“In the last 18 months more people are trying it,” Vaughan said. He credits chefs such as the Food Network’s Bobby Flay with popularizing the trend among restaurants.

Betsy Surcouf, general manager of Williams-Sonoma at Destin Commons, says she has seen firsthand the rising interest of plank grilling among her customers.

“Planking has inspired a lot of backyard chefs, too,” she said. The method involves placing fish, meat or most any other food atop a wooden plank and then putting the plank on a grill or in an oven. Unlike traditional grilling, planks add a barrier between the fire and the food that slows the cooking process and gives food a rich, smoky flavor.

“It’s just a tasty and interesting way to cook,” Vaughan said. “And, honestly, it’s very simple, very user-friendly once you get through the prep.”

Plank Talk
There’s nothing fancy about planks. You can use almost any variety of wood from a lumberyard, but you’ll want to be sure it has not been treated. Treated wood may be poisonous if cooked upon, so it may be best to play it safe and purchase your planks from a specialty store, such as Williams-Sonoma or Fresh Market, both in Destin. Some fish markets and grocery stores also sell planks. Prices generally range from about $15 for a four-pack to as much as $30 each for thicker pieces.


Planks come in a variety of species. Cedar is the most common grilling wood. Pecan, alder and hickory also are good choices. When planking in an oven, it is best to use a portion of wood of at least one inch in depth. The planks will burn a little in the cooking process, so you should not expect them to last more than once or twice. If the plank can be used more than once, Surcouf suggests cleaning it with warm water and a firm dish brush. However, no soap should be used, as it may hamper the flavor.

Before using, planks should be soaked in water, wine or fruit juice for at least 30 minutes and up to several hours. Soaking the wood keeps it from burning and allows the food to steam during the cooking process. Once the food has been prepped, and the plank soaked, brush a small amount of olive oil over one side of the plank, place the food on the oiled side and set the plank on the grill or in the oven.

“Then keep an eye on it,” Surcouf warned. “The wood will burn and will char on the edges, but you don’t want it to catch on fire.” Many plank-grillers have seen their planks go up in flames, but don’t let that discourage you. Just spritz with water until the flames subside. Do expect to see some charring on the plank, Surcouf says. With the grill lid down, the smoke from the burning wood and steam from the soaked plank gently cook the meat, resulting in a moist and aromatic result.

Food for Thought

Fish may be one of the most popular plank-grilled foods, but don’t limit yourself, says Criolla’s Vaughan.

“I’d try an old classic like bacon-wrapped scallops, on the plank,” he says. “That would be phenomenal.”

Other options include shellfish such as lobster and shrimp. Pork and steak tend to work best with harder woods like alder or hickory, as those types burn slower, allowing more time to cook the meat.

Even fruits and vegetables can be planked.

“You can really get creative,” Surcouf said. “I’ve made desserts on the plank, like cinnamon-stuffed apples with crème fraîche. And peaches are wonderful grilled on the plank.”

Vaughan says home cooks should not be intimidated by planking, but rather to experiment with different foods cooked on wood.

“I could even see some brunch items on the plank, like salmon or even eggs,” he says. “You can just develop some of your own unique ideas. Put a different spin on it. There really should be no mystique about it.”

———————————————————————

Planked Salmon with Pinot Noir-Berry Sauce
Recipe Courtesy Williams-Sonoma

1 cup Pinot Noir
1 small shallot, minced
2¼ cups blackberries, chopped
2 tablespoons veal demi-glace
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 16 cubes
¼ teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
2 teaspoons sugar
4 salmon fillets, each 8 ounces, with skin
¼ cup olive oil
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Soak a cedar plank in water for 2 to 4 hours.


In a small pot over medium heat, combine the wine, shallot and 1½ cups of the blackberries. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. Press the berry mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and return the liquid to the pot. Set over low heat and whisk in the demi-glace, then slowly add the butter, whisking continuously until incorporated into the sauce. Stir in the ¼ teaspoon salt, sugar and the remaining ¾ cup blackberries. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour the sauce into a small bowl and set over, but not touching, simmering water in a saucepan; keep the sauce warm.

Prepare a medium fire in a grill. Have a spray bottle of water ready to extinguish flare-ups. Brush the salmon on both sides with the olive oil and season with salt
and pepper.

Place the plank on the grill and close the lid. Heat until the plank begins to smoke and crackle. Place the salmon, skin side down, on the plank. Close the lid and grill until the salmon is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.

Transfer the plank with the salmon to a heatproof platter or carefully transfer the salmon directly to a warmed platter. Spoon the berry sauce over the salmon and garnish with parsley.

Fort Walton Beach has a rich heritage filled with legends and lore – the innovative American Indians, the Spanish explorers, the notorious pirates, the brave war heroes and the famous Hollywood celebrities who found their way to the area to contribute to the colorful and remarkable history of the Emerald Coast.

SAND AND CHEESECAKE A fetching young lady frolics on the dunes of Fort Walton Beach in this 1956 glamour photo by Karl E. Holland. Photo Courtesy Florida Archives

The First Locals
Try to imagine what Fort Walton Beach was like thousands of years ago, as far back as 12,000 B.C. That is when the earliest humans lived along what is now the Emerald Coast. Of course, things were a lot different back then. Sea levels were 20 to 30 feet lower than they are today, making Florida approximately twice the size it is now.

The climate was more arid and had more plains before the Ice Age glaciers melted and covered a lot of the coastline, bringing the state to the shape it is today. The first humans came to the area in search of big game, such as mastodon, mammoth and other large animals.

Laura Morse, director of Fort Walton Beach’s Indian Temple Mound Museum and Park, makes it her mission to connect people with this incredible human history.

“The people who loved this area for thousands of years lived, worked and raised families here for the same reasons we do today,” she said.

The museum displays 14,000-year-old lithics – stone tools – left behind by the area’s primitive hunters, the Paleo-Indians.

“These Paleo points, or arrowheads, are fascinating because they are made of stone that often comes from very far away – either brought in by nomadic people or traded for with others,” Morse said. “Florida does not have rock or stone that would make quality points for hunting or tools, so it had to get here otherwise.”

Over the millennia, the native peoples became more tribal and developed villages, settling in areas according to their advancing technology in hunting small game, fishing and agriculture. They engaged in commerce with other tribes outside Florida, trading their abundant supply of freshwater pearls, conch shells and fish bones for copper, iron and maize.

They learned to make pottery and develop weapons from shark teeth, stingray barbs and billfish bills. As their abilities progressed, so did their emphasis on religion, medicine, government and society.

The most politically advanced group of all the Florida tribes was the Fort Walton Culture, which flourished from approximately A.D. 1100 to 1550 and lived across the region that covers modern Northwest Florida.

