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Different Sails

Ahoy Sailors, now that you can navigate your sailboat through different weather conditions, it’s time to learn about all the different sails on your boat, how to sue them and what they do. Stay tuned for the next lesson, which will explain when to use the correct sail.

By: KATHERINE M. CLEMENTS

SOUTHERN CALIF.— A sail provides propulsive force via a lift and drag, depending on its angle of attack, its angle with respect to the apparent wind. Apparent wind is the air velocity experienced on the moving craft and is the combined effect of the true wind velocity with the sailing craft’s velocity. Sails work by “catching the wind” only when the boat is sailing downwind. The rest of the time, a sail is essentially an airplane wing standing on end and works the same way.

Types of yacht sails

The types of yacht sails include: ‚ Mainsail: The larger sail aft (behind) the mast, attached to the mast and the boom ‚ Headsail: The sail between the forestay line and the mast. There are several sizes of headsails, either a jib, a genoa, or a spinnaker: A working jib is a smaller jib that fills the space between the mast and forestay, used in stronger winds. A genoa jib, on the other hand, overlaps the mainsail, providing maximum power in light winds ‚ Spinnaker: A sizeable balloon-type sail attached to the mast at the bow (front) of the boat, used when sailing downwind

Other types of sails:

‚Jib - triangular staysail. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, the bows, or the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast. Jibs and spinnakers are the two main types of headsails on a modern boat. ‚ Genoa - large jib that overlaps the mainsail. It was initially called an “overlapping jib” and later a genoa jib. It is used on single-masted sloops and twin-masted boats such as yawls and ketches. Its larger surface area increases the craft’s speed in light to moderate winds; in high wind, a smaller jib is usually substituted, and downwind a spinnaker may be used. ‚ Gennaker - a crossover between a

Genoa and Spinnaker. It is not symmetric like a true spinnaker but is asymmetric like a genoa, but the gennaker is not attached to the forestay like a jib or genoa. The gennaker is rigged like a spinnaker, but the tack is fastened to the hull or a bowsprit. It has a more significant camber than a genoa (but significantly less camber than a spinnaker). This is optimal for generating lift at larger angles of attack. ‚ Code Zero or Screecher - upwind spinnaker. The Code Zero is a cross between a genoa and an asymmetrical spinnaker used to sail close to the wind in light air. Code Zero was initially an attempt to circumvent a rating rule by making a large genoa for close reaching on boats measured with non-overlapping genoas. ‚ Drifter or reacher - A “drifter” is a lightweight sail designed to help cruisers keep moving in very light air. It is usually roughly the same cut as a genoa but made from nylon spinnaker-like material. It is typically colorful, lightweight, and large. ‚ Windseeker - tall, narrow, highclewed, and lightweight jib. This is a very light sail for drifting conditions used when a full-size, heavier weight sail will not pressurize or remain stable. ‚ Trysail - smaller front-and-aft mainsail for heavy weather. A trysail (also known as a spencer) is a small triangular or square fore-andaft rigged sail hoisted in place of a larger mainsail when winds are very high. The trysail provides enough thrust to maintain control of the

ship, e.g., avoid ship damage and keep the bow to the wind. It is hoisted abaft (i.e., directly behind) the mainmast (taking the place of the much larger mainsail) or, on a brig, abaft the foremast. A trysail is analogous to a storm jib. ‚ Storm jib - small jib for heavy weather.

Usually small and robust, a storm jib sail is made of durable, heavyweight fabric and is generally set either on the forestay or an inner forestay. The tack is usually set by way of a strop which is itself attached to the deck. This allows this relatively small, Yankee-cut sail to be rigged quite high off the deck, clear of any green water that is likely to be washing across the foredeck in a heavy sea.

There are a variety of sails that hold different functionalities; although they may not be used all the time, they are equally as essential and are likely to be carried on most sailing yachts. Functional sails include downwind sails, light air or reacher sails, and storm sails; they ensure the crew can handle the vessel in any weather condition and at any speed.

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Parts of the sail

Before we dive into the different fabrics that can be used for yacht sails, it is important to understand the different sail parts.

Sail parts include: ‚ Head: Top of the sail ‚ Tack: Lower front corner of the sail ‚ Foot: Bottom of the sail ‚ Luff: Forward edge of the sail ‚ Leech: Back edge of the sail ‚ Clew: Bottom back corner of the sail

Superyacht sail fabrics

Sail fabrics and materials have, and continue to, develop at a rapid pace. Currently, sailing yachts can sport anything from Dacron crosscut sails built for recreational cruising to carbon and UHMWPE laminates made for competitive racing.

Fabric options for working sails can be divided into three main categories: ‚ Woven fabrics: A long-lasting and cost-effective product; however, it has low shape retention and is heavier than other available options. ‚ Laminated for paneled sails: Less durable overall but offer much better shape retention and lighter construction than woven sails. ‚ Laminated membranes: Built-in large sections, these offer the best shape retention. They are light and durable, but they come in at the most expensive.

Sail material should be chosen to suit the specific yacht type, yacht size, and the level of sailing the vessel will be doing, whether cruising or racing.

