Sails of Silver now sported the same line-up that had brought it to the height of its success, "Sails of Silver" has often been seen as embodying a different spirit from their classic albums of the 1970s. Prior to "Sails of Silver", the band had always performed songs written by other people, predominantly traditional songs, but also a few 20th century pieces, such as the two Brecht songs on "Storm Force Ten". But on this album they included several songs they had written themselves, including "Let Her Go Down" and "Senior Service". This was the beginning of a trend that continues down to
Forces on sails total aerodynamic force (F) on sails, which is a function of apparent wind velocity (V) and varies with point of sail. The forward driving force (F) component contributes to boat velocity (V), which is, itself, a determinant of apparent wind velocity. Absent lateral reactive forces to F from a keel (in water), a skate runner (on ice) or a wheel (on land), a craft would only be able to move downwind and the sail would not be able to develop lift. At a stable angle of heel (for a sailboat) and a steady speed, aerodynamic and hydrodynamic forces are in