“The Fort Walton Temple Mound, a National Historic Landmark, was built by these people, who were part of the advanced Mississippian/Southeastern Ceremonial complex,” Morse said. “They built the mound probably between A.D. 700 and A.D. 1500, most likely in three phases.”

The temple mound, which has been carefully preserved, served as a village center, the home of the tribal chief and the military lookout point, and had a plaza surrounding it.

“Chiefs wielded great power, and controlled ideology and healing,” Morse said. “The pervasive warrior culture was mighty and considered quite grand.”

Besides the abundant supply of fish, agriculture was also advanced, with the land producing squash, beans and corn.

“Ornate artifacts found from this period attest to this highly complex and ceremonial social system,” Morse said. “The six-pointed plates featured in the Indian Temple Mound Museum are a hallmark of the society’s uniquely symbolic handmade pottery.”

Spaniards Enter
Morse said early Spanish exploration in the 16th century no doubt ravaged many Florida tribes with the introduction of new diseases and harsh treatment, but there is no one certain answer for the extinction of whole groups of people. Most likely, a combination of European diseases, drought or crop failure, war or other mass illness devastated the populations beyond repair. By the time the Spanish were exploring the area that is now Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach, there were American Indians there, but they were thought to be of the Creek tribes that migrated into Florida from Alabama and Georgia after 1500. They lived near or around the mound but regarded it as a pre-existing structure built by others and not used for the purposes of its former inhabitants.

Pirates from the mid-1950s continue to recreate the legendary exploits of Billy Bowlegs annually in the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival. Photo Courtesy Florida Archives
Billy Bowlegs
Some historians say there is no evidence of pirates in Fort Walton, but others tell of the legendary pirate and Indian leader Capt. Billy Bowlegs, whose real name was William Augustus Bowles. According to the tale, Bowlegs plundered ships belonging to the Spanish, English and French during the late 1700s and early 1800s, confiscating a fortune in gold and silver. He buried it along the shores of the Gulf and its inland lagoons and bayous.

Today, Fort Walton Beach residents celebrate the invasion of Bowlegs in the annual Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, the highlight being a staged duel with the mayor on the Fort Walton Beach landing.

Camp Walton
During the Civil War, Confederate soldiers from the 1st Florida Regiment set up a small encampment under the orders of Gen. Braxton Bragg; the encampment was named Camp Walton. One soldier who served and then became the first permanent settler in the area was John Thomas Brooks.

In his book, “A Miracle Strip – Through the Lens of Arturo and the Hearts of Many,” fourth-generation Fort Walton resident, photographer and author Antonio Mennillo wrote that Brooks’ background prepared him for his role as the first permanent resident of the area.

“When he was 12 years of age his widowed mother packed her family and family belongings into a covered wagon and left their native North Carolina to take up a land grant in the vicinity of Geneva, Ala.,” Mennillo wrote. “Tom was 18 when the Civil War broke out and he was one of the first volunteers from Alabama. Going to war with this parting injunction from his mother, ‘Sonny, don’t be shot in the back. My prayers will follow you.’”

Upon returning to his mother’s house after the war, Brooks discovered that it had been burned by organized war deserters. His mother had remarried, so it was time for Brooks to find a new home. Seeking employment, Brooks became a sawyer at Reddick’s Sawmill in Walton County. He and his new family soon settled on 111 acres of waterfront land, a tract that now is part of Fort Walton Beach.

Camp Walton was eventually renamed Brooks Landing after the settler.

Others Discover Fort Walton
The 1930s brought on a pivotal period in the growth of Fort Walton.

Another early citizen of Fort Walton, Dr. J.H. Beal, a retired pharmacist, college professor, businessman, farmer and developer, joined Thomas E. Brooks, grandson of John Thomas Brooks, to build a casino and cottage on the Gulf shores. The two also built the Brooks Beal Center Woman’s Club and Garden Club and Beal Memorial Cemetery.

The more recent history of Fort Walton Beach is preserved at Magnolia Grill on Brooks Street. Tom and Peg Rice have preserved the house built by Dr. G.G. French in 1910. The house was shipped in pieces as a “catalog house” from New York. The handwritten mailing address is still visible on some of the boards, which are on display at Magnolia Grill. The Rices have an impressive collection of items from the early 20th century – a pair of Art Deco chandeliers from the home of Peg’s great-grandfather, Dr. J.H. Beal; bowling pins from the Fort Walton Bowling Alley; and numerous antique typewriters used by local reporters, including columnist Emma Goggin and Maj. Gen. John Carley.

Capt. Reddin “Salty” Brunson, at 95 years old, is the oldest living Destin native. He was one of the originators of the charter boat association, but got his first job at the age of 11 as a caddy in Fort Walton for notorious gangster Al Capone.

“Me and four other kids were coming from school and this big automobile drove up to us,” Brunson said. “A big man said, ‘You boys want to caddy?’ I said, ‘Sure do,’ and jumped on the running board right by the driver, and caddied for a round a golf. After the game, the men said, ‘You boys come on in and we’ll buy you a Budweiser.’ That was the most god-awful stuff I ever tasted.”

Capone and his henchmen frequently engaged in target practice at night, safe in their seclusion. One evening, Brunson almost got in the way.

“One night in Boggy Bayou, we heard a bunch of rapid fire and went to see what was happening,” he said. “We saw a bench with a moving target – the gangsters were practicing their firing and ladies were watching. We got caught, and they called me up there. I’ve never been so scared in my life. This big guy ran up with his gun and stuck it in my face and said, ‘You better get outta here, boy.’ And I ran faster than lightning.”

The Military
James E. Plew, a banker, developer and airplane enthusiast who moved to Fort Walton from Chicago, started the Valparaiso Realty Company in 1922 with a vision of building retirement homes and businesses, as well as developing golf courses. He saw an opportunity for the military to use the land as an aerial bombing and gunnery range, and for a boost in the economy of the remote part of Florida. In 1934, Plew donated 1,460 acres to the U.S. government; the plot was named the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base. On Aug. 4, 1937, the base was renamed Eglin Field in memory of Lt. Col. Frederick I. Eglin, a U.S. Air Corps pilot killed on New Year’s Day 1937. This land became the center of what is now known as the most expansive military base in the nation, covering more than 724 square miles of land and 98,000 square miles of air space over the Gulf.

Lt. Col. James “Jimmy” Doolittle used Eglin Field to train his B-25 Doolittle Raiders for their secret air raid against Tokyo during World War II. The Doolittle Raiders were a group of 80 volunteer airmen from the U.S. Army Air Forces who on April 18, 1942, flew 16 Mitchell medium B-25 airplanes from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet on a daring mission to bomb Japan. The raid was a huge morale booster for the American people, coming just four months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Retired MSgt Edwin Horton Jr., one of the few living Doolittle Raiders, resides in Fort Walton Beach. Horton was a engineer/gunner on Crew 10 of the 16 bombers during the raid on Tokyo.

