The Art and Science of Sails [Hardcover]

The Art and Science of Sails Revised Edition (2016), by Tom Whidden and Michael Levitt is a perfect addition to any sailors library of knowledge. If youre feeling slow, youll know where to go.The subject of sails and sailmaking can be quite complex but in this terrific revised edition of The Art and Science of Sails authors Tom Whidden and Michael Levitt have done a superb job distilling the complexities into a narrative that we can all understand. From the intricacies of how wind and water conspire to propel a boat forward to some of the more mundane aspects of sails, this book covers it all and in great detail. I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone who wants to know more about that very important part of a sailboat, namely the sails. Twenty six years ago the original The Art and Science of Sails was published and it was a ground breaking book... Who would have guessed back then that the Americas Cup would be raced in flying boats with solid sails? One of the most interesting chapters of the book is The Science of Sails; how indeed can a flimsy curved surface propel a boat almost directly into the wind? It seems unfathomable but its true, and Whidden and Levitt walk the reader step by step through the various stages of, as they put it flying a flat plate, to a complete understanding of aerodynamic theory. They then take this theory and explain how it translates into designing and engineering sails. There is significant ink given to 3DL and 3Di sailmaking and for good reason. Building membrane sails on a full size mold completely revolutionized the industry, and these days its not only the racers that want this kind of technology, increasingly cruisers are also seeking it out. By being able to precisely lay fibers along the anticipated load lines in a sail meant that sails could be built lighter and stronger for the same stretch resistance. Incorporating exotic fibers such as carbon and vectran into sailmaking further advanced things and now blendingl"