What are the three corners of a sail called?

The top of all sails is called the head, the leading edge is called the luff, the trailing edge is the leech, and the bottom edge is the foot. Head – The head is the upper edge of the sail, and is attached at the throat and peak to a gaff, yard, or sprit. For a triangular sail the head refers to the topmost corner.

What are the three sails on a sailboat?

Cutters are another class of sailboats that are medium-sized and generally have three sails. The main mast on which the sails are mounted is located near the stern of the ship to allow for larger sails to be used. Cutters were commonly used in competitions as their design favours speed and agility.

What do you call the upper corner of the sail?

On a quadrilateral sail, the throat is the upper forward corner of the sail, at the bottom end of a gaff or other spar. Gaff-rigged sails, and certain similar rigs, employ two halyards to raise the sails: the throat halyard raises the forward, throat end of the gaff, while the peak halyard raises the aft, […]

What is the luff and leech of a sail?

Luff -A sail’s forward edge. Leech – The sail’s back edge. Foot – The bottom edge of the sail. Tack – Between the luff and the foot is the tack.

What is a Cunningham on a sailboat?

The cunningham controls the fore and aft position of draft in the mainsail or genoa and works together with the traveler, mainsheet, outhaul and vang to optimize sail shape and increase boatspeed. Cunningham controls lead to the crew to encourage adjustment as wind speed changes.

How are sails rigged?

On gaff-rigged vessels, topping lifts hold the yards across the top of the sail aloft. Sail shape is usually controlled by lines that pull at the corners of the sail, including the outhaul at the clew and the downhaul at the tack on fore-and-aft rigs.

What are the strings on sails for?

A tell-tale, also known as a tell-tail, in a nautical or sailing context, is a piece of yarn or fabric attached to a sail, a stay, or any rigging on a sailboat. Typically, a tell-tail is on a port and a starboard stay. Tell-tales attached to a sail are used as a guide for trimming (adjusting) a sail.