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62-449: The longboat was used for transporting heavy weights. The two most important of these were casks of drinking water, and an anchor and its cable. The supply of water to (particularly) sailing ships was so vital that all the boats of a ship would have some capability to carry water, but the longboat had the greatest capacity. The casks carried by a large boat would be "leaguers", which held 150 imperial gallons (680 L). These would be laid in

124-426: A better return on capital. In the 21st century, most sailing represents a form of recreation or sport . Recreational sailing or yachting can be divided into racing and cruising . Cruising can include extended offshore and ocean-crossing trips, coastal sailing within sight of land, and daysailing. Sailing relies on the physics of sails as they derive power from the wind, generating both lift and drag. On

186-417: A bowsprit and the staysail to the stemhead. This is a cutter rig , not to be confused with the ship's boat termed a cutter . A ship would usually carry the largest longboat it could store on deck. Consequently their size varied depending on the size of the parent ship. However, too large a boat could interfere with the handling of a ship or her guns, and the weight of a longboat could put excessive strain on

248-412: A circle, starting with 0° directly into the wind. For many sailing craft, the arc spanning 45° on either side of the wind is a "no-go" zone, where a sail is unable to mobilize power from the wind. Sailing on a course as close to the wind as possible—approximately 45°—is termed "close-hauled". At 90° off the wind, a craft is on a "beam reach". At 135° off the wind, a craft is on a "broad reach". At 180° off

310-453: A discovery or if no land was found. This was well suited to the prevailing winds as Pacific islands were steadily colonized. By the time of the Age of Discovery —starting in the 15th century—square-rigged, multi-masted vessels were the norm and were guided by navigation techniques that included the magnetic compass and making sightings of the sun and stars that allowed transoceanic voyages. During

372-409: A given course, the sails are set to an angle that optimizes the development of wind power, as determined by the apparent wind , which is the wind as sensed from a moving vessel. The forces transmitted via the sails are resisted by forces from the hull , keel , and rudder of a sailing craft, by forces from skate runners of an iceboat, or by forces from wheels of a land sailing craft which are steering

434-455: A launch instead of a longboat, with several examples in the 1740s. The advantages of a launch were ease of use in carrying water and stores and a greater number of passengers being accommodated. However a longboat was considered to be more seaworthy. Longboats could be found in merchant service after the Royal Navy had ceased to use them. A contemporary model of a longboat showing sailing rig and

496-512: A sailboat, which requires resistance by weight of ballast from the crew or the boat itself and by the shape of the boat, especially with a catamaran. As the boat points off the wind, lateral force and the forces required to resist it become less important. On ice boats, lateral forces are countered by the lateral resistance of the blades on ice and their distance apart, which generally prevents heeling. Wind and currents are important factors to plan on for both offshore and inshore sailing. Predicting

558-434: A sailing craft turns its stern past the eye of the wind so that the apparent wind changes from one side to the other, allowing progress on the opposite tack. This maneuver can be done on smaller boats by pulling the tiller towards yourself (the opposite side of the sail). As with tacking, the type of sailing rig dictates the procedures and constraints for jibing. Fore-and-aft sails with booms, gaffs or sprits are unstable when

620-693: A sailing yacht may be either near-shore or passage-making out of sight of land and entails the use of sailboats that support sustained overnight use. Coastal cruising grounds include areas of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, Northern Europe, Western Europe and islands of the North Atlantic, West Africa and the islands of the South Atlantic, the Caribbean, and regions of North and Central America. Passage-making under sail occurs on routes through oceans all over

682-400: A series of broad reaches, punctuated by jibes in between. It was explored by sailing vessels starting in 1975 and now extends to high-performance skiffs, catamarans and foiling sailboats. Navigating a channel or a downwind course among obstructions may necessitate changes in direction that require a change of tack, accomplished with a jibe. Jibing or gybing is a sailing maneuver by which

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744-437: A smooth laminar flow , leading from one to the other in what is called the "slot effect". On downwind points of sail, power is achieved primarily with the wind pushing on the sail, as indicated by drooping tell-tales. Spinnakers are light-weight, large-area, highly curved sails that are adapted to sailing off the wind. In addition to using the sheets to adjust the angle with respect to the apparent wind, other lines control

806-412: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails , wingsails or kites —to propel a craft on the surface of the water ( sailing ship , sailboat , raft , windsurfer , or kitesurfer ), on ice ( iceboat ) or on land ( land yacht ) over a chosen course , which is often part of a larger plan of navigation . From prehistory until

