Chapter One
Ready, Set, Go: Time to Start Sailing
In This Chapter
* Exploring the essentials of beginning sailing
* Dissecting the parts of a sailboat
* Answering basic sailing questions
* Describing where sailing can take you
It is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins, the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it - we are going back from whence we came. -John F. Kennedy
Water covers nearly three-quarters of the planet. Over the course of human history, the oceans (as well as lakes and rivers) have served as pathways upon which trade and civilization have developed. Getting away from shore, you feel a link to those ancient mariners who set off for undiscovered lands. When you're flying across the water, you're harnessing the same forces of nature that powered the early explorers.
Why are humans drawn to the sea? President John F. Kennedy had a poetic answer. Generations before you have felt the call of the wind and waves, beckoning to accept their offer of unknown possibilities - adventure and serenity.
Even in today's high-tech, fast-paced world, sailing regularly rates high on pollsters' lists of desirable activities. So if you ever find yourself dreaming of packing it all in and setting sail over the horizon or of simply having your own boat to sail near home on a warm, breezy afternoon, you're not alone. And this chapter shows you that getting out on the water is easier than you think.
What You Need to Start Sailing
Starting sailing is a little different than starting most sports. In basketball, you can start to learn the basic moves like dribbling and shooting without worrying about the "playing field" - the court boundaries or the height of the basket. But the sailor's "playing field" - the wind and the water - is constantly changing. The wind changes strength and direction while waves and/or current change the water conditions. Sailing is harnessing the power of Mother Nature, and sailors need a healthy respect for her power. So in this section, we cover some important weather and safety considerations you need to know before you start sailing.
Also in this section, we encourage you to begin your sailing career by taking lessons from a qualified instructor - we both did - so you can focus on learning the basic moves while the instructor makes sure the conditions are suitable for learning.
Taking lessons
You can find sailboats near almost every body of water. And where you find sailboats, you can find sailing schools and/or a sailing club with experienced sailors looking for crew. Most boats longer than 15 feet (5 meters) are meant to be sailed with more than one person, and the average 30-foot (9-meter) sailboat is best sailed with at least four crew members. So go down to the local marina, check out the bulletin board, and ask around. The offers you get to go sailing may pleasantly surprise you.
REMEMBER
Although having friends to take you sailing can make practicing and progressing easy, we strongly recommend taking lessons from a sailing school with certified instructors before you head out on your own. For a variety of safety reasons, we don't recommend sailing alone while learning the basics. In Chapter 2, we help you find the right sailing course for any experience level.
Location, location, location
You can probably guess that the weather and water conditions in a given area affect the sailing possibilities, and that most sailors put away their sailing clothes in wintertime in the snowy latitudes whilst Southern Californians can sail year round. But even snow and ice can't stop some die-hard enthusiasts who sail ice boats on frozen northern lakes. Not to be outdone, adventurous sailors in dry, desert areas blast around on "land yachts" or "dirt boats" with wheels. Assuming that you plan to go sailing on regular, salt or fresh, non-frozen water, then your main concerns are twofold: the water conditions (waves, currents, depth, and water temperature) and the wind conditions (wind strength and changeability). Some areas have very consistent conditions during a particular season, and others are more variable. In some places, a typically windy spot and a calm location may be less than a mile apart due to some geographic feature.
REMEMBER
That's why knowing the local conditions can be invaluable to any sailor. We encourage new sailors to start out, if possible, in steady light-to-medium winds and protected (calm) waters - and a sailing school knows where and when to find those conditions in your area. But as you gain experience, you can enjoy sailing in more challenging conditions - such as windy Chicago or San Francisco in midsummer, cruising in foggy Maine, or blasting down the Molokai Channel in Hawaii.
Feeling the wind
You probably know that a sailboat doesn't move unless it has wind. (Yes - you can start up the engine, get a tow, get out a paddle, or swim along pulling your boat - but we're talking about "sailing" using the power of the sails, right?) The wind rules a sailor's universe - it's the sailor's alpha and omega. To become a sailor, you need to raise your awareness of the weather, starting with the importance of feeling and finding the wind's direction.
