14 Some of the Physics of Sailing
Fluid Mechanics of Lift and Buoyancy
Sailboats need to have buoyancy to float and generate lift forces from the wind on the sails to move forward. Underwater foils, typically a keel or centreboard and rudder also generate lift to provide essential directional control. Foiling boats also need lift to get the hull(s) out of the water for high speed, but for the moment we will concentrate on a more traditional monohull configuration.