868-408: Is a maneuver by which a sailing craft turns its bow into and through the wind (referred to as "the eye of the wind" ) so that the apparent wind changes from one side to the other, allowing progress on the opposite tack. The type of sailing rig dictates the procedures and constraints on achieving a tacking maneuver. Fore-and-aft rigs allow their sails to hang limp as they tack; square rigs must present

930-487: Is because the river's current flows from south to north, whilst the prevailing wind direction is north to south. Therefore, a boat of that time could use the current to go north – an unobstructed trip of 750 miles – and sail to make the return trip. Evidence of early sailors has also been found in other locations, such as Kuwait, Turkey, Syria, Minoa, Bahrain, and India, among others. Austronesian peoples used sails from some time before 2000 BCE. Their expansion from what

992-462: Is governed by World Sailing with most racing formats using the Racing Rules of Sailing . It entails a variety of different disciplines, including: A sailing craft's ability to derive power from the wind depends on the point of sail it is on—the direction of travel under sail in relation to the true wind direction over the surface. The principal points of sail roughly correspond to 45° segments of

1054-399: Is limited by the resistance that results from hull drag in the water. Ice boats typically have the least resistance to forward motion of any sailing craft. Consequently, a sailboat experiences a wider range of apparent wind angles than does an ice boat, whose speed is typically great enough to have the apparent wind coming from a few degrees to one side of its course, necessitating sailing with

1116-472: Is now Southern China and Taiwan started in 3000 BCE. Their technology came to include outriggers , catamarans , and crab claw sails , which enabled the Austronesian Expansion at around 3000 to 1500 BCE into the islands of Maritime Southeast Asia , and thence to Micronesia , Island Melanesia , Polynesia , and Madagascar . Since there is no commonality between the boat technology of China and

1178-470: The River Tyne to London – which was already being carried out in the 14th century and grew as the city increased in size. In 1795, 4,395 cargoes of coal were delivered to London. This would have needed a fleet of about 500 sailing colliers (making 8 or 9 trips a year). This quantity had doubled by 1839. (The first steam-powered collier was not launched until 1852 and sailing colliers continued working into

1240-424: The 1870s to 1900, when steamships began to outpace them economically because of their ability to keep a schedule regardless of the wind. Steel hulls also replaced iron hulls at around the same time. Even into the twentieth century, sailing ships could hold their own on transoceanic voyages such as Australia to Europe, since they did not require bunkerage for coal nor fresh water for steam, and they were faster than

1302-428: The 20th century.) The earliest image suggesting the use of sail on a boat may be on a piece of pottery from Mesopotamia , dated to the 6th millennium BCE. The image is thought to show a bipod mast mounted on the hull of a reed boat – no sail is depicted. The earliest representation of a sail, from Egypt, is dated to circa 3100 BCE. The Nile is considered a suitable place for early use of sail for propulsion. This

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1364-622: The Age of Discovery, sailing ships figured in European voyages around Africa to China and Japan; and across the Atlantic Ocean to North and South America. Later, sailing ships ventured into the Arctic to explore northern sea routes and assess natural resources. In the 18th and 19th centuries sailing vessels made Hydrographic surveys to develop charts for navigation and, at times, carried scientists aboard as with

1426-468: The Austronesians, these distinctive characteristics must have been developed at or some time after the beginning of the expansion. They traveled vast distances of open ocean in outrigger canoes using navigation methods such as stick charts . The windward sailing capability of Austronesian boats allowed a strategy of sailing to windward on a voyage of exploration, with a return downwind either to report

1488-406: The anchor after use. To do this, a windlass was usually fitted amidships and a davit in the stern (or sometimes the bow) to provide a fair lead from the buoy rope or cable to the windlass. A substantial degree of buoyancy was needed in the stern (or bow) to lift a heavy anchor. Other heavy weights carried by a longboat included guns - either as armament for the boat or simply to transport to or from

1550-488: The angle of a fore-and-aft sail with respect to the apparent wind is controlled with a line, called a "sheet". On points of sail between close-hauled and a broad reach, the goal is typically to create flow along the sail to maximize power through lift. Streamers placed on the surface of the sail, called tell-tales , indicate whether that flow is smooth or turbulent. Smooth flow on both sides indicates proper trim. A jib and mainsail are typically configured to be adjusted to create