Look around for a nearby flag and use its direction as a clue. In Chapter 5, we show you how to develop your feel for sensing the wind direction and staying aware of any shifts (without having the local weatherman on your speed dial). Knowing the wind's direction is crucial because you get your boat to move by adjusting the angle of the sails relative to the wind's direction. When the wind direction changes or you change course, you need to change your sail trim, or the angle of your sails to the wind, as you see in Chapter 5.
SAFETY FIRST!
No matter how constant the weather seems on shore, the wind is frequently shifting both speed and direction. Staying aware of these changes is important for your safety and comfort while sailing. Sensing the wind's speed is important too so you avoid going sailing when the wind is too strong or blustery and so you can avoid getting becalmed, unable to sail if the wind dies. Listen to the local marine forecast before a day of sailing to help you avoid getting caught in unpleasant (and potentially dangerous) conditions on the water - such as thunderstorms or thick fog. (You can also check out Chapter 8, which discusses important weather-related information you need to know before heading out.)
Considering safety
SAFETY FIRST!
Before going out on the water, you need to consider some safety issues and be prepared with basic safety gear, especially life jackets. In Chapter 3, we give you plenty of tips for what to wear and bring so you're comfortable and safe on the water. Chapter 7 covers other essential safety information, such as safely recovering a person who falls overboard and getting a capsized dinghy upright and sailing again.
Looking at a Sailboat
Sailboats come in all sizes, shapes, and types. The beauty of sailing is that you can't help but find a boat (or two or three) that's just right for you. All sailing craft, big or small, have at least one (and sometimes more) of the following components, which we outline in the following sections: a hull, an underwater fin for steering control and stability, a mast to hold up the sail or sails, a sail, and plenty of rope.
All sailboats have a hull
The hull is (ideally) the floating body of a boat, and it can be made of a wide variety of materials, including wood, fiberglass, metal, plastic - even cement. The hull can be as small as a surfboard or more than 100 feet (30 meters) long.
You can get a good idea about how fast a boat is by how it looks. Just as you can tell that a sports car will be faster than a golf cart, you can tell that a big, heavy, wide boat with a short mast is a good cruiser but won't break any speed records on the water. Sailboats fall into three basic types based on their hull shape, as Figure 1-1 illustrates.
Sailboards: These boats are basically surfboards with a sail. They come in many different sizes and shapes, depending on their intended use and the skill level of the rider. Sailboarding is a great way to enjoy the sport with equipment that you can throw on the roof of your car. For fun, recreational sailing (as opposed to racing), we love sailboarding more than any other aspect of our sport. For those of you who doubt the aerobic benefits of the sport of sailing, try windsurfing for an afternoon. We promise that every muscle in your body will be tired afterward. For more on sailboarding, check out Chapter 18.
Multihulls: Multihulls are boats with more than one hull (makes sense, doesn't it?). A boat with two hulls is called a catamaran; a boat with three hulls, a trimaran. Multihulls, especially small, light ones, can be thrilling to sail - with a little wind, one hull lifts out of the water, and you feel like you're flying across the water. (You can find out more about sailing a small catamaran, often referred to as a cat [without the fur] in Chapter 11.) Bigger multihulls (more than 30 feet, or 9 meters) can be great cruising boats. Because of their width, they're very stable and have a tremendous amount of space for their length. Multihulls are fast, too, because they're very light and don't have heavy keels, or as much surface area underwater, as monohulls (boats with one hull) of the same size. Check out "All sailboats have an underwater fin" to find out more about the daggerboards used on most multihulls instead of a keel. Huge, 120-foot- (37-meter-) plus multihulls compete in races across oceans and hold most of the point-to-point, long-distance sailing speed records, including sailing nonstop around the world in 50 days! (For more on the fast world of offshore racing, see Chapter 13.)
Monohulls: These sailboats are the most common type of boat, and they have one hull (still makes sense, right?). Most of the world's sailing and racing takes place in monohulls, broadly classified as either dinghies or keelboats, as the next section explains. Most sailing schools teach their basic sailing classes in monohulls - either dinghies or keelboats (although some specialty schools, often in tropical climes, teach sailboarding skills). For more on learning how to sail, including types of boats and where to find a good school, check out Chapter 2. The typical marina is full of monohull keelboats of all shapes and sizes. And if you're the type of person who likes to ask "What kind of boat is that?" turn to Chapter 20 on recognizing boat logos and Appendix A (otherwise known as the glossary) on how to identify different monohulls, such as a ketch, a catboat, and a sloop.
