Sail
is a triangular piece of cloth tied to the mast of a ship in such a way
that it help the ship to propel in the direction of wind. Sails were
used in sailing since a long time back when there were no engines to
drive the ship.Sail is actually a piece of fabric sewn together and fitted to the spars and rigging of a vessel so as to convert the force of the wind into forward motion of the vessel. The smaller sizes are ideal for high wind freestyle, and the entire range has the lower center of effort, and fine balance associated with the shorter outline.
Use of sails
Sails are primarily used as propulsion system at sailing ships. During ancient periods when engines weren't invented, sails were the prime material for driving the ships. Subsequently sails were replaced, but they are even used for recreational purpose.
Materials
of Sail Initially sails were made of hemp or cotton. But as technology improved further new materials came into existence which were best suited for sails. Now sails are made from polyesters (Dacron and PET film), sometimes reinforced with crystalline hydrocarbons (Spectra & Kevlar). Polyamides (nylon) are also used for manufacturing large, light weight sails.
Parts of sail
Sails are almost triangular in shape and the different parts of sails have a common terminology. A sail has different names for each corner and edge. We can divide it in two sections :
| Square
Sail Almost all sails are triangular in shape but still square sails are used on a few vessel |
- Corner: There are three corners in
a sail. The upper corner is called head,
two lower points at either corner of foot is called
clew and tack.
- Edges: The lowest edge of sail is known as foot. The forward edge is called the luff. Leech is the third edge of a sail.
- Easy to rig
- Easy to sail.
- Easy on the pocketbook.
- Lighter batten pockets
- Seamless luff sleeve
