Discovering sailing

The main parts of a dinghy

          1- centreboard

          2- rudder blade

          3- tiller

          4- block

          5- sheet

          6- boom

          7- telltales

          8- stringer

          9-  jib

        10- mainsail

        11- stay

        12- Mast

        13- masthead

The tiller and the sails are the essential parts for sailing. The tiller allows you to steer the boat, and the sails propel, brake or stop the boat.

The centreboard prevents the boat from drifting, allowing you to maintain a given speed and course.

The block and sheet allow you to control the sails depending on the wind direction.

And the telltales are simply pieces of string attached to the sails, that allow you to refine the sail's adjustment.

Sailing techniques

There are many different points of sail, explained below.

The points of sail determine the position of the boat in relation to the wind direction. The point of sail plays an important role for a boat's operation: its speed depends in part on the point of sail.

There is a port tack (in red in the diagram) and a starboard tack (green) for every point of sail.

The boat therefore sails on a port tack when the wind is coming from its left, and a starboard tack when the wind is coming from its right.

1. Head-to-wind:

The boat is facing the wind and cannot move forwards.

This position is used for stopping.

2. Close hauled

This is the position where the boat is "closest" to the wind. The angle between the boat and the wind is approximately 45 degrees. This point of sail allows you to sail upwind.

3. Beam reach

The boat sails perpendicular to the wind, that is, at a 90° angle to the wind. The sails are slightly slackened.

4. Broad reach

On a broad reach, the wind is at a 135 degree angle. This is the fastest and easiest point of sail to control.

5. Downwind

The boat is facing the same direction as the wind, with the wind coming from behind. The sails are perpendicular to the boat.

Good to know!

When two boats on different points of sail are going to cross one another, the boat on a starboard tack has priority. It should signal to the port tack boat, which should leave it enough room to pass.