You can control the main sail by following the steps below.

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"How to Control the Sails on a Sailboat
Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer

The sails are a sailboat's engine. They provide power to the boat. There are usually two sails on a sailboat. The mainsail is the bigger sail. The jib is the smaller sail. You control the mainsail by operating a system of cables that run through pulleys.

Instructions

Step 1

Locate the cable that controls the mainsail on the back of the boat. This cable is the main sheet.

Step 2

Grasp the main sheet firmly with one hand.
3.
Step 3

Release the pressure from the cam cleat on the main sheet with your free hand.

Step 4

Pull the main sheet up out of the cam cleat. The cam cleat is the clamp that holds the main sheet steady.

Step 5

Adjust the tension of the main sheet. More slack allows the mainsail to loosen. Pulling the main sheet tighter will tighten the mainsail.

Step 6

Keep the tension steady in the main sheet by holding the line manually or cleating off using the cam cleats.

Step 7

Readjust the tension of the main sheet as needed so you can sail at the desired speed."

-end of quote
Source(s):
http://www.ehow.com/how_2212757_control-sails-sailboat.html

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