How Sails Work or How Sailboats Sail into the Wind
Traditional sailboats can only sail with the wind behind them. But modern sailboats have sail designs that enable them to sail in any direction regardless of the wind. Except for the “no-go” zone which is about 45 degrees on either side of the wind, where it’s physically impossible to create lift no matter how to angle the sail, in which case the sailor can simply zig-zag in the direction he or she wants to go. The secret to these sail is lift. The very same force that enables airplanes to fly in the air. In fact the same concepts apply, Newton’s 3rd Law, Coanda Effect, Bernoulli’s principle, anything that applies to wings apply to sails as well.
But enough with the theory of sailing, if you want to learn how it’s actually done, check out Josh’s video here,
Learn How to Sail: A Step-by-Step guide to SAILING: • Learn How to Sail: A S...
But before you go, click the like button and subscribe if you enjoyed this video.
00:00 - Intro
00:30 - How sails work like the wings of an airplane
01:22 - Hidden secret - keel
02:29 - No go zone
#sail #sailboat #lift #wings #airplanes #boats #airfoils
You’re on a sailboat and the wind is blowing from behind you. The wind will push on the sails and your boat which is attached to the mast will be propelled forward. No mystery there right? But what about when the wind blows towards you or from the side. You’d think it would be impossible for you to move forward, right? Well think again, because not only will you go forward, but set your sails right and you can sail even faster than the wind. So how do sailboats work and sail into the wind? Short answer, your sailboat is actually an airplane on its side and your sail is one of the wings raised vertically. When sailing, the sailor will adjust the sails so the wind pushed on the inside of the sail keeping it stretched tight but also at an angle so some of the wind passes along the outer side of the sail as well. This is exactly what happens on wings of an airplane. The pilot controls the angle of attack, so some of the wind pushes the wings up from below and some of the wind, by following the curvature of the upper part of the wing, pulls the wings up as a result of the Coanda effect and Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion. This resultant force is called lift, and lift is what keeps airplanes flying and sailboats sailing. However unlike the wings of an airplane where the direction of lift is vertical, in case of sails the direction is horizontal. But that’s not the end of the story, because a keen observer will have noticed that the direction of lift created by the sails, while horizontal, is at an angle to where we actually want to go. We’re missing something here. Well no need to look far, because the secret sailors like to call the “keel” is hidden right beneath us. Remember that a sailboat is actually an airplane on it’s side. The sail is one the wings and the keel is the other one, hidden under water. When lift from the sails tries to move the boat at an angle, the water, which you can think of as much denser air, pushes on one side of the keel and pulls from the other side creating lift. In this regard keels are no different from sails or wings. However, unlike wings of an airplane which create lift in the same direction, up, the wings of a sailboat creates lift in different directions. Both at an angle from where you want to go, which individually would be unhelpful, but when the effects are taken together the result is the forward propulsion we were looking for. And that’s how sailboats work and sail into the wind, except for the “no-go” zone which is about 45 degrees on either side of the wind, where it’s physically impossible to create lift no matter how you angle the sail. You obviously need magic for that. What’s not magic is the Coanda effect and how wings work using Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion. You can find out more about it here in part 1 of how wings work. Or if you’re more a Bernoulli’s principle kind of person, check out part 2 of how wings work, here.
Пікірлер: 97
Dude, I have licence to sail and I was never able to explain the physics. I strongly believe your channel is gold
@StickScience
2 жыл бұрын
Wow, thanks!
@AMEER-114-
Жыл бұрын
Im still searching for the explanation I can understand.
@coolfix948
11 ай бұрын
@@AMEER-114-you should not even play with a toy boat , even in a bathtub.
@AMEER-114-
11 ай бұрын
@@coolfix948 Thanks for the encouragement.
@cremonster
9 ай бұрын
What do they teach you while getting certified?
This is the best illustration of how a sailboat works I can find on the internet.
@StickScience
2 жыл бұрын
Glad it was helpful!
@yoyomodiji
2 жыл бұрын
Lodha 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@AMEER-114-
Жыл бұрын
You just said that I am a very stupid person
@namename4396
Жыл бұрын
@@AMEER-114- nothing wrong with being stupid as long as you want to learn
@AMEER-114-
Жыл бұрын
@@namename4396 yeah... But IF that's the best illustration and I still dont get it... I'm tooooo stupid to learn it.
I'm sitting here waiting for a fishing boat and I'm looking at a sailboat and wondered how this thing works. This guy 100% explained it in the easiest way to understand possible. What a great video explanation.
The fact that the sail of a sailboat is essentially an airplane wing was a huge revelation for me! One small correction though, the Coanda effect doesn't pull the wing upwards at all. The Coanda effect describes how powered jet flows will stay attached to a convex surface, whereas the flow over a sail stays attached due to its viscosity forming an attached boundary layer (much like how water will stay attached to the edge of a cup if you pour it out slowly)
You blew my mind when you said, "it's an airplane sideways." Boom all I needed to hear. Absolute master at explaining. I was concerned wondering how sail boats don't get pushed around.
