the conclusion of a sail another sheet rolls it around the forestay ready for the next outing. This allows for easy storage, speed and ease of setting up the sails.

Once the sails are set, all that is required is to decide the direction in which to sail and set the sails accordingly. You may be surprised to know that a sailboat cannot proceed to a location directly like a powerboat. It is very possible to reach the destination, but not necessarily in a straight line. I will describe how to set the sails to ultimately reach your desired destination.
There are three broad ways that one can head towards a destination. They are:

• sailing towards or climbing on the wind
• reaching across the wind and
• running before the wind.

To climb on the wind towards a destination, it is often necessary to tack across the wind. To complete this, the mainsail, which is the sail attached to the mast, generally does not require any adjustment. The foremost sail, called the jib or genoa, if it is a large area foresail, needs to be hauled around the mast as the boat passes through the eye of the wind. The sails can also be set on the other side of the boat (starboard side). To change the sails from the starboard to port side when running with the wind from behind is called gibing. This is generally unsafe in wind strengths more than light, unless the crew is very experienced.

I have written a brief introduction to this brilliant sport. It is now up to you to make the choices of how you wish to proceed on this most exciting journey.

Wazza Dyson. Visit my storefront at: http://www.shop.wazzadyson.com to read my full "must have" e-book: Sailing for Starters: First Boating Steps. It includes numerous diagrams and photos to help you get started.

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HOME :: Travel-and-Leisure / Sailing Guide To a Sailing Charter In The UK

The United Kingdom is a country consists of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England. There are also tiny islands that enclose the country. Aside from the land border, UK is also surrounded with different bodies of water, including the North Sea, Atlantic Ocean, English Channel, and the Irish Sea. Sailing in the United Kingdom, therefore, is never a problem.

So where do you exactly start? The most popular cruising areas are the Solent and Isle of Wight, the South West counties of Devon and Cornwall, East Anglia and the West coast of Scotland. Most sailing charters are available at the South coast. For the experienced sailor the Channel Islands is within cruising distance and Cherbourg in France is only 65 miles away from the Isle of Wight.

You can also start your sailing in Ireland, around the Magic Isle. A leisurely sail in the yacht or cruise ship can take you along the fantastic cities of Dublin and Donegal. Both are widely renowned for their restaurants filled with delectable seafood. Port calls are excellent in Guinness and Cork. Of course, there are still smaller harbors which are good if you want some closer contact with the Irish locals.

When you're sailing in the UK, you should never get to miss to experience the boating environment of Scotland. Feel the cleanliness of its air and water, fantastic amenities, heartfelt welcome from the Scots, and the melodramatic sceneries of its coastlines. Unlike the usual hustle and bustle activity of modern England, you can enjoy natural freedom among the almost-empty sea and land of Scotland. The area of Outer Hebrides is home to archaeological and historical ruins that tell amazing Scottish stories.

Sailing in the West Wales, on the other hand, means enjoying the sunniest parts of Great Britain. You can also have fun with two days of sailing sessions in wayfarers. Experts can teach you the proper techniques in rigging a boat before you can have fun and solitude cruising through the protected waters. At the end of your sailing days, you can relax or unwind in any of their B&B accommodations. Meanwhile, let the sand of Gower Peninsula tickle your toes. A part of this area can be accessed by car, yet for the best seaside experience, learn to cruise your boat in this remote and peaceful British isle.

The coastlines of Norfolk and Suffolk stretch to 402 kilometers or 250 miles. Situated in the eastern part of England, they offer one of the most popular and best locations for sailing across UK. The world-acclaimed Burnham Week, the longest-running yacht regatta, is held in these areas every year.

The UK is renowned for its strong monarchy, shopping centers, galleries, and museums. Yet across the mountains and into the seas, you will discover that the country goes beyond modernism. Try sailing in the UK to understand what it means.

D. Browall writes for http://www.sboats.com - The Worlds Largest, Most Comprehensive Directory of Companies Offering Sailing Charters. Find more information on yacht charter UK

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=D._Browall

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