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Email This Page to a FriendHow to Trim Sails with Carol Hasse, Part 1 – Parts & Points of Sail
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October 6, 2014
Knowing the parts and points of sail is important in deepening the understanding of sailing and how to trim sails. In the first of our How to Trim Sails series, master sailmaker Carol Hasse teaches the basics.
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Carol Hasse is the owner and proprietor of Port Townsend Sails.
OTHER VIDEOS WITH CAROL HASSE:
How to Trim Sails, Part 2 - The Headsail
How to Trim Sails, Part 3 - The Mainsail
A Good Boat, Up Close, the Nordic Folkboat LORRAINE
DOWNLOADS:
Points of Sail Guide: click here for the OCH downloadable PDF.
Comments, Thoughts or Suggestions?
You can leave a comment or question for OCH and members below. Here are the comments so far…
When is the book coming out? It would be nice if she wrote a book on this.
I have been sailing for many, many years and have often wondered exactly how a sail was constructed in order to achieve good performance and this video is simply excellent! Great work Carol, thank you for sharing your experience with us all. Please keep up the great work.
[…] refreshing is this great series on trimming sails. Just good, straightforward information, presented in OCH’s trademark […]
This comprehensive explanation of how sails work is worth reading: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CCcQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.northsails.com%2FRADUploads%2FHow-Sails-Work.pdf&ei=tRPEVLWSMsWuggTAsoTgDw&usg=AFQjCNGOvxoJx6m6bmcEy-lkzzoK8x38UA&bvm=bv.84349003,d.eXY
The link I posted here about how sails more accurately provide motive power (it’s not by ‘lift’ like an airplane wing or a ‘slot’ [Bernoulli] effect) is described most usefully and clearly in Tom Whidden’s 1990 book “The Art and Science of Sails”, Chapters Five and Six. Tom was tactician and sailmaker for Dennis Conner’s America’s Cup defenders as well as president of North Sails. He knows how sails work and it’s both more interesting and complex than commonly believed.
Hi Dave – that link isn’t working for me, I’m just getting a 404 error on the northsails site.
Let me know if you can find a different link, as I’d love to read this.
She is very informative and clearly covers topics not usually mentioned in other videos.
It’s late November and I can’t wait to test her points. In RI, that will be a while.
Yes, David’s comment (below) is spot on. This is a very informative video that should be seen by new and experienced sailors alike. Thank you, Carol, for a great video series!
I have yet to build my first boat, but having inherited an industrial strength sewing machine have built two sets of sails myself. However, not until watching Carol’s simple explanation did I understand the relationship of warp, fill, and bias. Needless to say my first set of sails were a terrific lesson in how to fail at constructing a sail. The main setup pitifully largely due to my misunderstanding of bias. The jib was a better attempt though the chamber was minimal. My second set was a kit with pre-cut panels, and what a world of difference. The warp and fill were oriented properly, and the built-in chamber propels my boat noticeably faster. Ironically I still did not comprehend what was making the new sails better. Thank you Carol! In 12 minutes you have helped the puzzle pieces fall together.
For those of you considering constructing you own sails, I highly recommend the process.
What is the easiest way to measure the camber to chord ratio on an existing sail if you don’t have the original spec from the sail maker?
I’ve been sailing for over thirty years and though I knew all of this, but drinking in this great series of videos always teaches me something. Thankyou! I am treating this site like a box of the best chocolates, savouring every post.
I agree with David. A wonderful intro to a topic that can be intimidating to a person like me.
I’ve certainly never run across a more instructive 12 minutes on sail construction and trim. As usual, Carol is very impressive. I look forward to part 2, and hopefully more thereafter.