them, and what they are called. And we will also show you the most common type of knots

used in sailing and how to tie them.

Boats come in all different shapes, sizes and construction. They can be made from wood,

fibreglass or durable plastic, so depending on what type of sailing you plan to do there

is a boat for you. It’s best to avoid dashing out and buying the first one you see. It’s

better to try as many different boats as possible to ensure that you buy the best one for your

needs.

Sailing Centres offer great purchasing advice, sailing clubs are also a good place to start

looking, and some even offer boats for hire.

There are many different combinations of sail fixtures and fittings. The basic principles

are the same, but from boat to boat small differences will apply depending on your particular

set up. Every boat however does have the same basic components. These are the hull, the

mast which is generally made of aluminium, the boom which connects to the mast. The sails

and the rudder assembly. The front of the hull is called the bow, and the rear - stern

or transom.

To help with manoeuvring ashore a launching trolley should be used. These have large soft

wheels and are designed to go in the water and make launching easier.

A seat that runs sideways across the boat is called a thwart. The bit you sit on is

called the side tanks, and the outside edge of the boat is called the gunwale.

The mast is either self supporting like this Laser, or supported by a series of wire rigging.

The side rigging is called shrouds. And the front wire is called a forestay. You may have

spreaders fitted to your boat, these horizontal brackets help to spread the load of the rig

to the mast.

The kicking strap is either permanently fitted to the boom like this, or clips under the

boom. This control stops the boom from rising and makes the sail control easier whilst you

are sailing. The boom connects to the mast with a flexible joint called a gooseneck.

The gooseneck is either slid into a hole on the boom like this, or in some situations

left permanently fixed.

The rope used to tie the boat to the trolley and help during the manoeuvring process is

called the painter. The painter is also used to tie the boat to the pontoon during rigging.