1612-412: The availability, strength and direction of the wind is key to using its power along the desired course. Ocean currents, tides and river currents may deflect a sailing vessel from its desired course. If the desired course is within the no-go zone, then the sailing craft must follow a zig-zag route into the wind to reach its waypoint or destination. Downwind, certain high-performance sailing craft can reach

1674-435: The bilges between the thwarts, filling most of the bottom of the boat and making a load of several tonnes. Anchor handling was of special importance before tugs became widely available. A boat would be used to carry either a stream anchor or a kedge into position so that the ship may be pulled out of harbour or away from a hazard. As well as dropping the anchor in position, the longboat would often be used for weighing (raising)

1736-400: The boat for the night, and cruising, where one stays aboard. Day-sailing primarily affords experiencing the pleasure of sailing a boat. No destination is required. It is an opportunity to share the experience with others. A variety of boats with no overnight accommodations, ranging in size from 10 feet (3.0 m) to over 30 feet (9.1 m), may be regarded as day sailors. Cruising on

1798-564: The boat in that direction, while larger ships can use a small boat to carry the anchor ahead, drop it, and then haul. For example, the sloop Adventure under the command of the infamous pirate Blackbeard ran aground attempting to kedge the Queen Anne's Revenge off the bar near Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, in June 1718. This article related to water transport is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This sailing -related article

1860-623: The course. This combination of forces means that it is possible to sail an upwind course as well as downwind. The course with respect to the true wind direction (as would be indicated by a stationary flag) is called a point of sail . Conventional sailing craft cannot derive wind power on a course with a point of sail that is too close into the wind. Throughout history, sailing was a key form of propulsion that allowed for greater mobility than travel over land. This greater mobility increased capacity for exploration, trade, transport, warfare, and fishing, especially when compared to overland options. Until

1922-479: The delivery by sailing ships of the large amounts of grain needed. It has been estimated that it cost less for a sailing ship of the Roman Empire to carry grain the length of the Mediterranean than to move the same amount 15 miles by road. Rome consumed about 150,000 tons of Egyptian grain each year over the first three centuries AD. A similar but more recent trade, in coal, was from the mines situated close to

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1984-411: The destination more quickly by following a zig-zag route on a series of broad reaches. Negotiating obstructions or a channel may also require a change of direction with respect to the wind, necessitating changing of tack with the wind on the opposite side of the craft, from before. Changing tack is called tacking when the wind crosses over the bow of the craft as it turns and jibing (or gybing ) if

2046-462: The early steamers, which usually could barely make 8 knots (15 km/h). Ultimately, the steamships' independence from the wind and their ability to take shorter routes, passing through the Suez and Panama Canals , made sailing ships uneconomical. Until the general adoption of carvel -built ships that relied on an internal skeleton structure to bear the weight of the ship and for gun ports to be cut in

2108-404: The free end points into the eye of the wind and must be controlled to avoid a violent change to the other side; square rigs as they present the full area of the sail to the wind from the rear experience little change of operation from one tack to the other; and windsurfers again have flexibly pivoting and fully rotating masts that get flipped from side to side. Winds and oceanic currents are both

2170-447: The full frontal area of the sail to the wind, when changing from side to side; and windsurfers have flexibly pivoting and fully rotating masts that get flipped from side to side. A sailing craft can travel directly downwind only at a speed that is less than the wind speed. However, some sailing craft such as iceboats , sand yachts , and some high-performance sailboats can achieve a higher downwind velocity made good by traveling on

2232-416: The heeling moment and keeping the boat more upright. There are three common methods of reefing the mainsail: Hull trim has three aspects, each tied to an axis of rotation, they are controlling: Each is a reaction to forces on sails and is achieved either by weight distribution or by management of the center of force of the underwater foils (keel, daggerboard, etc.), compared with the center of force on

2294-423: The hull's resistance to heeling, yawing or progress through the water. In their most developed version, square sails are controlled by two each of: sheets, braces, clewlines , and reef tackles, plus four buntlines , each of which may be controlled by a crew member as the sail is adjusted. Towards the end of the Age of Sail, steam-powered machinery reduced the number of crew required to trim sail. Adjustment of

2356-401: The largest passenger carrying capacity out of a ship's boats. Longboats were used by both warships and merchant ships. A longboat was fitted so that it could be propelled either by oars or by sail. The oars were double-banked - with two oarsmen on each thwart, each using an oar on their own side. The usual sailing rig was single masted, with a gaff mainsail and two headsails - the jib was set on