In an interview with 1st Lt. Martha L. Petersante-Gioia, of the 66th Air Base Wing at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., Horton recalled how even after doing what many said couldn’t be done, Doolittle’s men stayed focused on a mission for which they had trained under top-secret conditions.

“Much of the training and modifications to the aircraft were done at Eglin Field,” Horton said.

During the raid, they didn’t anticipate that the carrier would be detected early, forcing the group to launch immediately, he said.

Due to the group’s early takeoff, there was not enough fuel to get back to a prearranged rendezvous point in China.

“We had to bail out over China’s coastal mountain range,” Horton said.

Faced with a controlled-crash landing on China’s coast or bailing out over the mountain range, Lt. Richard Joyce, Horton’s pilot and crew commander, chose to have the crew bail out.

Horton was able to land on a ridge. The next morning, he walked to a small town where friendly residents assisted him.

“I didn’t (immediately) know the impact of this mission,” he said. “But as it turned out, it was a huge morale boast for our forces.”

Another Fort Walton Beach resident, retired MSgt Ronald D. Peters, worked as a reporter and later rode in the B-29s bombers and witnessed the effects of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Peters also served in Vietnam, and after 28 and a half years of active-duty service, he and his wife – two Ohio Buckeyes, as he describes them – were looking for a nice place to retire.

“We wanted someplace warm,” he said. “And I looked on a map and found a circle of military bases that surrounded this little area called Forth Walton beach, and that’s where we decided to stay.”

The Gambling
Though Brooks and Beal built a casino and cottages in an attempt to create a thriving summer resort that would attract tourists, it wasn’t until the 1940s that the humble town of Fort Walton became the gambling mecca of Northwest Florida, bringing tourists with full wallets and earning the nickname “Little Las Vegas of Florida.”

The Magnolia Club, where gambling, dancing and nightly floor shows were the main attractions, was a local hot spot. Initially attracting seasonal tourists who could no longer gamble in Miami because it had been outlawed, the Magnolia Club eventually was open year-round to accommodate the influx of carpenters and other building workers who persuaded manager Bill Williams to stay past the tourist season.

Another popular gambling spot was the Shalimar Club, run by Roger Clary. Nancy M. Kenaston, author of the book, “The Rich Heritage of Fort Walton Beach Florida,” described the transformation of the Shalimar Club from day to evening.

“It resembled a movie producer’s idea of an expensive bordello,” she wrote. “Its windows were hung with red velvet and gold tassels; luxurious paneling and overstuffed red velvet furniture added to the exciting décor. The Eglin (Air Force Base) Officers’ Wives Club met frequently for luncheons in the clubs, giving them the air of great respectability, but at night they came to life to tempt those with gambling fever.”

By the 1950s, gambling had tainted the town’s reputation. Law enforcement agencies put an end to it, and in 1953 Fort Walton was renamed Fort Walton Beach in an effort to boost tourism for a different kind of crowd – the beach-loving family who wanted some fun in the sun.

The Celebrities and Dignitaries
Fort Walton Beach cast a spell on the rich and famous of Hollywood during the 1940s and ’50s.

The famous orchestra conductor Guy Lombardo and his band frequently performed at the ritzy Shalimar Club. Andy Griffith and the Glen Miller Band played there, and President Harry Truman and Gen. Doolittle, as well as dignitaries from around the world, enjoyed evenings at the nightclub. Gregory Peck was seen enjoying a drink and a cigarette there.

Internationally acclaimed German artist Emil Holzhauer, who became famous in the 1920s and ’30s as an avant garde painter, met a Niceville native and moved to the area. He, along with other charter members, initiated the Arts and Design Society of Fort Walton Beach to promote and expose the Emerald Coast to the arts. After his death, Holzhauer’s estate donated more than 400 paintings and documents to what was then Okaloosa-Walton Community College. His multimillion-dollar collection still is on display throughout the campus.

Between 1940 and 1970, the population of Fort Walton grew by 700 percent and was recognized nationally as one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. Today, the city still celebrates the past, preserving its fascinating history – and leaving a legacy of a rich heritage for future generations

Time to Telecommute?

As gas prices and stress soar, more Emerald coast residents consider working from home

Most folks would agree: The morning commute to work in rush-hour traffic produces a pain specific to the posterior region. Now, with the price of gasoline continuing to climb, workers are feeling it in the pocketbook, too.

And the anguish is spreading.

“People concerned with the effects of gas prices were significantly less attentive on the job, less excited about going to work, less passionate and conscientious and more tense,” according to Florida State University College of Business Professor Wayne Hochwarter, who surveyed more than 800 full-time employees this spring when gas prices hovered at about $3.50 per gallon. “These people also reported more ‘blues’ on the job. Employees were simply unable to detach themselves from the stress caused by escalating gas prices as they walked through the doors at work.”

Looking for some relief? Maybe it’s time to leave the bumper-to-bumper traffic behind and steer your career along the Information Superhighway. If you’re tired of congested roadways, concerned about air quality and fed up with high prices at the pump, telecommuting could be your answer.

The Value of Virtual Venues
Even before fuel costs began to spike, workers and employers around the globe began embracing the telecommuting or “telework” phenomenon. “Telecommuting is second only to ‘casual days’ as the fastest-growing shift in traditional working patterns,” reports the American Telecommuting Association, which defines the practice broadly as “any method for working productively while away from the traditional office.”

In the three decades since the term “telecommute” was first coined, academia, state and federal governmental agencies and countless individuals have sampled and studied the work-at-home option for a broad spectrum of jobs and industries. “One of the most pleasant surprises about telecommuting is that it’s a win-win-win situation for the individual telecommuter, the employer, and society as a whole,” according to the ATA.

Notorious for its red tape and bureaucracy, the U.S. government reportedly has outpaced private employers for years in adopting telecommuting – by as much as a 3-to-1 margin in 2007.

On the state level, fully a decade ago, after conducting two three-year studies, Florida embraced telecommuting as an official option for its employees.

Working from home is a voluntary option for state employees with amenable jobs, says Anna B. Gray, manager of work-force development and benefits in the Florida Department of Management Services’ Division of Resource Management, which oversees the state personnel system. By law, “All agencies have to identify and maintain a list of positions appropriate for telecommuting,” Gray says.

“Initially the focus of the program was in terms of work-and-life-balance issues, and initially it was designed to be a recruitment or retention benefit,” Gray says.

“(Telecommuting) was an alternative work arrangement primarily to meet the needs of employees and to show some flexibility.”

During the most recent legislative session, the state’s program was on the agenda once again, and its mandates were tweaked.

“In today’s world the emphasis, of course, is now on energy savings and gas emissions and energy conservation,” Gray says.