I just started my physics college class, and someone had posted this video to help better understand how sailboats move. Your video was not only informative but cute as well! I loved it!! I'll need to watch your other videos now!
Wow, great video. I never imagined any similarities between sailboats and planes. This was phenomenally explained and illustrated.
I may be more confused than when I started... I could understand the airplane wing in my little guy years, this still escapes me. I might have to get out on a boat to try to understand this. I will watch this again, I can tell it's a very good video. Thank you!
Best use for when I’m teaching sailing, so much clearer and concise ☺️☺️
@StickScience
Жыл бұрын
Happy to hear!
Thank you - as a beginner windsurfer, this helps
That is the best and simplest way of explaining how sailing boats work that I've seen. Brilliant. Thanks!
This is so easy to understand especially since every one else has to make a 20 minute video about it and it’s so hard to understand so this guy is and his channel has the best most simple illustration
Excellent I feel like you should have also mentioned rudders But it was still brilliant
@StickScience
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the advise.
Just starting my beginner sailing class soon. Finally the explanation I needed! Thank you!
Just took my first sailing lesson yesterday and couldn't deduce the relationship of the angles of wind to sail to keel (rudder in my case). This was the analogy I wish I'd seen in their intro part of the lesson. I need to fwd this to that instructor and i give you my compliments.
I grew up on a sailboat and my dad always taught me to point my nose into the sea highways (the lines made by wind pushing on the water). I always used the water to determine where my nose should be and how to adjust my sail. explaining that to ANYONE never made sense, but now I can just show them this haha
You are a real inspiration for an aspiring Science KZreadr like me. THANKS
@StickScience
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoy this channel
A true master can explain the most complicated thing in the simplest way
the wind never came dead on?
The best explanation I've seen, thanks a lot for sharing!
@StickScience
Жыл бұрын
Appreciate it, thanks for watching!
Best explanation of sailing physics I was able to find! Beats the MIT video because the latter requires solid knowledge of physics which I don't have. It would be nice if you could make a more indepth video and explain the role of the rudder and discuss the force of the wind as well.
Watch a few videos and this is the best. Thank you.
Great explanation! Although I already knew the physics, it took me a while to find it in KZread. Thank you. But may I say that this is only true for triangular or lateen sails? This does not happen with square sails. And it was this invention (among others) that open the seas for the Portuguese on the year of 1500.
Thank you very much for this perfect video ♡
Amazing video. I have showed ALL of my friends
@StickScience
Жыл бұрын
Glad you shared!
This was such a great explanation. I'd love to hear more about what the maximum speed this can propel a vessel is, since the relative wind speed increases as the ship speeds up. Why can't you theoretically generate infinite momentum from this?
Brilliantly described and in layman's terms.
Great video
What a clear explanation!! Thank you.
wow, this is so easy to understand!!
But how can a keel generate lift left and right depending on circumstance? Airplane wings are shaped to provide vertical lift always
Excellent video
This was very interesting and well explained
Thank you for the explanation, I was wondering how a certain event happened in Jojo part 7.
Very helpful video!
Love your explanation and animation. How do I learn to animation like this? What tool do you use?
@C4RL1NN
9 ай бұрын
I’m wondering the same!!! There’s no way it’s classically done. Wondering if it’s a program he uses.. if so which? Sadly I doubt we’ll get an answer.
nice trousers
What about huge boats like pirate ships? Does the keel of those larger boats have the same affect?
Wow, best video ever man;x
I feel like an enlightened idiot. I'll take what I can get, subscribed!
if the force is from the bottom water and top air are opposite, the boat might get disbalance and go down. is it right?
Excellent! Explained so simply and logically! I assume Solar "wind" won't let us fly towards the sun?!? No lift and no keel... - I am asking... :)
Finally!
Great job🎉
@StickScience
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks I appreciate it.
