Student
Dorian Swerdlow
White Plains, NY, USA
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Captain Level IV
Status: Really Big Time Sailor
Qualified days: 169
Heeling depends on point of sail
Posted 2024, Dec 10 15:33
This is a great page with a great illustration of sailboat balance, but it leaves off one important factor. A great addition would be to explain that heeling is experienced mostly while going upwind because the force generated by the sail is at a significant angle relative to the boat's heading. As the boat bears away, the force generated by the sail gets more aligned with the direction of the boat, thus healing decreases as wind angle increases.