In the earliest days of the state program, the logistics commanded much attention.

“At the very beginning, personal computer technology was still very new,” Gray says, “so there was a lot of emphasis devoted to how to set up a home office, what sort of technology and what type of dial-up technology and additional equipment was needed.”

“Nowadays, it’s so fluid because a good percentage of employees already own personal computers or have wi-fi access,” she says.

Couching a Career
Some of the nation’s most prominent employers have embraced telecommuting – and continue to expand their initiatives. For Elizabeth Beazley Corriveau of Santa Rosa Beach, the office is wherever she boots up her computer.

“I’m a little bit nomadic,” says the Walt Disney Co. scheduling manager, whose home office is 412 miles away from the Magic Kingdom. “I can work in Panera. I can work on my porch … when I look at telecommuting, the technology has advanced so far that your options are truly vast, with broadband connections, wireless cards, cell phones. I think that’s the amazing thing.”

Corriveau loves telecommuting.

“I absolutely do,” she says. “I love the fact that I have a very flexible work schedule. I usually work five hours in the daytime and then a few hours in the evening. I have a lot of reports I do, so that I can do at any time.”

There are challenges, of course.

“You have to be somebody who is extremely well disciplined to work from home, because you don’t have somebody standing over your shoulder,” she says.

“I think, one of the great things about my situation is that is has allowed me to continue to stay with the company even though I don’t specifically live in Orlando,” says Corriveau, who supervises a team of 40 exclusive telecommuters scattered across the country, all of whom apparently wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Life changes, and you may move to a different place, and a lot of the folks who work on my team have had children and have decided to opt out of the full-time work force. My entire team works part time. I actually have zero full-time people,” Corriveau says.

And, she has very little attrition, too.

“The only attrition I have is (when) I promote people … My team is actually one of the largest (at Disney) that is strictly telecommuting,” she says.

Corriveau didn’t start out as a telecommuter. About nine years into her tenure with Disney, she had mainly worked in marketing and public relations in Orlando for Disney Vacation Club and Disney Cruise Lines and a couple years as a recruiter for the Disney College Program.

“We were moving out of state to Washington, D.C., so I left the company,” she says.

Later, Corriveau found out through close business contacts that in its recruitment efforts, Disney was going to start experimenting with interviewing college students by telephone. In September 2005, she rejoined the company and started doing this new work as an Interview Partner.

“That’s when I started telecommuting,” she says. “We actually have all of the candidates’ application on file electronically. I started out doing telephone interviews” and working with scheduling the interviews,” she says.

“We actually just do phone interviews, so we call the candidate and do the interview on the phone with them. For a large percent of our candidates, they don’t interview in person,” Corriveau explains.

Last October, Corriveau was promoted to manager of her Interview Partners team, who she says live as far north as Boston, as far south as Orlando and as far west as Boise, Idaho. After the team conducts phone interviews, they transfer the data directly to Disney’s employment database.

Work Without the Watercooler
Now that she’s a veteran telecommuter, Corriveau has found the transition to telework requires more than a mere change of venue.

“There’s a different type of communication you develop remotely,” she says, noting that her team communicates heavily through e-mail, conference calls and instant messaging.

“There’s a different way of developing relationships because you don’t have that face-to-face interaction, and you’re not able to go down the hall and ask a question,” she says. For instance, facial expressions are “something you forgo and something that you learn to find a way around. Sometimes it is much easier for some people to relate in person than just over the phone or via e-mail.”

The reliance on technology makes effective communication skills all the more important, Corriveau contends.

“You have to be very honest. It’s almost better to over-communicate than under-communicate.”

For all the benefits of telecommuting, there is a downside with computer-based work, Corriveau admits.

“You’ve got to have a really good Internet connection,” she says. “If you don’t, that really puts a crimp in your day.”

Potential Benefits of Telecommuting

• Icreased performance
• Increased productivity (25 percent or more)
• Increased job satisfaction
• Reduced absenteeism
• Lower employee turnover rates (by up to 25 percent)
• Reduced energy consumption
• Reduced demand on our transportation system
• Helps with compliance for the Americans with Disabilities Act
• Empowers employees to operate at their full potential
• Employees have more control of their work environment
• Encourages flexible working hours, and potential savings in time and money
• Reduces the frequency and distance of commuting to work
• Potential savings in utilities, office rental and parking
• Reduces pollution
• Saves energy resources
• In an emergency when employees may not be able to get to the office, work can continue.

Source: “Telecommuting: A Guide for Managers and Employees Considering Telecommuting,” Florida Department of Management Services

Sailing is the art of controlling a sailing vessel. By adjusting the rigging, rudder and dagger or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails (main and/or jib) in order to change the direPoints of sailction and speed of a boat. Mastery of the skill requires experience in varying wind and sea conditions, as well as knowledge concerning sailboats. If you are interested in Sailing charters in Destin area please go to http://sailing.destinspaces.com/index.html  and call Camille for details.
Today most people enjoy sailing as a recreational activity. Recreational sailing can be further divided into racing, cruising and “daysailing” or dinghy sailing.

Throughout history sailing has been instrumental in the development of civilization. The earliest representation of a ship under sail appears on an Egyptian vase from about 3500 BC.^[1] Advances in sailing technology from the 15th century onward enabled European explorers in Canada to make longer voyages into regions with extreme weather and climatic conditions. Improvements were made in the design of sails, masts and rigging, and navigational equipment became more sophisticated. Ships went further north, stayed longer on the Grand Banks and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and eventually began to explore the Pacific Northwest and the Western Arctic.^[2]

Introduction

A sailboat or sailing ship moves forward because of the reaction to the inertia of moving air on its sails. Since the dawn of history this vital technology has afforded mankind greater mobility and capacity for fishing, trade and warfare. From moving the stones of the great pyramids from Aswan to Giza to allowing man to migrate throughout Polynesia to Nelson’s defeat of the French and Spanish navies at the Battle of Trafalgar, mankind’s history has been intertwined with this seemingly simple technology. Great selection of sea skuners and sailing boats as well as boat cruises in Destin can be found at http://sailing.destinspaces.com

The physics of sailing

The energy that drives a sailboat is harnessed by manipulating the relative movement of wind and water speed: if there is no difference in movement, such as on a calm day or when the wind and water current are moving in the same direction, there is no energy to be extracted and the sailboat will not be able to do anything but drift. Where there is a difference in motion, then there is energy to be extracted at the interface, and the sailboat does this by placing the sail(s) in the air and the hull(s) in the water.