With all due respect, there is a scientific error in the explanation of the keel and rudder part, as per the end of the text immediately below. . The starting point to understand how it is possible for a sailboat to sail against the wind is to understand how an airplane sustains itself (by Bernoulli's Principle and by action and reaction) and how an F1 "sticks" to the ground (essentially by action and reaction, and not by Bernoulli). . When an airplane is cruising and flying completely horizontal, it is lifted almost exclusively by Bernoulli: the difference in geometry at the top and bottom of the wings creates lift. This force is perpendicular to the motion of the plane, and drag (drag, or air resistance) is minimal. . As a curiosity, the aerodynamic drag of an Airbus A380 in cruise, for example, is 0.0265 (against 0.001 of a laminar fluid on a plate, and 0.005 of a turbulent fluid on a plate); even so, it consumes a huge amount of fuel, something like an average of 5 liters per second in a flight. . An airplane can also fly based on action and reaction; the most obvious example is that of a paper airplane, whose wings are straight and could not be supported by Bernoulli. In its flight, however, its beak must be slightly tilted upwards, so that the air enters underneath and sustains it. The main characteristic of a flight by action and reaction is the high drag: a study with two types of paper airplanes showed that they have a drag coefficient between 0.8 ("Stunt Plane") and 1 (" The Glider"). . Note that even an airplane like the A380 will face enormous drag both in the climb and in the descent, due to the air that enters either below or above and will tend to brake it. . Another situation in which there will be enormous fuel consumption is if it were to fly upside down: in this case it would be like a paper airplane, and its beak, in order to sustain itself, must be kept slightly tilted upwards. . To close this part, an F1 car "sticks" to the ground due to the forces generated by the wings (two front and one rear), which are basically inverted wedges: the airfoils of an F1 do not work like an inverted wing of an airplane ( they perhaps more closely resemble the elevators of this one). They are just wedges in which the natural downforce is generated at the cost of drag (this is sometimes positive, because it helps the car to brake. It can contribute up to 1g of braking), that is, based exclusively on the principle of action and reaction. . As a consequence, the drag coefficient of an F1 is very high, reaching values as high as 1.1! A driver once commented that driving an F1 is like trying to accelerate a car with an open parachute behind it. . . Having made this introduction, it became much easier to understand how a sailboat sails against the wind. That experiment where you blow on the side of a sheet of paper and it rises, almost like magic, is a clear demonstration of Bernoulli's Principle! Due to the greater air velocity in the upper part of the paper, there is a lower pressure (to understand, imagine a hose connected to a faucet, and this one is open: with the faucet open, but the nozzle of the hose locked, the force against the walls is huge, but when we unlock the nozzle and the water acquires enormous speed it may be that, even with a hole in the hose, it does not leak through it, but continues to flow), and with that the leaf rises! . Note that blowing in one direction generated a lift force, in a perpendicular direction, which is amazing! . Returning to the sailboat, it cannot face the wind head-on and walk against it in this situation, but it can be placed on its side, in such a position that the wind generates lift in the sails from the difference in inclination of its material (the sail is with a more rounded side, like an airplane wing); note that one of the components of lift is in the opposite direction to the force of the winds (and will obviously have a much lower intensity than this one) and the other in a perpendicular direction to this one (also lower intensity). The tendency is for the sailboat to walk inclined in the direction of the wind (for example, either northwest or northeast, if we are talking about a north-south wind), that is, going sideways. . And here comes the mistake. . In a common boat, not a sailboat, the rudder is largely responsible for steering it (the helm changes the position of the rudder). On a sailboat, it also serves to counterbalance the force to one side generated by the sails, but this does not occur as an "inverted lift", or the same lift in the perpendicular but to the other side; in other words, they say that the Bernoulli Principle is at work there, when it is not. What happens inside the water is just action and reaction (that is, something more similar to the wings of an F1, and not to those of a cruising plane): if the boat tends, for example, to the northeast, just turn the rudder to the left, so that the course is corrected, so that the sailboat has the final tendency to walk into the wind. . As we are not talking about an active force, that is, in the end, it is the wind that is setting the tone (note: I am ignoring possible sea currents and proximity to surf zones), the tendency is that, even with the rudder positioned in such a way as to counterbalance the force of the sail in the opposite direction, it will still be displaced in an inclined manner, either to the northwest or to the northeast (in the case of a north-south wind), however the solution is simple: after a while, just invert the position the sails, as well as the rudder, so that the vessel zigzags around the main straight path into the wind.
Wouldn't square sails work differently?
GREAT STUFF
Superb
@StickScience
Жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
the things i need to learn for my dnd campaign...
Some of the wind “pulls the wings up.”……how does that happen then? 😂
this is good
@StickScience
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks I appreciate it.
Say it in simple words and methods
The lift vector for the keel is wrong. The keel can only produce lift at an angle that is 90 degrees from its cord. There is no way that the keel provides lift in a forward direction. This video could be better in terms of a more accurate vector analysis for the lift vector produced by the sail and the lift vector produced by the keel.
What do you mean 45 degrees on either side of the wind, about the no-go zone? Does it refer to the fact that the wind passes along both sides of the sail, or am I reading this wrong?
@RandomOzzieVids
9 ай бұрын
It’s virtually impossible to sail in that zone, as it’s hard to create that lift, when you’re going head on into the breeze. Some Maxi Racing Yachts can sail higher into that zone. But it depends on how they are designed.
Gituh boi 🙏🏽
Still don't get it :( but this sounds like a great explanation
so basically 45* of front is no go zone right :V
@StickScience
2 жыл бұрын
That's right!
I ate some edibles, and wondered if you could sail toward the wind.
I always hate the comparison to the "simple" plane wing physics. Because it isnt simple at all. Lift is very counterintuitive and we actually don't fully understand how it works when it comes to rounded wings. Like we dont understand it as a human race yet lol. But yes the basics are simple if you dont think too hard about what is actually happening
I don't understand either 😆
Who the hell genius behind this sail invention, I wander??
@totokkris4110
2 жыл бұрын
east asian sailor. javanese recording the use of that sail on 7century temple.
So the sails on a sailboat was invented based after the invention of the wings of an airplane? 🤨😏
I’m so confused. lol.
Exemplary
ㅎㅇ
Let Mark Alexander Hulme Sail Upwind 🎭 @markhulmemma