What is luff and leech on a sail?

What is luff and leech on a sail?

What is luff and leech on a sail?

Luff -A sail’s forward edge. The luff of the mainsail is usually hoisted up and attached to the mast. The luff of the jib is attached to the forestay. Leech – The sail’s back edge. Foot – The bottom edge of the sail.

What is the mainsail leech?

Modern sails may come with a standard leech line (leech control) that runs under the back edge of the mainsail. This line is usually fixed at the head of the sail, and the other end can be cleated near the clew of the sail. In strong winds, particularly when sailing upwind, the leach of the sail may begin to flutter.

What is a luff on a sail?

Definition of luff (Entry 1 of 2) 1 : the act of sailing a ship nearer the wind. 2 : the forward edge of a fore-and-aft sail.

What is luff length?

Luff length is normally set up as the distance from the tip of the mast to the bottom of the tack pulley. So if your luff length is 454, then you’d use a 430 mast, and set your extension to 24 cm and downhaul till your pulleys are as close to touching as you can get.

What is a cunningham on a sail?

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.

Whats a leech line?

Leach lines go by many names: leach field, leach bed, filter bed, or percolation bed. Leach lines disperse septic effluent into the ground after passing through the septic tank. To broadcast the effluent over the widest possible area, leach pipes fan out across an open area, usually a backyard.

What is luff leech?

The luff is the forward or leading edge of a sail. The leech is the back edge of the sail. The clew is the bottom back corner of the sail (furthest from the mast).

What do halyards do?

In sailing, a halyard or halliard is a line (rope) that is used to hoist a ladder, sail, flag or yard. The term halyard comes from the phrase “to haul yards”. Halyards, like most other parts of the running rigging, were classically made of natural fibre like manila or hemp.

What is always associated with luff?

1. the act of sailing close or closer to the wind. 2. the forward edge of a fore-and-aft sail.

What is the luff of a windsurf sail?

What does luff mean on windsurf sail?

Luff curve is the amount of curve that is built into the front of the sail. A sail with more luff curve will require more downhaul tension and have a more rigid profile. A sail with less luff curve will be easier to downhaul and have a softer profile. Luff curve is also used to control leech twist.

What is the Leech on a sail called?

Leech – The aft (back) edge of a fore-and-aft sail is called the leech (also spelled leach ). The leech is either side edge of a symmetrical sail—triangular or square. However, once a symmetrical sail has wind blowing along its surface, whether on a reach or close-hauled, the windward leech may be called a luff (see below).

What is the luff and clew of a sail?

The luff is the forward or leading edge of a sail. The leech is the back edge of the sail. The clew is the bottom back corner of the sail (furthest from the mast).

What hardware is used on a luff sail?

These may be attached to the luff through grommets with webbing or a nylon shackle or with webbing sewn directly on the sail. Jibs that are not roller-furling usually have hanks, clips that attach to the stay. This applies to other staysails, as well. Other hardware includes cam cleats, used to tension luff and foot lines.

How are mainsails attached to a luff?

Bermuda mainsails may have slides attached to the luff that match tracks on the mast and boom. These may be attached to the luff through grommets with webbing or a nylon shackle or with webbing sewn directly on the sail. Jibs that are not roller-furling usually have hanks, clips that attach to the stay. This applies to other staysails, as well.