Sails are airfoils that work by using an airflow set up by the wind and the motion of the boat. The combination of the two is the apparent wind, which is the relative velocity of the wind relative to the boat’s motion. The sails generate lift using the air that flows around them. The air flowing at the sail surface is not the true wind.^[3]

The sail alone is not sufficient to drive the boat in any desired direction, as a sail by itself would only push a boat in the same direction as the wind. Sailboats overcome this by having another physical object below the water line. These include, a keel, centerboard, or some other form of underwater foil or even the hull itself (as in catamarans without centreboard or in a traditional proa). Thus, the physical portion of the boat which is below water can be regarded as functioning as a “second sail”. Having two surfaces against the wind and water enables the sailor to travel in almost any direction and to generate an additional source of lift from the water. The flow of water over the underwater hull portions creates a hydrodynamic force. The combination of the aerodynamic force from the sails and the hydrodynamic force from the underwater hull section allows motion in almost any direction, except straight into the wind. This can be likened, in simple terms, to squeezing a wet bar of soap with two hands which causes it to shoot out in a direction perpendicular to both opposing forces. Depending on the efficiency of the rig, the angle of travel relative to the true wind can be as little as 35 degrees to over 80 degrees. This angle is called tacking angle [1]. With a 35 degree tacking angle on either side of the wind, it is possible for a sailboat to sail directly over 290 degrees of the compass (360 – 2×35 = 290 degrees).

When sailing upwind, the sails, when correctly adjusted, will generate aerodynamic lift. When sailing downwind, the sails no longer generate aerodynamic lift and airflow is stalled, with the wind push on the sails giving drag only. As the boat is going downwind, the apparent wind is less than the true wind and this allied to the fact that the sails are not producing aerodynamic lift serves to limit the downwind speed.^[4]

When moving, the motion of the boat creates its own apparent wind Apparent wind is what is experienced onboard and is the wind that the boat is actually sailing by. Sailing into the wind causes the apparent wind to be greater than the true wind and the direction of the apparent wind will be forward^[5] of the true wind. Some extreme design boats are capable of traveling faster than the true windspeed.


Some non-traditional rigs purportedly capture energy from the wind in a much different fashion are capable of feats that traditional rigs are not, such as sailing directly into the wind. One such example is the wind turbine boat, also called the windmill boat[2], which uses a large windmill to extract energy from the wind, and a propeller to convert this energy to forward motion of the hull. This wind turbine rig is effectively a powerboat and not a sailing vessel.^[6] A similar design, called the autogiro boat, uses a wind turbine without the propellor, and functions in a manner similar to a normal sail[3].

Effects of wind shear

Wind shear affects sailboats in motion by presenting a different wind speed and direction at different heights along the mast. Sailmakers may introduce sail twist in the design of the sail, where the head of the sail is set at a different angle of attack from the foot of the sail in order to change the lift distribution with height. The effect of wind shear can be factored into the selection of twist in the sail design, but this can be difficult to predict since wind shear may vary widely in different weather conditions. Sailors may also adjust the trim of the sail to account for wind gradient, for example using a boom vang.^[7]

Basic sailing techniques

The article  defines several terms that identify a sailboat’s movement relative to the wind direction.

Sailing in front of Helsinki, Finland. 8mR Sagitta (Camper & Nicholson 1929), a true sailboat with no motor, lowers its mainsail after a training session before returning to its mooring with the foresail only.

Steering and turning

When steering a sailboat, the method for changing direction depends on the direction of the wind. Thus, all direction changes or turns are described by one of the following terms:

• Heading up (or luffing up) means steering so the wind is closer to coming from directly in front (or “on the bow”). Heading closer to the wind requires trimming the sails, pulling them towards the vessel’s center. Heading up so the wind is nearly or directly ahead causes sails to luff, to flutter without achieving lift. If the boat loses maneuverability because of this, it is said to be in irons.
• Tacking (or coming about), one of the basic turning techniques, requires bringing the bow of the boat through the wind so that the wind then comes across the opposite side of the boat, and the boat sails away on the opposite tack.
• Heading down, bearing off, bearing away, falling off and freeing off mean steering so the wind comes from closer to the vessel’s aft. This requires easing sails, letting them out away from the vessel’s center.
• Gybing or Jibing is the turning maneuver in which the boat heads down past the point where the wind crosses the vessel’s stern, which causes the sails and boom to swing to the opposite side, before the boat sails off on the opposite tack. The sail and boom can cross the centerline of the boat with significant speed, and misjudged gybing can easily capsize a small boat, harm inattentive crew, or damage the rig in a larger boat, especially in strong winds.
• An easy way to tell the difference between Gybing (Jibing) and Tacking, is by looking at what part of the boat crosses through ‘Irons’ (straight into the wind). If the front of the boat (the bow) crosses through the wind, you have completed a Tack, while if the back of the boat (the stern) crosses Irons, you will have Gybed (Jibed).

Trim

An important aspect of sailing is keeping the boat in “trim”. To achieve this a useful mnemonic (memory aid) is the phrase:

Can This Boat Sail Correctly?

This helps the crew to remember these essential points;

• Course to Steer – Turn the boat using the wheel or tiller to the desired course to steer. See points of sail. This may be a definite bearing (e.g steer 270 degrees), or towards a landmark, or at a desired angle to the apparent wind direction.
• Trim – This is the fore and aft balance of the boat. The aim is to adjust the moveable ballast (the crew!) forwards or backwards to achieve an ‘even keel’. On an upwind course in a small boat, the crew typically sit forward, when ‘running’ it is more efficient for the crew to sit to the rear of the boat. The position of the crew matters less as the size (and weight) of the boat increases.
• Balance – This is the port and starboard balance. The aim, once again is to adjust weight ‘inboard’ or ‘outboard’ to prevent excessive heeling.
• Sail – Trimming sails is a large topic. Simply put however, a sail should be pulled in until it fills with wind, but no further than the point where the front edge of the sail (the luff) is exactly in line with the wind.
• Centreboard – If a moveable centreboard is fitted, then it should be lowered when sailing “close to the wind” but can be raised up on downwind courses to reduce drag. The centreboard prevents lateral motion and allows the boat to sail upwind. A boat with no centreboard will instead have a permanent keel, some other form of underwater foil, or even the hull itself which serves the same purpose.

Together, these points are known as ‘The Five Essentials’ and constitute the central aspects of sailing. As far as dolphin cruises we reccomend this website for more info http://sailing.destinspaces.com

Running

A Thistle running downwind with a spinnaker.

Sailing the boat within roughly 30 degrees either side of dead downwind is called a run. This is the easiest point of sail in terms of comfort, but it can also be the most dangerous. When sailing upwind, it’s easy to stop the boat by heading into the wind; a sailor has no such easy out when running. Severe rolling is more likely as there is less rolling resistance provided by the sails, which are eased out. And loss of attention by the helmsman could lead the boat to gybe accidentally, causing injury to the boat or crew. (A preventer can be rigged to prevent damage from an accidental gybe.) Alternately, if there is a sudden increase in wind strength, the boat can round up very suddenly and heel excessively, often leading to a capsize in smaller boats. This is called broaching.

