Ask any group of sailboat enthusiasts what they consider the safest boat and you will get a variety of answers. Some will point to a steel hull, others will favor aluminum or fiberglass, and some will say that safety depends on how well the boat is maintained and how close it stays to shore. But the answer that most will share is that the safest sailboat is one that is able to overcome whatever conditions it may encounter on any given voyage.
The force that drives the sailboat forward is the wind in its sails, and the resistance to motion through the water is caused by the wetted surface of the hull and keel, as well as by turbulence. Turbulence dissipates energy and increases the drag on the hull, so smooth surfaces are better. But the turbulence also changes the pressure distribution along the hull surface and lessens the desired difference between the lift on the two sides of the sail, which diminishes the boat’s speed.
The hull also resists movement by its centerboard (a plate that pivots) and by the leeway of its stern and bow. The stern leeway is lessened by the presence of a rudder, and the rudder’s direction of rotation can be controlled by the tiller. Other parts of a sailboat include a boom, which holds the mainsail, a spinnaker and other smaller sails; a main mast; and a foremast. The halyards (lines) that support the sails are connected to the main mast by shrouds and the foremast by spreaders.
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