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The points of sailing (shown in Figure 3) are terms of general reference with the wind at different angles to the centerline of your sailboat. The purpose of this section is to provide a review of earlier instruction and an overview of the basic concepts. Starting with the No. 1 position, the boat is shown headed into the wind with the sail luffing as it would be when
at the mooring.
The boat in position No. 2 is sailing as close to the wind as possible, actually 45 degrees from the wind direction or axis. When sailing close-hauled (position No. 2) the sails are hauled into the stern corner of
the boat as far and as flat as possible and still have a draft (curve) enough to propel the boat. Since the sail luffs when the boat reaches 45 degrees from the wind’s axis, it is evident that there is a total angle of 90 degrees in which it is not possible to sail.
Trimming with a Sailing Boat for Sale
To reach a destination in this quadrant it is necessary to make a series of tacks with the wind first on one side of the boat then on the other, zigzagging at angles 45 degrees from the wind’s axis. This is called beating to windward and the boat is said to be close hauled or on the wind. The technique used in sailing to windward is to leave the sail trimmed in the same position over the corner of the stern and adjust the course of the boat to any variations in the wind’s direction while keeping the sail at the luffing point. The sail should be let out only if the boat tips excessively to leeward.
The boat in position No. 3 is reaching with the wind at right angles to the boat’s course. The point of sailing is a beam reach and is off-the-wind or sailing-free. The technique for sailing a course is to keep the boat on a straight course and adjust the sail until it is trimmed in just enough to keep it from luffing. Luffing will start at the section of the sail near the mast and it is this section that must be watched closely.
To check sail trim, let the sail out until it starts to luff, and then trim it in only enough to stop luffing. The sail is adjusted to variations in the wind’s direction and the course is kept steady. It should be noted that in the case of boat No. 2, sailing windward, close hauled, the course of the boat is altered with the variations in the wind’s direction while in the case of boat No. 3, on a reach, the trim of the sails is altered and the boat’s course held steady. In both instances, the luff of the sail near the mast is kept just at the luffing point.
Boat No. 4 is headed on a course 135 degrees away from the wind’s axis with the wind blowing over the stern quarter. This point of sailing is called broad reaching and may also be designated as off-the-wind, a term used to designate all courses not close hauled.
Position No. 5 shows the boat sailing directly before the wind. Since the wind’s axis corresponds with the centerline and course of the boat, the sail could be carried on either side. The maneuver of changing the sail from
one side to the other is called jibing (also gybing). Jibing is accomplished by moving the tiller away from the sail and trimming in the sail and then letting it run out quickly on the other side.
When the wind is blowing slightly over the same side that the sail is on, you are sailing by the lee. If sailed too much by the lee, the boat may accidentally jibe when the skipper does not expect it. Accidental jibes are our most frequent cause of swampings because the skipper is caught off balance and is on the wrong side of the boat.
Boat No. 6 having jibed, is shown broad-reaching, as was boat No. 4, but on the starboard tack. No. 7 boat is shown on the starboard tack and is on a beam reach corresponding to No 3. Boat No. 8 is shown on a close reach which is similar to the beam reach shown in position No. 3, but with sails almost close hauled. Tacking is the maneuver of turning the bow of the boat through the eye of the wind so the sail swings from one side to the other and is shown by the three positions, Nos. 8, 1, and 2.