Reaching

When the boat is traveling approximately perpendicular to the wind, this is called reaching. A ‘beam’ reach is with the wind precisely at right angles to the boat, while a ‘close’ reach is halfway between beating and a beam reach, and a ‘broad’ reach is a little bit away from the wind.

For most modern sailboats, that is boats with triangular sails, reaching is the fastest way to travel. The direction of the wind is ideal for reaching because it will maximize the lift generated on the sails in the forward direction of the boat, giving the best boat speed. Also when reaching, the boat can be steered exactly in the direction that is most desirable, and the sails can be trimmed for that direction.

Reaching however may put the boat on a parallel course with the waves. When the waves are steep, it may be necessary to sail closer to the wind to avoid waves directly on the beam.

Sailing upwind

Using a series of close-hauled legs to beat a course upwind.

A basic rule of sailing is that it is not possible to sail directly into the wind—at least not for long. Generally speaking, a boat can sail 45 degrees off the wind. When a boat is sailing this close to the wind, it is close-hauled or beating (beating to weather).

Since a boat cannot sail directly into the wind, but the destination is often upwind, one can only get there by sailing close-hauled with the wind coming from the port side (the boat is on port tack), then tacking (turning the boat through the eye of the wind) and sailing with the wind coming from the starboard side (the boat is on starboard tack). By this method, it is possible to reach that destination directly upwind. The heavier the wind, the rougher the seas, thus boat movement can be more uncomfortable. This can feel like the boat is beating its hull into the waves, hence the term beating. For a yacht beating upwind to a mark at a distance upwind of one mile, it will cover a distance through the water of over 1.42 miles, if it can tack through an angle of 90 degrees. An old adage describes beating as sailing for twice^[8] the distance at half the speed and three times the discomfort.

How closely a boat can sail into the wind depends on the boat’s design, sail trim, the sea state, and the wind speed, since what the boat “sees” is the apparent wind, the vector sum of the actual wind and the negation of the boat’s own velocity. The apparent wind speed is what the anemometer on top of the mast shows. The apparent wind angle while sailing close hauled will be less than the true wind angle. A good, modern sloop can sail within 25 degrees of the apparent wind. An America’s Cup racing sloop can sail within 16 degrees—under ideal conditions. Those figures might translate into 45 degrees and 36 degrees relative to the actual wind, depending on boat speed.

Reducing sail

An important safety aspect of sailing is to adjust the amount of sail to suit the wind conditions. As the wind speed increases the crew should progressively reduce the amount of sail. On a small boat with only jib and mainsail this is done by furling the jib and by partially lowering the mainsail, a process called ‘reefing the main’.

Reefing means reducing the area of a sail without actually changing it for a smaller sail. Ideally reefing does not only result in a reduced sail area but also in a lower center of effort from the sails, reducing the heeling moment and keeping the boat more upright.

There are three common methods of reefing the mainsail:

• Slab reefing, which involves lowering the sail by about one-quarter to one-third of its luff length and tightening the lower part of the sail using an outhaul or a pre-loaded reef line through a cringle at the new clew, and hook through a cringle at the new tack.
• In-mast (or on-mast) roller-reefing. This method rolls the sail up around a vertical foil either inside a slot in the mast, or affixed to the outside of the mast. It requires a mainsail with either no battens, or newly-developed vertical battens.
• In-boom roller-reefing, with a horizontal foil inside the boom. This method allows for standard- or full-length horizontal battens.

Mainsail furling systems have become increasingly popular on cruising yachts as they can be operated shorthanded and from the cockpit in most cases, however, the sail can become jammed in the mast or boom slot if not operated correctly. Mainsail furling is almost never used while racing because it results in a less efficient sail profile. The classical slab-reefing method is the most widely used. Mainsail furling has an additional disadvantage in that its complicated gear may somewhat increase weight aloft. However, as the size of the boat increases, the benefits of mainsail roller furling increase dramatically.

An old saying goes, “The first time you think of reducing sail you should,”^{[citation needed]} and correspondingly, “When you think you are ready to take out a reef, have a cup of tea instead.”^{[citation needed]}

Sail trimming

A Contender dinghy on a reach.

As noted above, sail trimming is a large subject. Basic control of the mainsail consists of setting the sail so that it is at an optimum angle to the wind, (i.e. no flapping at the front, and tell tales flowing evenly off the rear of the sail).

Two or more sails are frequently combined to maximize the smooth flow of air. The sails are adjusted to create a smooth laminar flow over the sail surfaces. This is called the “slot effect”. The combined sails fit into an imaginary aerofoil outline, so that the most forward sails are more in line with the wind, whereas the more aft sails are more in line with the course followed. The combined efficiency of this sail plan is greater than the sum of each sail used in isolation.

More detailed aspects include specific control of the sail’s shape, e.g.:

• reefing, or reducing the sail area in stronger wind
• altering sail shape to make it flatter in high winds
• raking the mast when going upwind (to tilt the sail towards the rear, this being more stable)
• providing sail twist to cope with gusty conditions

Hull trim

Hull trim is the adjustment of a boat’s loading so as to change its fore-and-aft attitude in the water. In small boats, it is done by positioning the crew. In larger boats the weight of a person has less effect on the hull trim, but it can be adjusted by shifting gear, fuel, water, or supplies. Different hull trim efforts are required for different kinds of boats and different conditions. Here are just a few examples. In a lightweight racing dinghy like a Thistle, the hull should be kept level, on its designed water line for best performance in all conditions. In many small boats, weight too far aft can cause drag by submerging the transom, especially in light to moderate winds. Weight too far forward can cause the bow to dig into the waves. In heavy winds, a boat with its bow too low may capsize by pitching forward over its bow (pitch-pole) or dive under the waves (submarine). On a run in heavy winds, the forces on the sails tend to drive a boat’s bow down, so the crew weight is moved far aft.

Points of sail

The points of sail. A. In Irons (into the wind) B. Close Hauled C. Beam Reach D. Broad Reach E. Running

The points of sail are the most important parts of sail theory to remember. The wind, or no go zone, is about 45° either side of the true wind, for a racing hull and sail plan optimized for upwind work. More commonly and on cruising sailplans, the best angle achievable upwind is 50° to 55° to the true wind. A boat cannot sail directly into the wind; attempting to do so is called luffing. There are 5 main points of sail. In order from the edge of the no go zone to directly downwind they are:

• close haul (22° to the apparent wind)
• close reach (half way between close hauled and a beam reach)
• beam reach (90° to the apparent wind)
• broad reach (22.5° away from directly downwind sailing)
• running (directly downwind)

The sail trim (and, on smaller boats, centre board/dagger board position) on a boat is relative to the point of sail one is on: on a beam reach sails are half way out, on a run sails are all the way out, and close hauled sails are pulled in very tightly. A large proportion of the skill of sailing is in trimming the sails correctly for direction and strength of the wind.

