Page:Small-boat sailing; an explanation of the management of small yachts, half-decked and open sailing-boats of various rigs; sailing on sea and on river; cruising, etc (IA smallboatsailing01knig).pdf/33

 fully and clearly set forth in Mr. Dixon Kemp's books. It is the author's intention in this chapter to confine himself to the elements of a subject concerning which every would-be sailor should know something; for in the art of sailing, as in every other art, the novice who takes the trouble to understand a little of the theory, will all the quicker acquire the practice.

HEELING—STABILITY

One of the above-mentioned effects of the wind on a sailing-boat is to heel her over. This effect, being wholly antagonistic to the object for which a boat is built—her forward progression—has to be resisted by giving her sufficient stability. Most of us remember how the model boats we used to carve out of blocks of deal in our boyhood lacked stability when placed in the water, and, refusing to float upright, swam on their sides until we had placed lead on their keels. If a boat is long and narrow, it is as impossible for her to maintain an upright position in the water as for a plank to float on its edge, for in that position her centre of gravity is high above the water-line; she is, in short, top-heavy, and must fall over till she assumes a position in which she is in stable equilibrium.

To give her stability, therefore, her centre of gravity must be lowered. This is done by placing ballast in her bottom, or by putting lead or iron on