Hi all
One thing a sailing
boat like Moondancer needs is wind. But have you ever wondered what wind is and
where it comes from? The sun heats the ocean and the heat is released slowly. Heat from the ocean warms the air and warm air rises.
When
the warm air rises from above the ocean, cold air rushes in to replace the warm
air – that movement makes wind.
In weather
prediction terms, cool air produces high pressure and warm air causes low air
pressure.
The wind pushes against the sails and the Moondancer travels through
the water. But it’s more complicated than that. You need to put up just the
right amount of sail depending on the strength of the wind.
And there are lots of other
complicated maneuvers to learn to be a proper sailor.
It’s nice and
calm today and the crew have let me control the tiller. This is connected to the
rudder which is used to help make the vessel turn.
You have to turn the
tiller the opposite way that you want to turn. The tiller will also help keep the
Moondancer traveling straight, but you have to adjust it slightly as the vessel
gets pushed sideways by the waves.
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