History of Sailing
• Throughout history sailing has been instrumental in the development of
civilization. The earliest representation of a ship under sail appears on
an Egyptian vase from about 3500 BC.
• Vikings sailed to North America around 1000 years ago.
• Advances in sailing technology from the 15th century onward enabled
European explorers in Canada to make longer voyages into regions
with extreme weather and climatic conditions.
• Further improvements in sails and equipment allowed colonization of
America and Australia and world to trade to flourish in the 18th and19th
century.

Points of Sail
• The points of sail, sometimes
called sailing positions, relate to
the angle between a sailboat’s
heading, or course, and the
direction of the wind. There are
three basic courses:
 • beating (wind isfrom ahead)
 • reaching (wind isfrom the side)
 • running (wind isfrom astern)