2418-500: The masts and yards which were used for hoisting the boat in and out of the water. Smaller ships might carry a yawl instead of a longboat. The sizes of longboats in the Royal Navy in circa 1705 were recorded in a shipwright's notebook as follows. The Royal Navy started to replace longboats with launches from November 1780. This instruction was implemented for all ships of 20 guns and above being built or coming in for repair. There are earlier instances of individual warships requesting

2480-418: The method of propulsion for ships over the latter part of the 19th century – seeing a gradual improvement in the technology of steam through a number of developmental steps. Steam allowed scheduled services that ran at higher average speeds than sailing vessels. Large improvements in fuel economy allowed steam to progressively outcompete sail in, ultimately, all commercial situations, giving ship-owning investors

2542-402: The mid 19th century. Sail plans with just fore-and-aft sails ( schooners ), or a mixture of the two ( brigantines , barques and barquentines ) emerged. Coastal top-sail schooners with a crew as small as two managing the sail handling became an efficient way to carry bulk cargo, since only the fore-sails required tending while tacking and steam-driven machinery was often available for raising

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2604-416: The result of the sun powering their respective fluid media. Wind powers the sailing craft and the ocean bears the craft on its course, as currents may alter the course of a sailing vessel on the ocean or a river. Trimming refers to adjusting the lines that control sails, including the sheets that control angle of the sails with respect to the wind, the halyards that raise and tighten the sail, and to adjusting

2666-520: The sail sheeted in for most points of sail. On conventional sailboats, the sails are set to create lift for those points of sail where it's possible to align the leading edge of the sail with the apparent wind. For a sailboat, point of sail affects lateral force significantly. The higher the boat points to the wind under sail, the stronger the lateral force, which requires resistance from a keel or other underwater foils, including daggerboard, centerboard, skeg and rudder. Lateral force also induces heeling in

2728-434: The sailing craft's velocity ( V B ) to give the apparent wind velocity ( V A ), the air velocity experienced by instrumentation or crew on a moving sailing craft. Apparent wind velocity provides the motive power for the sails on any given point of sail. It varies from being the true wind velocity of a stopped craft in irons in the no-go zone, to being faster than the true wind speed as the sailing craft's velocity adds to

2790-404: The sailing ships during this time period were the merchant ships. By 1500, Gun ports allowed sailing vessels to sail alongside an enemy vessel and fire a broadside of multiple cannon. This development allowed for naval fleets to array themselves into a line of battle , whereby, warships would maintain their place in the line to engage the enemy in a parallel or perpendicular line. While

2852-459: The sails and the anchor. Iron-hulled sailing ships represented the final evolution of sailing ships at the end of the Age of Sail. They were built to carry bulk cargo for long distances in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They were the largest of merchant sailing ships, with three to five masts and square sails, as well as other sail plans . They carried bulk cargoes between continents. Iron-hulled sailing ships were mainly built from

2914-416: The second half of the 19th century, sailing craft were the primary means of maritime trade and transportation; exploration across the seas and oceans was reliant on sail for anything other than the shortest distances. Naval power in this period used sail to varying degrees depending on the current technology, culminating in the gun-armed sailing warships of the Age of Sail . Sail was slowly replaced by steam as

2976-614: The shape of the sail, notably the outhaul , halyard , boom vang and backstay . These control the curvature that is appropriate to the windspeed, the higher the wind, the flatter the sail. When the wind strength is greater than these adjustments can accommodate to prevent overpowering the sailing craft, then reducing sail area through reefing , substituting a smaller sail or by other means. Reducing sail on square-rigged ships could be accomplished by exposing less of each sail, by tying it off higher up with reefing points. Additionally, as winds get stronger, sails can be furled or removed from

3038-491: The ship. Special slides were developed for armed boats, so that the gun could be traversed. These would also allow the gun to be slid down into a lower position when not in use, to improve the stability of the boat. Boats were regularly armed, even if only for defensive purposes. Swivel guns may be needed to protect the boat when collecting drinking water. Ship's boats were often used offensively, either on their own or when their parent ships were in action. The longboat usually had

3100-440: The side, sailing ships were just vehicles for delivering fighters to the enemy for engagement. Early Phoenician, Greek, Roman galleys would ram each other, then pour onto the decks of the opposing force and continue the fight by hand, meaning that these galleys required speed and maneuverability. This need for speed translated into longer ships with multiple rows of oars along the sides, known as biremes and triremes . Typically,

