When sailing upwind, the relative speed of the wind on the sails is greater than the actual speed of the wind and this relative wind creates a larger force on the sails that can push sailboats faster than the actual wind speed.

However, a boat cannot sail directly into the wind and so if it comes head to the wind, it loses steerage and is said to be “in irons.” Thus, boats sailing into the wind are actually sailing “close hauled” with their sails tightly trimmed.

The most comfortable sailing is in winds from 5 to 12 knots. Below 5 knots the wind is too light and maneuvering and powering the boat with the sails may become difficult.

Can a sailboat be propelled by air blown at the sails from a fan attached to the boat? Answer: No. When the fan pushes the sail by blowing air, the air also pushes the fan in the opposite direction.

Because every action has an equal and opposite reaction. So if the fan is on it will push the boat backwards. The Sail will catch this wind so it’s pushed forward by it, but at the same time it is attached to the boat and thus the two forces will naturally equal out.

The Code Zero is a cross between a genoa and an asymmetrical spinnaker that is used for sailing close to the wind in light air. The sail is very flat and is designed for close reaching. It has a nearly straight luff, a mid girth about 60-65% of the sail’s foot length.

CODE ZERO. Remaining in area may be hazardous to life, health or safety. Administrator will notify all in area of need to evacuate.

The Solent stay is an inner fore-stay that provides an alternative to the Sta-sail stay. Its benefits, similar to that of the Sta-sail Stay, are to provide an inner stay that can fly a smaller/ heavier headsail without having to unfurl, douse and change out the boats everyday headsail.

These sail numbers are an important way of uniquely identifying a yacht for search and rescue purposes, and are a requirement of the Racing Rules of Sailing, Rule 77 – Identification on Sails. The RYA recommend that all yachts have a unique sail number.

Sail numbers are generally assigned in consecutive order. They are assigned by either the builder, class association (for inland competitive racing), or national authority (required for offshore racing yachts). It isn’t mandatory to register an official number. If you don’t compete you may assign your own number.

A screecher is a sail that combines the features of a spinnaker and a reacher. Its similarity with a spinnaker is that it is not attached to a stay along its luff, and typically has a slightly larger curvature than a genoa.

Use a pencil to lightly draw Base Lines and Limit Lines on the sail . The bottom of each number and letter must lie on a Base Line . The Limit Line is parallel to the leech of the sail, and 100mm from it . The closest letter or number to the leech is positioned to just touch the Limit Line .

Always start with numbers on the starboard side of the sail. Make sure you draw the long horizontal Base Line to keep all numbers and letters on the same level, with the bottom of each number or letterson the line. Draw a Leech Guide Line 300mm line up from the base line 100mm parallel to the leech.

To determine the age of your laser dinghy, you will first have to check the number embedded in the hull. Usually, it is located beneath the bow eye or in the transom.

All sails for any boats lose their performance the more they are used. For racing above “club level” most people will purchase a new sail every one or two years.

Bruce Kirby designed the Laser in 1970 with an emphasis on simplicity and performance. The Laser is one of the most popular dinghy classes in history. As of 2018, there are more than 215,000 boats worldwide.