When choosing a supplier to fit out the masts and rigging of a superyacht, as with all yard work, it’s important to find a supplier with which you have a good working relationship.

There is a worldwide network of sail lofts and sailmakers to choose from, each with different strengths and weaknesses.

More on Sails:

‚When properly trimmed (adjusted or positioned), the sail’s leading edge— the luff—points into the wind, creating higher pressure on the windward side (the side facing the wind) and lower pressure on the leeward side (the side away from the wind).” ‚ The sail “lifts,” or moves, toward the lower-pressure side, causing the boat to move. This happens because the sail isn’t a flat sheet of cloth; it’s curved, like a wing and the air traveling over the topside of the curved portion travels faster than that traveling on the underside. (The curvature, or “draft,” is built-in by the sailmaker through careful cutting and sewing of the narrow panels that make up the sail.) ‚ Not all the lift developed by a sail moves the boat ahead. Since the direction of lift is roughly at right angles to the sail, some of it tries to pull the boat sideways, too—but the shape of the hull and keel combined with the rudder creates a high resistance to the sideways force, “driving” the boat ahead. ‚ How much of the total lift acts to pull the boat forward and how much sideways depends on the “point of sail,” the angle between the boat and the wind: Closer to the wind = more sideways component because the sail is trimmed in closer to the centerline of the boat.

Because of this, when “beating” into the wind, most sailboats move a little bit sideways and ahead. Sailors call this “making leeway” and always consider it when navigating or sailing in close quarters.

On March 26, Nathan Outteridge and Tom Slingsby renewed their rivalry to end the opening day of the Mubadala United States Sail Grand Prix at the top end of the table on equal points.

Shutterstock image

Australia Takes SailGP Season Two

SAN FRANCISCO— On March 27, the second season of SailGP peaked at the 2022 Mubadala United States Sail Grand Prix as Australia won the final winnertake-all race to claim the title and the $1 million prize purse.

The format for the San Francisco event was adjusted to recognize the overall season champion as well as the winner of the final set of races. There were five fleet races in San Francisco which were added into the overall ranking of the season and the top three teams determined the finale.

Season 1 champion Tom Slingsby’s Australia Team and Jimmy Spithill’s United States SailGP Team arrived in San Francisco, having accrued enough points for the final. On Dec. 17-18, 2021, Slingsby took first for Australia, Spithill took second for the U.S.A., and Phil Robertson took third for Spain. Australia and the U.S.A qualified for the finals previously, leaving the win for the final race up for grabs. After leading through Sunday’s three fleet races, Nathan Outteridge’s Japan team claimed the last ticket.

While San Francisco’s westerly winds off the ocean are reliable during the summer, hosting the event in March presents a risk, which proved true on March 27 as a more southerly direction wind off the land delivered variable conditions in variable conditions, both strength and direction.

All eight teams completed the final two fleet races. Slingsby’s team won the San Francisco title before the top three teams in the season rankings – Australia, U.S.A., and Japan – took over the stage to claim the eight-event championship title.

However, the U.S. was damaged after an incident in the fourth fleet when Spain gained room at the first leeward mark, damaging the American’s stern and knocking them out of the final fleet race.

Drastic repairs readied the U.S. Team for the title race but were wary of possible issues that would handicap the boat’s performance.

The test would soon come, and while the U.S. held the lead through the first off wind leg, they would drop to last when the teams turned upwind, with the race getting abandoned due to a whale on the course. Soon after that, the wind dropped to a few knots, causing further delay.

Winds remained light for the second go-around, with only Australia leaving the start line with speed. Their advantage quickly became significant, but dropping off their foils at the first upwind mark presented an opportunity for the U.S.A.

However, that was soon lost as the home team misplayed their approach. After being passed by Japan, Australia regained its mojo to finish with a lead of over 600 meters on Japan and nearly 1900 meters on the U.S.A.

San Francisco Results

1. Australia, Tom Slingsby, 2-4-3-2-1, 33 2. Great Britain, Ben Ainslie, 1-6-4-32, 29 3. Japan, Nathan Outteridge, 6-2-1-64, 26 4. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested, 4-1-6-75, 22 5. New Zealand, Peter Burling, 3-5-8-13*, 21 6. United States, Jimmy Spithill, 5-7-55-DNC, 14 7. France, Quentin Delapierre, 7-8-7-46, 13 8. Spain, Jordi Xammar, 8-3-2-DNFDNC, 9 * Four penalty points added due to foul with France

Final Results – SailGP Season 2 Championship (8 events)

1. Australia, Tom Slingsby, 85 2. Japan, Nathan Outteridge, 77 3. the United States, Jimmy Spithill, 74 4. Great Britain, Ben Ainslie (alternate – Paul Goodison), 50 5. New Zealand, Peter Burling (alternate – Arnaud Psarofaghis), 47 6. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested, 45 7. Spain, Jordi Xammar (alternate – Phil Robertson), 43 8. France, Quentin Delapierre, 39

ON THE HORIZONS

By: JORDAN B. DARLING

2022 Sundown

Series (April 8)

