X-Nico

5 unusual facts about Points of sail


Luffing

Often this occurs on the point of sail known as close hauled, this is sometimes referred to as pinching or "feathering" and is sometimes done deliberately in order to make a more direct course toward an upwind destination (see: "beating to windward"), or to "de-power" a sail on a windy day to maintain control of the sailboat.

Proa

The sloop rig only begins to show an advantage with small angles of attack, such as encountered when close-hauled.

The traditional sail used on the proa was the crab-claw sail, which generates far more lift than the more common triangular sloop rig used on small boats, particularly when reaching.

Sail

When the boat is going in the direction of the wind (i.e. downwind - see Points of sail), the sails may be set merely to trap the air as it flows by.

Vaimos

(ii) the tack mode: the direction to be followed is in the no-go zone and the distance to the line is less than 70 meters.



see also