American Sailing video
Unlocking the Secrets of Sails : An Exclusive Online Class with North Sails | The Art of Sails
8 April 2024 · 1h 31m · 3K views
What this video covers
A North Sails instructor-led online class covers sail aerodynamics, trim, and care from a sailmaker's perspective.0:07 The presentation opens with lift versus drag as the two fundamental propulsive forces: downwind sailing harnesses drag, while upwind sailing depends on a cambered foil generating lift, counteracted by keel lift to produce forward motion.2:37 Three primary trim controls — angle of attack, sail depth, and twist — are explained with practical examples, including easing the mainsail in chop to increase twist and sheeting hard in flat water on the Chesapeake Bay.5:55 Upwind sail harmony is demonstrated using an Oyster cruising boat, where matching leech shapes between main and headsail prevents one sail from stalling while the other overpowers.8:49 A sail chart for an offshore racing boat maps optimal sail selection across wind angles and speeds, with the Swan 45 used to diagram sheeting positions for jibs, reaching sails, and staysels at multiple track locations.13:27 Sail geometry — clew height, depth, and sheeting angle — determines which angles each sail suits.17:54 The class also addresses when to switch sails (around 15–16 knots true wind in the example), how moving leads substitutes for carrying multiple headsails, and how to log sail usage by condition.1:03:38 Sail care and replacement criteria are flagged as later topics.
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