CHAPTER 12 PAGE 40
Upwind Sailing
Upwind sailing requires careful coordination between sail trim and steering. You cannot always point the boat where you want to go. Tacking takes you from one edge of the No-Go Zone to the other as you zigzag your way to windward.
To sail upwind, steer as close to the edge of the No-Go Zone as possible. Trim the mainsail and jib in close, but not until they are board-flat. Te challenge falls to the helmsman to keep the sails on the edge of luffing by watching the trimtales and steering to keep the sails full even when the wind shiſts slightly back and forth. Tis is called sailing in the groove.
Finding the Groove Te groove is the narrow, close-hauled course just on the edge of the No-Go Zone.
High of the groove –too close to the wind–the sails luff and the boat slows.
Low of the groove–toward a close reach–you are sailing extra distance to get to your upwind destination.
Beating Upwind Trough a Series of Tacks A boat can’t sail straight upwind because of the No-Go Zone. To get to an upwind destination, sail close-hauled on one tack and then the other–back and forth in a zigzag–to work your way to windward. It is like turning leſt and right repeatedly on a grid of streets to move diagonally across town or like using switchbacks to bike or hike up a mountain. Tis is known as beating upwind.
Whether you are trying to go upwind or just sailing back and forth, tacking is a great skill to practice while getting a feel for steering and balancing a boat in different wind speeds and water conditions.
Sailing in the groove is an important skill to master. You can learn to feel the boat when it has good speed and is as close to the wind as possible.
Table of Contents WIND
Steer the boat to sail your planned route. Locate a point in the dis- tance to aim for, one that gives a clear path to steer and is more than 45° from the wind direction.
LOW SIDE OF GR
OOVE
HIGH SIDE OF GR
OOVE
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