This channel is about improving your sailing and becoming a better sailor, by focusing on fundamentals. If you're looking to get into sailing but don't know where to start, this channel is a great resource. We answer real questions by (beginner) sailors., and want to provide the most helpful info on sailing out there.
ImproveSailing.com is my blog where I share all things sailboat and sailing. I write articles on how to sail smarter, faster, and better. I also review products and share cool sailing locations and tips. Nowadays, a couple of great writers (read: sailors) are helping me out. We are all dedicated to providing the most helpful sailing content out there.
My dream is to own a sea-worthy vessel and sail the world seas. Until then I will continue to learn, and nerd out about what I've learned here.
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I grew up sailing. Thank you for breaking down all the sail configurations. I learned some things from your video. You also helped me remember things I had forgotten. Great video.
Have a swing keel boat. In describing it to someone once used the term. The guy told me about the canting keel and saying I used the terrm wrong, so I watched your video to see. Made it almost half way through before that music drove me away. Awful. Why?? At least tone it down. Good god. Absolutely distracting. Is it supposed to be hypnotic?
One advantage you forgot to mention is that everyone aboard a sailboat gets to do something. Steering, sail trimming, keeping a lookout, or just moving around as human ballast. Sailing is a good sport for older persons because they get to participate even if it is just in a small way. So many powerboat videos show the Captain having fun steering and the passengers about as active as so many sacks of potatoes.
Great review of sails. Except one error at 7:28 minutes: The dinghies are sailing with SYMMETRICAL SPINNAKERS and spinnaker poles (not GENNAKERS)! You can see the spinnaker pole attached to the tack, in the boat furthest to the left of the photo, and the symmetrical shape of the sails. With gennakers the tack is usually attached to the bowspit or a retractable bowspit, not a moveable spinnaker pole, with two sheets attached to the clew. The shape of the gennaker is closer to the shape of a genoa, than a downwind spinnaker. Symmetrical spinnakers are also seen in Cadet, 420, 470 dinghies, and Dragons.
What do you mean when talking about stability, is it directional stability or upright stability? To me it seems directional, which of course is important, but isn't upright stability more (most) important🤔
"Catamaran: Most people know this sailboat because of the popular..." I feel like I'm the only person that shouted "Waterworld!!!" 😂 Turns out its actually a Trimaran. See I learned something already!
My boat is very unusual and not mentioned here, it's got two bilge keels with no weight, but a central lifting keel made of solid steel. It looks like a triple bilge keel with the lifting keel up.
I love gaff rig, but on long down wind passages, its a nightmare of chafe with the belly of the sail against the shrouds. That is when cross cut sails fail at every seam. If that wasn't bad enough, the gaff goes so far forward of abeam, that it sets up a lever using the shrouds as a fulcrum. The entire length of the gaff wrenches the jaws or saddle agains the mast, often resulting in a broken gaff. No, a vang does not improve the situation. Every time the ship rolls to windward, the slack drops loop around random objects and then tries to garot them on the next roll.
What I see is the rigging slipped out of the hands of the sailors when the standing rigging went from rope to steel. No longer could the mast be fastened with local goods and time honored techniques, the ships rigging had to be purchased. Also I see the amount of sail being lowered and spread fore and aft. This lowered the center of effort which can limit the amount of heel for more comfortable experience. Perhaps it time for a Frankenstein rig where let the technologies and techniques blend to the advantage of the crew and ship owner. Modern composite hulls with gaff rigs with the mechanical advantages and so on. Those extremely heavy wooded mast could be replaced with modern materials which certainly limit the weight aloft which is a serious design concern. Only the Dutch have ventured to sea with Leeboards. A bilge ballasted beach-able boat could be the ultimate shoal draft adventure machine. A maximum width trailer able boat with Leeboards could be your ticket to sail all if your country's lakes and canals. So a mix of old and new is maybe what we need. Pay the fare with sweat equity in the garages of the creative. Who knows what will be next?
I have never actually sailed a gaff, but I have a lot of experience with a bermudian, which I am tired of. the bermudian is good to windward, that's it's one trick. but it's tiresome downwind. firstly it has a big jib, but that is now shadowed by the main, so people end up sailing with the main dropped, slowly! I prefer to pole out the jib but that requires some mild gymnastics on the foredeck. Of course the pole is a hazard if the wind picks up. To sail fast downwind with a bermudian you need a spinnaker, which is just a whole lot of trouble. If it's going just right they are great, but they flog really badly, or worse twist around the forestay, when they fill they snap a huge strain on to the boat. Some people have them in a sock which is meant to make it simpler to get down but it also adds another two lines to the mast head that can get tangled so it's only simpler if you do everything right. Instead, on a gaff rig you just have a really big main sail, and optional top sail. (top sail is probably tricky I don't know, probably not as bad as a spinnaker) I read in an old sailing book that gaff is recommended for beginner sailors because you can rapidly reduce sail while going down wind by "scandalizing the main". Say you are sailing downwind and a squall hits, on a bermudian you'd have to turn up and reef, but on a gaff you can just release the peak halyard, so the gaff drops, which folds away the top corner of the sail, reducing sail area to maybe a half? (less on your modern type) after the squall you just raise the peak again.
There are both benefits and liabilities with "movable" keels. For me, I will nearly always prefer a fixed keel because a moving part + below the waterline = bad mojo. However, they can let you sail into more shallow waters.
I have a swing keel on a Coronado 25. You hit the nail on the head. Only draw back I have found is lying at anchor with the keel down to limit roll when trying to sleep. I have a loose hinge knock with the keel down Keel up excessive rolling, Keel down excessive noise. Take your choice.
hold on you can get a license online without any physical lessons and exams? how someone can operate a boat , how to dock and all that if there is no practical exam and lessons?
