A sailboat is a type of boat that relies on the wind for propulsion. Sailboats have a rounded hull and usually feature a keel to provide stability. The keel is long and flat and is submerged beneath the water. When the boat moves forward, it creates a force pushing downward on the low side of the keel and upward on the high side. This combination of forces creates a net lift that holds the boat up.
The force of the wind pushes a boat away from the direction it is moving (known as going downwind). However, when the boat moves angled to the direction of the wind, this action is actually pulling the boat forward (called sailing upwind). To make the most of this forward pull, sailors must take a zigzagging route called tacking.
Sailboats have been designed to harness wind power for hundreds of years. They have also been refined and fine-tuned. The slender shape of modern sailboats cuts through the water with less drag and designers have continuously fine-tuned how the sails are shaped to harness the wind.
The earliest known evidence of a boat dates back to 5400 B.C. when British and Kuwaiti archeologists found remains of a plank-shaped vessel in As-Sabiyah, Kuwait. Although carbon dating has verified its authenticity, it is still unclear whether this is the first ever sailing vessel. Today’s sailboats are more sophisticated than the ones that were used in Ancient Egypt and the Middle East, but the principles of sailing have remained unchanged for thousands of years.
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