What is Sail?
[[Image:Freiheitu.jpg|thumb|Sailing boat]] A '''sail''' is a large piece of [[cloth]] on the top of some [[boat]]s. The [[wind]] goes around the sail and makes the boat move through the [[water]]. The piece that the sail is attached to is called a [[mast]]. Some boats have many sails, and some have only one. Usually, small boats have only one sail, and bigger boats have more. Boats with sails are called ''sailing boats''. There are many different names for different kinds of sailing boats with different kinds of sails. Before people made boats with [[engine]]s that used [[coal]] or [[oil]], sailing boats were an important way to travel across [[ocean]]s. Now they are not so important for transport, but they are still used for [[recreation]] and [[competition]]. ==Sail types== [[File:Sloop Example.svg|thumb|200px|Diagram of Sailboat, in this case a typical monohull sloop with a Bermuda or marconi rig.]] Modern sails can be classified into three main categories: * A '''mainsail''' is a sail located behind the main [[mast (sailing)|mast]] of a sailing vessel.<ref name=oct>{{cite book |last=Torrey |first=Owen C., Jr. |authorlink = |title =Sails |publisher =Palmer & Oliver |volume = |edition =Seamen's Bank for Savings |date =1965 |location =New York |pages =7–9 |isbn =}}</ref> * A '''headsail''' also known as the [[jib]] sail, is any sail set forward of the main mast. * A '''spinnaker''' or downwind sail (also termed Kite). Special-purpose sails are often a variation of the three main categories. * A '''staysail''' is a [[fore-and-aft rig]]ged sail whose [[luff (sail)|luff]] can be attached to a [[forestay]] running from a mast to the [[bowsprit]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cruisingworld.com/how/rig-staysail |title=Rig for a Staysail |author=Don Street |date=March 14, 2013 |website= |publisher=Cruising World |accessdate=December 29, 2016}}</ref> High-performance yachts, in particular some catamarans such as the [[International C-Class Catamaran]], have used or use rigid [[wing]] sails, which are said to per