Heeling

A boat leaning over to one side under wind pressure, is said to be ‘heeling’. When any large ship is listing heavily, perhaps due to damage, it can also said to be heeling. As a sailing boat heels over beyond a certain angle, it begins to sail less efficiently. Several forces can counteract this movement.

Boats heeling in front of Britannia Bridge in a round-Anglesey race 1998

• The buoyancy of that part of the hull which is being submerged tends to bring the boat upright.
• Raising the centreboard can paradoxically reduce heeling, because it increases leeway.
• A weighted keel, which can in larger boats be canted from side to side, provides additional force to right the boat.
• The crew may move onto the high (upwind) side of the boat, called hiking, changing the centre of gravity significantly in a small boat. They can trapeze if the boat is designed for this (see Dinghy sailing).
• The underwater shape of the hull relative to the sails can be designed to make the boat tend to turn upwind when it heels excessively: this reduces the force on the sails, and allows the boat to right itself. This is known as rounding up.
• The boat can be turned upwind to produce the same effect.
• Wind can be spilled from the sails by ‘sheeting out’, i.e. loosening the sail.
• The sail shape can be altered to reduce its efficiency e.g. tightening the downhaul (see list of nautical terms)
• The sail area can be reduced. This manoeuvre is known as Reefing.
• Lastly, as the boat rolls farther over, wind spills from the top of the sail and the angle of attack lessens the wind’s force.

Most of the above effects can be used to right a heeling boat and to keep the boat sailing efficiently: if however the boat heels beyond a certain point of stability, it can capsize. A boat is capsized when the tip of the mast is in the water. Yachts are traditionally divided into non-capsizable (which means that they have a heavy keel which in normal weather should stabilize the vessel) and non-drowning (which usually means that the vessel has a centerboard and even in normal circumstances can be capsized, but will not sink).

Sailing hulls and hull shapes

Musto Skiff

Sailing boats can have one, two, or three hulls. Boats with one hull are known as monohulls, while those with two or more are known as multihulls. Multihulls can be further subdivided into catamarans (two hulls), and trimarans (three hulls). A sailing boat is turned by a rudder, which itself is controlled by a tiller or a wheel, while at the same time adjusting the sheeting angle of the sails. Smaller sailing boats often have a stabilising, raisable, underwater fin called a centreboard (or daggerboard); larger sailing boats have a fixed (or sometimes canting) keel. As a general rule, the former are called dinghies, the latter keelboats. However, up until the adoption of the Racing Rules of Sailing, any vessel racing under sail was considered a yacht, be it a multi-masted ship-rigged vessel (such as a sailing frigate), a sailboard (more commonly referred to as a windsurfer) or remote-controlled boat, or anything in between. (see Dinghy sailing)

Multihulls use flotation and/or weight positioned away from the centre line of the sailboat to counter the force of the wind. This is in contrast to heavy ballast that can make up to ⅓ of the weight of a monohull sailboat. In the case of a standard catamaran there are two similarly sized and shaped slender hulls connected by beams, which are sometimes overlaid by a deck superstructure. Another catamaran variation is the proa. In the case of trimarans, which have an unballasted centre hull similar to a monohull, two relatively smaller amas are situated parallel to the centre hull to resist the sideways force of the wind. The advantage of multihulled sailboats is that they do not suffer the performance penalty of having to carry heavy ballast, and their relatively lesser draft reduces the amount of drag, caused by friction and inertia, when moving through the water.

Types of sails and layouts

Traditional sailing off the northern coast of Mozambique.

A traditional modern yacht is technically called a “Bermuda sloop” (sometimes a “Bermudan sloop”). A sloop is any boat that has a single mast and a headsail (generally a jib) in addition to the mainsail. The Bermuda designation refers to the fact that the sail, which has its forward edge (the “luff”) against the mast (the main sail), is a sail roughly triangular in shape. Additionally, Bermuda sloops only have a single sail behind the mast. Other types of sloops are gaff-rigged sloops and lateen sloops. Gaff-rigged sloops have quadrilateral mainsails with a gaff (a small boom) at their upper edge (the “head” of the sail). Gaff-rigged vessels may also have another sail, called a topsail, above the gaff. Lateen sloops have triangular sails with the upper edge attached to a gaff, and the lower edge attached to the boom, and the boom and gaff are attached to each other via some type of hinge. It is also possible for a sloop to be square rigged (having large square sails like a Napoleonic Wars-era ship of the line). Note that a “sloop of war,” in the naval sense, may well have more than one mast, and is not properly a sloop by the modern meaning.

If a boat has two masts, it may be a schooner, a ketch, or a yawl, if it is rigged fore-and-aft on all masts. A schooner may have any number of masts provided the second from the front is the tallest (called the “main mast”). In both a ketch and a yawl, the foremost mast is tallest, and thus the main mast, while the rear mast is shorter, and called the mizzen mast. The difference between a ketch and a yawl is that in a ketch, the mizzen mast is forward of the rudderpost (the axis of rotation for the rudder), while a yawl has its mizzen mast behind the rudderpost. In modern parlance, a brigantine is a vessel whose forward mast is rigged with square sails, while her after mast is rigged fore-and-aft. A brig is a vessel with two masts both rigged square.

As one gets into three or more masts the number of combinations rises and one gets barques, barquentines, and full-rigged ships.

A spinnaker is a large, full sail that is only used when sailing off wind either reaching or downwind, to catch the maximum amount of wind.

See also Sail and sail-plan.

Sailing terminology

Sailors use traditional nautical terms for the parts of or directions on a vessel; starboard (right), port (left), forward or fore (front), aft (rearward), bow (forward part of the hull), stern (aft part of the hull), beam (the widest part). Vertical spars are masts, horizontal spars are booms (if they can hit the sailor), gaffs (if they are too high to reach) or poles (if they cannot hit the sailor).

Rope and lines

Standing rigging (on the left) and running rigging (on the right), on a sailing boat.

Rope is the term used only for raw material; once a section of rope is designated for a particular purpose on a vessel, it generally is called a line, as in outhaul line or dock line. A very thick line is considered a cable. Lines that are attached to sails to control their shapes are called sheets, as in mainsheet If a rope is made of wire, it maintains its rope name as in ‘wire rope’ halyard.

Lines (generally steel cables) that support masts are stationary and are collectively known as a vessel’s standing rigging, and individually as shrouds or stays (the stay running forward from a mast to the bow is called the forestay or headstay).

