Looking up the mast and main sail of a Soling class sailboat.
In order to sail into the wind, a sailboat is forced to tack back and forth at roughly a 45 degree angle to the direction of the wind. The causes the boat to heel in the direction opposite the wind at various angles depending on the strength of the wind. the sails propel the boat forward through an effect similar to that which allows a plane's wings to provide lift. The boat pictured is a Soling, which for many years was the three-man Olympic keelboat. The keel is a fin made from cast iron that sticks out the bottom of the boat providing stability and preventing the boat from sliding too far sideways when travelling upwind.
Size: 4750px × 3563px
Photo credit: © Alexander McClearn / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: battens, boat, boom, daysailer, deck, environmental, heel, kc, lean, mast, nova, number, omega, river, sail, sailboat, sailing, sails, scotia, shore, sloop, soling, summer, symbol, tacking, water, watersport, wind, windpower, yacht
