Draft (sailing)
Encyclopedia
In nautical parlance, the draft or draught of a sail
Sail
A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:...

 is a degree of curvature
Curvature
In mathematics, curvature refers to any of a number of loosely related concepts in different areas of geometry. Intuitively, curvature is the amount by which a geometric object deviates from being flat, or straight in the case of a line, but this is defined in different ways depending on the context...

 in a horizontal cross-section. Any sail experiences a force from the prevailing wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...

 just because it impedes the air's passage. A sail with draft also functions as an airfoil
Airfoil
An airfoil or aerofoil is the shape of a wing or blade or sail as seen in cross-section....

 when set at an angle slightly greater than the angle of the wind, producing lift which then propels.

The word "belly" is also used in reference to the draft of a sail (i.e. "More belly in the main sail.").
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