Sports: Sailing
[ Background | Equipment | Where ]
Background of the Sport
 Sailing uses the wind to power the boat's motion. It's not as much by pushing the sail (as is the case when sailing downwind) but by creating forward-pulling lift using airfoil-shaped sails (when sailing across or into the wind). The joy of sailing combines the joy of being on the water, the power you feel in harnessing natural forces, and with the thrill of going fast without significant energy on your part.
Sailing dates back to the ancient Phoenician traders, though the technology of sailboats has improved dramatically over the years. Innovations in the past 50 years include fibreglass hulls, metal masts and booms, synthetic sails, computer controlled laser cut and sewn sails, and computer aided design for boat hulls have made sail boats faster, safer, cheaper, and easier to maintain.
Small sailboats under 20 feet in length come in two main configurations: either single hull or multi-hull (like a catamaran). They typically have one mast, one mainsail (the big one), and a jib (the small triangular at the front, to direct the wind around the mainsail), and sometimes a spinnaker (the large round-shaped one for going downwind). Small boats are designed for a limited number of people to crew, with them either sitting in or around the cockpit (which may be a tightly stretched tarp between the catamaran hulls), or supported from a trapeze rig over the edge of the boat (in high winds). Smaller boats with centreboards include modles like Albacores and Lasers.
In coastal waters and in larger lakes, boats can get larger (with fixed keels), more sophisticated (and much more expensive), and can handle larger numbers of people. Some such boats even have multiple masts, and complex sail configurations. Such larger yachts are suitable for a sailing on open water for significant distances, and provide sleeping, kitchen, communications equipment, even entertainment facilities.
Equipment
 To go sailing, you'll need a boat, and lifejackets.
Where
With Fredericton being the navigational headwaters of the beautiful St. John River, more and more visitors from the lower St. John River and the United States arrive to the Capital via pleasure craft. The Regent St. Wharf is ideal for boaters who want to enjoy all that Downtown Fredericton has to offer. Many historic and cultural sites, unique specialty shops and restaurants are all within distance of the Wharf. Boaters will also find Jessie's Landing, a full service marina and the Fredericton Yacht Club, which provides visitor moorings. There is also a variety of free boat launches in the city, as well as canoe and kayak rentals.
There are a couple of places around Fredericton where you can launch or moor yourcraft:
- Regent St. Warf (Downtown Fredericton) full service with overnight moorage - (506) 458-8922.
- Jessie's Landing (4 km below the Princess Margaret Bridge on the northside of the St. John River) -
Full service marina - (506) 452-8404
- Fredericton Yacht Club (361 Lincoln Rd., just below the Princess Margaret Bridge) for members & visitors (506) 453-2601
- Carleton Park Boat Launch, Union St. (Fredericton North)
- Morell Park Boat Launch, Waterloo Row (Small craft only)
- Fredericton Small Craft Aquatic Centre (Woodstock Road-behind Victoria Health Centre)
Municipal centre for rowing, canoeing and windsurfing. Open mid-May to late September/early October. (506) 460-2260.
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