Moveable lines that control sails or other equipment are known collectively as a vessel’s running rigging. Lines that raise sails are called halyards while those that strike them are called downhauls or cunninghams. Lines that adjust (trim) the sails are called sheets. These are often referred to using the name of the sail they control (such as main sheet, or jib sheet). Sail trim may also be controlled with smaller lines attached to the forward section of a boom; such a line is called a vang, or a kicker in the United Kingdom.

Lines used to tie a boat up when alongside are called docklines, docking cables or mooring warps.

Some lines are referred to as ropes: A bell rope (to ring the bell), a bolt rope (attached to the edge of a sail for extra strength), a foot rope (on old square riggers for the sailors to stand on while reefing or furling the sails), and a tiller rope (to temporarily hold the tiller and keep the boat on course). A rode is what keeps an anchor attached to the boat when the anchor is in use. It may be chain, rope, or a combination of the two.

Other terms

Sailboat on a mooring ball near Youngstown, NY

Walls are called bulkheads or ceilings, while the surfaces referred to as ceilings on land are called ‘overheads’. Floors are called ‘soles’ or decks. The toilet is traditionally called the ‘head’, the kitchen is the galley. Lines are rarely tied off, they are almost always ‘made fast’ or ‘belayed.’ Sails in different sail plans have unchanging names, however. For the naming of sails, see sail-plan.

Knots

Knots are among the most important things a sailor needs to know. Although only a few are required, the bowline in particular is essential. By also learning the clove hitch and “round turn and two half hitches,” one can easily cope with all of the knot requirements of a boat. A more complete grasp of knot-tying includes mastery of the following knots:

• bowline
• clove hitch
• round turn and two half hitches
• rolling hitch
• figure of eight
• reef knot
• sheet bend
• stopper knots

Additional knots are available List of knots

Even experienced sailors may forget their knots if they are not performed on a regular basis. Forgetting how to tie an important knot can damage a boat or cause injury.

• http://www.tollesburysc.co.uk/Knots/Knots_gallery.htm (Some of the important knots)

Sailing regulations

There are three basic rules for avoiding a collision at sea, but this is a simplification of a detailed set of regulations:

1. A yacht using sails as motive power on port tack^[9] gives way to one on starboard tack.^[10].
2. The more maneuverable vessel gives way to the less maneuverable vessel. It is generally assumed that this means that power ‘gives way’ to sail, but this is not always the case. It is prudent for a small sailing vessel to stay out of the way of large power driven ships by making an early and obvious alteration in course to signal both recognition of a potential collision situation and that avoiding action has been taken. It is mandatory, by port and harbour regulations, that sailing vessels shall stay clear of shipping in a buoyed channel.
3. If a collision is imminent both vessels must take avoiding action even if one vessel (this is the ‘stand-on’ vessel) would normally take no action. Not to do so, if there is an opportunity, may make the sailor the guilty party at an inquiry. The use of the term ‘right of way’ is borrowed from yacht racing environment, does not appear in internationally recognised rules for vessels not racing and is inappropriate to all other vessels and situations.

Power driven vessel A that is on a potential collision course crossing the port side of power driven vessel B must give way. Sailing boats with their sails set on the same side of the boat, require that^[11] the windward boat shall give way to the leeward boat.^[12] Vessel A overtaking vessel B normally must keep clear of them . Head on collisions are avoided by vessels both turning to Starboard.

If these rules are not followed in a yacht race, a protest may be called by one of the skippers. A hearing of protestor and protestee by the protest committee panel will decide who wins the rule breach.

However there are many other rules besides these, that are applicable and sailors are required to know these, which are fundamental boating safety rules including:

• The “rules of the road” or International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) set forth by the International Maritime Organization are particularly relevant to sailboats because they may be sharing the same body of water as powered vessels, who are bound by the COLREGS.
• The IALA International Association of Lighthouse Authorities standards for lateral marks, lights, signals, and buoyage and rules designed to support safe navigation.
• The SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) regulations place the obligations for safety on the owners and operators of any boat including sailboats. These regulations specify the safety equipment needed and emergency procedures to be used appropriate to the boat’s size and its sailing range.
• When racing, all sailing vessels must follow the Racing Rules of Sailing promulgated by the International Sailing Federation as well as any prescriptions (additional rules) given by the national governing body and organisation running the event. When a boat that is racing encounters one that is not, the racing boat must comply with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea with respect to the non-racing boat. It is the custom amongst sailors that a sailing boat cruising will not normally get in the way of a racing fleet. Similarly, all sailors give way to divers’ boats and fishers for reasons of safety & courtesy.

After sunset all boats racing are bound by the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) rather than the Racing Rules of Sailing.

Sailboat racing

U.S. Sailing team at the World Military Games Sailing Competition, December 2003

Sailboat racing ranges from single person dinghy racing to large boats with 10 or 20 crew and from small boats costing a few hundred dollars to multi-million dollar America’s Cup or Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race campaigns. The costs of participating in the high end large boat competitions make this type of sailing one of the most expensive sports in the world. However, there are relatively inexpensive ways to get involved in sailboat racing, such as at community sailing clubs, and in some relatively inexpensive dinghy and small catamaran classes. Additionally high schools and colleges may offer sailboat racing programs through the Interscholastic Sailing Association (in the USA) and the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (in the USA and some parts of Canada). Under these conditions, sailboat racing can be comparable to or less expensive than sports such as golf and skiing. Sailboat racing is one of the few sports in which people of all ages can regularly compete with and against each other.

Most sailboat racing is done in sheltered coastal or inland waters. However, in terms of endurance and risk to life, ocean races such as the Volvo Ocean Race, the solo VELUX 5 Oceans Race, and the non-stop solo Vendée Globe, rate as some of the most extreme and dangerous sporting events. Not only do participants compete for days with little rest, but an unexpected storm, a single equipment failure, or collision with an ice floe could result in the sailboat being disabled or sunk hundreds or thousands of miles from search and rescue.

The sport of Sailboat racing is governed by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), and the rules under which competitors race are the Racing Rules of Sailing, which can be found on the ISAF web site.
As well as these there is the “mini transats” in which very small craft and a solo sailer cross the Atlantic Ocean. The Vendee Globe is another race for larger boats.. Other races include the Fastnet race from Cowes, around the Fastnet rock just of the coast of Ireland and back again to the Plymouth. There is also the Sydney to Hobart race.

See also

• Sailboat
• Catboat and Sloop
• Catamaran
• Cruising (maritime)
• Day sailer
• Dinghy sailing
• Dinghy racing
• Ketch
• Land sailing
• List of nautical terms
• Marina
• Planing (sailing)
• Points of sail
• Sail
• Sail-plan
• Single-handed sailing
• Solar sail
• Trimaran
• Yachting
• Yacht charter
• Yacht racing
• History of ship transport