Sailing into the wind is a sailing expression that refers to a sail boat's ability to move forward despite being headed into (or very nearly into) the wind. A sailboat cannot make headway by sailing directly into the wind (see "Discussion," below), so the point of sail into the wind is called "close hauled", and is 22° to the apparent wind.
Sailing into the wind is possible when the sail is angled in a slightly more forward direction than the sail force. In this aspect, the boat will move forward because the keel (centerline), of the boat acts to the water in as the sail acts to the wind. The heeling force of the sail is balanced by the force of the keel. This keeps the boat from moving in the direction of the sail force. Although total sail force is to the side when sailing into the wind, a proper angle of attack moves the boat forward.
Another way of stating this is as follows:
| “ | The farther the sail is angled from the centerline of the hull, the more the force points forward rather than to the side. Combine that slight adjustment in forward force with the opposition of water to air, and we have a boat shooting windward because it is now the course of least resistance. | ” |
Alternately, sailing in the direction from which the wind is coming is possible through sailing at forty five degree angles to the oncoming wind and alternating the direction of those angles. This is called "tacking." Although this method requires the boat to physically move farther to reach a given point, it is often the quickest way to move in a given direction overall.
Read more about Sailing Into The Wind: Discussion
Famous quotes containing the words sailing and/or wind:
“Come, cuddle your head on my shoulder, dear,
Your head like the golden-rod,
And we will go sailing away from here
To the beautiful land of Nod.”
—Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1855–1919)
“When the wind carries a cry which is meaningful to human ears, it is simpler to believe the wind shares with us some part of the emotion of Being than that the mysteries of a hurricane’s rising murmur reduce to no more than the random collision of insensate molecules.”
—Norman Mailer (b. 1923)