If you compare these water-based crafts to their land-based cousins, sailboards are the skateboards, dinghies are the bicycles, and keelboats are the cars. And multihulls? The fastest ones are airplanes!
All sailboats have an underwater fin
Hanging underneath the back end of most sailboats (except sailboards) is a rotating fin called a rudder. The rudder does just what you think it does - it steers the boat. Underneath the middle of most sailboats is a second, larger, fin called a keel or centerboard.
Comparing keelboats and dinghies
The primary purpose of both keels and centerboards is to keep the boat from skidding sideways from the force of the wind and to provide lift so your boat can sail closer to the wind. (When sailing, your sails and the underwater fins act like wings. If your physics teacher explained wings when you weren't paying attention, see Appendix C for a quick review.) Although a few exceptions exist, if the fin is fixed (not movable) and made of a heavy material like lead, it's usually a keel. And if the fin is lightweight and retractable, it's usually a centerboard.
Keelboats: Keelboats have a keel, a fixed, heavy lead fin for ballast hanging under their hull, as Figure 1-2 shows, providing stability against the wind's force. The smallest keelboats are model (sometimes radio-controlled) sailboats, but keelboats that carry human passengers are usually more than 20 feet (6 meters) in length.
Dinghies: Dinghies are nimble, small sailboats that are typically more responsive than their ballasted cousins sporting keels. But watch out - dinghies can capsize, or tip over. Instead of that ballast weight in the keel, they have a lighter fin called a centerboard that's retractable. The centerboard may also be called a daggerboard if it retracts vertically (see Figure 1-3), depending on its position and movement (or a leeboard if it's mounted on the side of the boat). Most dinghies range in length from 8 to 20 feet (2.5 to 6 meters).
Comparing tillers and wheels
So how do you drive (or steer, in sailor speak)? Well, those rudders shown in Figures 1-2 and 1-3 are connected to either a tiller, a long lever arm that allows you to turn the rudder, or a wheel, which is attached to cables that turn the rudder. Generally, smaller boats have tillers, and bigger boats have wheels, because bigger boats have greater force on the rudder and would require an enormous lever arm.
A boat with a wheel steers just like your car - turn left to go left, right to go right. But you push a tiller to the right to turn left and to the left to go to the right. (Check out Chapter 4 for more on steering.) Steering sounds trickier than it really is - a tiller is quite responsive, and you quickly develop a "feel" for the correct way to turn.
All sailboats have a mast
The mast is the vertical pole that supports the sails, as the dinghy shows in Figure 1-4. Although most modern sailboats have just one mast, some sailboats have several masts that can carry many sails. (Remember the pictures of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria in your history textbook?) You may have heard of square riggers, schooners, or yawls. These types of sailing craft are named for the number and position of their masts and the profile of the sails. If you want to know how to identify these cool, usually older, antiquated sailboats, check out the glossary.
Although older boats have wooden masts, most modern boats have masts made of aluminum, which is easier to mass-produce into a lighter and stronger pole. For the ultimate in strength and light weight, the fastest racing boats use carbon fiber. On bigger boats, an array of wires usually supports the mast. These wires are called the standing rigging (see the forestay, backstay, and shrouds on the keelboat in Figure 1-5).
All sailboats have sails
The mast (and standing rigging) supports the third and most common feature of sailboats - the sails. A sail is simply a big piece of fabric that catches the wind, enabling you to use its force to move the boat. The sails are your engines - their power or fuel comes from the wind. The main, or mainsail, sets along the back edge of the tallest mast. Some boats carry only a mainsail, while others have a headsail as well. A headsail sets in front of the mast. Headsails come in different types, but the most common is a jib. See Figures 1-5 and 1-6 for the basic parts of a dinghy and a keelboat.
You can use one of many types of specialty sails to make a boat go as fast as possible at different angles to the wind. A common specialty headsail is the spinnaker - a big, colorful, parachute-like sail used when sailing downwind (going with the wind), which you can see how to fly in Chapter 12.
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Excerpted from Sailing For Dummiesby JJ Isler Peter Isler Copyright © 2006 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Excerpted by permission.
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