3162-444: The significant improvements in land transportation that occurred during the 19th century, if water transport was an option, it was faster, cheaper and safer than making the same journey by land. This applied equally to sea crossings, coastal voyages and use of rivers and lakes. Examples of the consequences of this include the large grain trade in the Mediterranean during the classical period . Cities such as Rome were totally reliant on

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3224-402: The spars, entirely until the vessel is surviving hurricane-force winds under "bare poles". On fore-and-aft rigged vessels, reducing sail may furling the jib and by reefing or partially lowering the mainsail, that is reducing the area of a sail without actually changing it for a smaller sail. This results both in a reduced sail area but also in a lower centre of effort from the sails, reducing

3286-434: The speed between the starting and ending points of the route is called the speed made good and is calculated by the distance between the two points, divided by the travel time. The limiting line to the waypoint that allows the sailing vessel to leave it to leeward is called the layline . Whereas some Bermuda-rigged sailing yachts can sail as close as 30° to the wind, most 20th-Century square riggers are limited to 60° off

3348-405: The true windspeed on a reach. It diminishes towards zero for a craft sailing dead downwind. Sailing craft A is close-hauled. Sailing craft B is on a beam reach. Sailing craft C is on a broad reach. Boat velocity (in black) generates an equal and opposite apparent wind component (not shown), which combines with the true wind to become apparent wind. The speed of sailboats through the water

3410-427: The use of sailing vessels for commerce or naval power has been supplanted with engine-driven vessels, there continue to be commercial operations that take passengers on sailing cruises. Modern navies also employ sailing vessels to train cadets in seamanship . Recreation or sport accounts for the bulk of sailing in modern boats. Recreational sailing can be divided into two categories, day-sailing, where one gets off

3472-675: The voyages of James Cook and the Second voyage of HMS Beagle with naturalist Charles Darwin . In the early 1800s, fast blockade-running schooners and brigantines— Baltimore Clippers —evolved into three-masted, typically ship-rigged sailing vessels with fine lines that enhanced speed, but lessened capacity for high-value cargo, like tea from China. Masts were as high as 100 feet (30 m) and were able to achieve speeds of 19 knots (35 km/h), allowing for passages of up to 465 nautical miles (861 km) per 24 hours. Clippers yielded to bulkier, slower vessels, which became economically competitive in

3534-489: The wind (sailing in the same direction as the wind), a craft is "running downwind". In points of sail that range from close-hauled to a broad reach, sails act substantially like a wing, with lift predominantly propelling the craft. In points of sail from a broad reach to down wind, sails act substantially like a parachute, with drag predominantly propelling the craft. For craft with little forward resistance, such as ice boats and land yachts , this transition occurs further off

3596-402: The wind passes over the stern. A sailing craft can sail on a course anywhere outside of its no-go zone. If the next waypoint or destination is within the arc defined by the no-go zone from the craft's current position, then it must perform a series of tacking maneuvers to get there on a zigzag route, called beating to windward . The progress along that route is called the course made good ;

3658-454: The wind than for sailboats and sailing ships . Wind direction for points of sail always refers to the true wind —the wind felt by a stationary observer. The apparent wind —the wind felt by an observer on a moving sailing craft—determines the motive power for sailing craft. The waves give an indication of the true wind direction. The flag gives an indication of apparent wind direction. True wind velocity ( V T ) combines with

3720-540: The wind. Fore-and-aft rigs are designed to operate with the wind on either side, whereas square rigs and kites are designed to have the wind come from one side of the sail only. Because the lateral wind forces are highest when sailing close-hauled, the resisting water forces around the vessel's keel, centerboard, rudder and other foils must also be highest in order to limit sideways motion or leeway . Ice boats and land yachts minimize lateral motion with resistance from their blades or wheels. Tacking or coming about

3782-445: The windlass mounted amidships. [1] Kedge Warping or kedging is a method of moving a sailing vessel, typically against the wind or current, after running aground , or out from a dead calm, by hauling on a line attached to a kedge anchor , a sea anchor , or a fixed object, such as a bollard or tree. In small boats, the anchor may be thrown in the intended direction of progress and hauled in after it settles, thus pulling

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3844-673: The world. Circular routes exist between the Americas and Europe, and between South Africa and South America. There are many routes from the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia to island destinations in the South Pacific. Some cruisers circumnavigate the globe. Sailing as a sport is organized on a hierarchical basis, starting at the yacht club level and reaching up into national and international federations; it may entail racing yachts , sailing dinghies , or other small, open sailing craft, including iceboats and land yachts. Sailboat racing

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