I will try and give you a basic explanation of the terms used in handling boats under sail with the hope that it will be sufficient and you will get something out of it. For a thorough knowledge of sail seamanship, practice is required and also study of the forces involved in sailing. There are many texts on sailing which are really good. I remember when I was 5 years old and my Dad bought a 26' sailboat. He spent 32 years in the Marine Corps and had no idea what he was doing as far as boating goes, all I remember was there was a lot of yelling. I have to laugh now, and I did learn alot (the hard way) I did get my sail endosement on my license which I have used. Anyway enough of that, lets get to the basics.
The direction of the wind is that from which it blows. To windward is into the wind; to leeward is down the wind. A lee shore is the shore to leeward. The weather side is that side exposed to the wind; the lee side is the opposite side. Naturally a boat heels away from the wind, so that the lee side is down and the weather side up. When the rudder is amidships, the tiller or helm is also. (While the terms "helm" and "tiller" have been officially banned in connection with modern ships, they are still apply to sailboats. The helmsman may put his tiller up to windward and have weather helm; if he puts it down, he has lee helm. When a boat turns her head into the wind, as if she were going to tack, she is said to luff. The opposite of this is wearing away.
When sailing with the wind on one side, a puff of wind may strike the sail, causing the boat to heel. To prevent this, the helmsman may luff by putting his helm down until she turns into the wind; the sails then cease to draw and the boat comes back to an upright position.
It may be necessary in a heavy squall to let the sheets go; in a small boat, never belay the sheets. A sheet is a line that controls the foot of a sail.
When a sheet is hauled in and the boom or foot of the sail is nearly fore and aft, the sheets are said to be hauled aft. In setting the jib aback or backing the foresail, the weather sheets are flattened aft. This maneuver may be required to give more turning effect in tacking and is also performed in heaving to. When sails are brought more nearly parallel to the centerline of the boat, they are trimmed in; the opposite is easing off or starting the sheets.
A boat cannot sail directly into the eye of the wind, but depending on the boat and rig, sails at an angle of from four to six points off it. She must make a zigzag course upwind on legs of direction called tacks. This is called beating to windward. She is said to be sailing closehauled or on the wind on each of these tacks.
A sailboat is said to be on the starboard tack when the wind is coming over the starboard side, and on the port tack when the wind is coming over the port side. When a boat is not sailing as close to the wind as possible with advantage, she is said to be sailing free. When the true wind is within two points on either quarter, she is said to be running before the wind. When sailing free, the wind is still forward of the beam, she is said to be on a close reach; if the wind is from abaft the beam, she is said to be on a broad reach. The apparent wind is the wind striking the sails that is generated by a combination of the boat's speed through the water and the true wind.
Tacking is bringing the boat on the opposite tack, head through the wind. Wearing consists in turning the boat from one tack to the other tack, stern through the wind. As the wind comes aft and the sails are trimmed flat, the boom is carefully allowed to swing to the opposite side. The boom is then said to have been jibed over. Should the boat be sailing free and alter her course so as to bring the wind on the opposite side, carrying the stern through the wind, she has been jibed as in jibing around a buoy.
To do her best under sail, a boat must be trimmed in with her build and rig. To effect this condition, the trim of the boat and sails must be altered, to meet the varying conditions of sailing.
In sailing on the wind, a properly designed and trimmed boat should carry a slight weather helm; she should have a slight tendency to come into the wind. If too much weight is carried forward, the boat trims by the head and the stern rises, offering less lateral resistance aft to the water. A deeper bow, on the other hand, offers greater lateral resistance to the water and, increased pressure from the bow wave. These forces form a couple that tends to cause the boat to luff; to counteract it, an excessive weather helm is necessary. Too much weight aft causes a corresponding tendency to fall off.
If the sails are too flat forward, lee helm is necessary to counteract the tendency to fall off; if too flat aft, weather helm is necessary.
As the boat heels, the forward component of the force of the wind on the sail acting on the center of effort is displaced to leeward of the keel line, producing a leverage that tends to make the boat luff. This tendency is especially noticeable in a tall sloop rig, which to work out from under when struck by a sudden gust as she is making headway close-hauled.
When running before the wind, weights should be carried aft to decrease yawing, but doing so may decrease the speed if.
After the boat has been under way for some time, the sail or halyards may stretch, or, in wet weather, may shrink. This situation calls for appropriate setting up or slacking off on the halyards to correct the set of the sail.
The names of parts of a sail and rigging are, MAST, MAIN HALYARD, JIB HALYARD, HEAD, BACKSTAY, FORESTAY, SHROUDS, JIB, LUFF, LEECH, MAINSAIL, REEF POINTS, CLEW, BOOM, TACK, JIBSHEET, MAINSHEET, TILLER.