MARINA DEL REY— The first race of the Del Rey Yacht Club 2022 Sundown Series is scheduled for April 8 at 5:55 p.m. in Marina del Rey Harbor. The six-race series held on Fridays throughout 2022 is governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing, and no spinnakers will be allowed in this series. The event is open to all sailboats between 14 and 50-feet lengths overall. There may be three divisions: performance, cruising, and dinghy; boats can be reassigned from the cruising division to the performance division. When the race starts, participants will sail out of the main channel through the North Entrance and return to the marina through the south entrance without crossing the “No Sail” buoys on the north side of the entrance channel. The finish line will be in the center of the channel. There is a $5 entry fee per race; the deadline to register for each race is 3 p.m. on the day of the race. Interested parties can register online at the DRYC website https://dryc. org/RACING/Races-Notices_(3).

2022 Commodore’s Challenge Cup (April

9)

SAN DIEGO— The 2022 Commodore’s Challenge Cup, in honor of Staff Commodore James Lonergan, will be held on April 9 at Southwestern Yacht Club in San Diego. The regatta is ruled by The Racing Rules of Sailing. Entries are helmed by the current Commodore of the entered club, and crews will consist of sailors from the Commodore’s club; there can be one boat representative who is not a member of the club if a member of the club does not own the boat being used. Each participating yacht club can enter one yacht. Yachts will need a keel, motor, lifelines, and they need to be over 24 feet as well as have a PHRF San Diego or PHRF Southern California rating between 80 and 135. The first two races will be Windward/ Leeward in the Coronado Roads, and the third and final race will start in the Coronado Roads and finish in the Shelter Island Basin in front of SWYC. There is no fee for entering this regatta, and entries will need to be made no later than 5 p.m. on April 7. For more information or to register online, see the SWYC at https:// www.southwesternyc.org/.

28th Annual Ensenada Tune-up

Regatta (April 9)

DANA POINT— The 28th Annual Ensenada Tune-up Regatta hosted by the Dana Point Yacht Club and the South Shore Yacht Club will be held on April 9. The race will start in Newport Beach Harbor and end in front of DPYC. The event is governed by The Racing Rules of Sailing, and the US Safety Equipment Requirements Coastal Category will apply. In addition, the PHRF of Southern California will apply. The race is open to members of yacht clubs and associations recognized by the Southern California Yachting Association or US Sailing, boats in PHRF, non-spinnaker, and ORCA classes. Boats entering in PHRF Classes must have a valid PHRF rating. Boats in non-spinnaker classes without a PHRF certificate will be accepted and assigned a rating by the Race Committee. There is a $40 entry fee, and entries will be accepted through April 8 at 6 p.m. To learn more or register for the race, see https://www.regattanetwork. com/event/24238.

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TOP CORNER

Good halibut action near Catalina Island

CATALINA ISLAND— “The Current fi shed an all-day 6 pac trip to Catalina on Friday,” said Brian Wooley from Dana Wharf Sportfi shing and Whale Watching in an email. “They had some good halibut action in tight along the island on the shallow water. The bass action was that great but that was the fi rst boat we’ve had to Catalina this year.”

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FISHING NEWS

Pacific Fishery Management Council Set to Adopt Final Measures for Ocean Fishery Management

By: JORDAN B. DARLING

SEATTLE — The Pacific Fishery Management Council will host a hybrid meeting April 7-13 to adopt management measures for ocean fisheries, including final measures for 2022 ocean salmon fisheries. The meeting will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport with the option of remote participation options and a live stream, both open to the public. The Council will discuss several key factors, including:  Adopt Final Management Measures for 2022 Ocean Salmon Fisheries  Adopt Final Incidental Pacific Halibut Catch Recommendations for 2022 and Early 2023 Non-Indian Salmon Troll Fisheries  Adopt Final Exempted Fishing Permit Recommendations for 2022-2023 Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries  Adopt a Pacific Sardine Assessment, Final Harvest Specifications, and Management Measures for the -2022 2023 Pacific Sardine Fishery  Receive an Update on the Development of the Groundfish Electronic Monitoring Program  Report on the Cost Recovery Program for the Trawl Catch Shares Program  Adopt Final Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan Language Regarding Species Management Categories  Adopt Final Preferred Harvest Specifications and Preliminary Management Measures for 2023-2024 Groundfish Fisheries  Review and Potentially Revise the Range of Alternatives for Non-trawl Sector Area Management Measures  Adopt Final In-season Adjustments for 2022 Groundfish Fisheries, as Necessary, to Achieve but Not Exceed Annual Catch Limits and Other Management Objectives.

Public comment is welcome throughout the webinar and can be completed through the public comment electronic portal at https://pfmc.psmfc.org/ Meeting/Details/2893; there will also be time or public comment during the meeting before the Council makes decisions on each action item.

The first broadcast on April 7 will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. every day; there is a closed session starting each day at 8 a.m. preceding the broadcast. To gain virtual access to the meetings, see the PFMC website at https:// www.pcouncil.org/council_meeting/ april-6-13-2022-council-meeting/.

The Council will adopt fi nal measures for the ocean salmon season starting on April 2.