Points of sail: which courses to the wind there are when sailing

Points of sail name the angle between your course and the true wind. They are close-hauled (about 30 to 45 degrees, depending on the boat), close reach (about 45 to 70 degrees), beam reach (about 90 degrees), broad reach (about 120 to 150 degrees) and running (180 degrees). No boat sails directly into the wind (the no-go zone).

What are the points of sail at a glance?

The table shows all points of sail with their angle to the true wind. The boundaries are guidelines: how close to the wind a boat can point and where it is fastest depends on hull, keel, sails and trim.

There is no hard boundary between the points of sail. If you bear away further from a beam reach, you are sailing with the wind free and soon on a broad reach.

What is the no-go zone in sailing?

The no-go zone is the area on either side of the wind direction in which the sails only luff (flap) and the boat makes no headway. For cruising yachts it extends about 40 to 45 degrees to each side, for racing boats about 30 to 35 degrees.

You can only reach a destination in the no-go zone by beating: in a zigzag, tacking alternately onto starboard and port tack. The tacking angle between the two boards is twice the pointing angle, so around 80 to 90 degrees for a cruising yacht. Over the ground, leeway and current make it even larger. How to lay out the boards is explained in the guide Beating to windward.

What is an upwind course?

You are sailing upwind when the wind comes at an angle from ahead, about 30 to 70 degrees to the true wind. Close-hauled is the tightest angle your boat can hold while keeping its speed; the sails are then sheeted in hard.

Upwind the boat heels the most, waves and spray come from ahead, and the apparent wind is considerably stronger than the true wind. If you steer too high, the boat pinches: the headsail luffs along its leading edge and boat speed collapses. Bearing away a few degrees brings speed back, and you often make progress against the wind faster that way (better VMG).

What do beam reach, broad reach and running mean?

On a beam reach the wind comes exactly from the side (about 90 degrees), on a broad reach at an angle from astern (about 120 to 150 degrees) and when running directly from behind (180 degrees). With each of these points of sail you ease the sheets further.

A beam reach to a slightly broader reach is the fastest and most comfortable point of sail for most cruising yachts. A broad reach feels calm because the apparent wind gets weaker, even though the full wind is blowing out there. When running, the boat rolls, the headsail falls into the wind shadow of the mainsail, and even a small wind shift or steering error can send the boom slamming across uncontrolled (accidental gybe). That is why many cruising sailors prefer to sail on a broad reach, gybing in a zigzag, and secure the boom with a preventer.

What is the difference between tacking and gybing?

When tacking, the bow turns through the wind; when gybing, the stern does. Both manoeuvres change your tack, from starboard tack to port tack or the other way round.

Tacking is part of beating to windward and is the calmer manoeuvre: the sails luff briefly and fill on the other side. When gybing, the boom swings across the cockpit with the full force of the wind. Sheet the mainsail in beforehand and ease it out again afterwards. In strong wind a chicken gybe is safer: instead of gybing, you luff up, tack and bear away again on the new tack.

What do windward, leeward, luffing up and bearing away mean?

Windward is the side the wind comes from, leeward the side facing away from the wind. Luffing up means turning your course closer to the wind; bearing away means turning it away from the wind.

• When luffing up you sheet in, when bearing away you ease the sheets.
• On starboard tack the wind comes from starboard and the boom is to port; on port tack it is the other way round.
• Right of way under sail (COLREGs Rule 12): port tack gives way to starboard tack; on the same tack, the windward boat gives way.
• A coast to leeward (lee shore) is dangerous because wind and waves drive you onto it.

How do you tell the wind direction on board?

The quickest way is the masthead wind indicator or Windex and the telltales on the sails and shrouds. Both show the apparent wind, not the true wind.

You can see the true wind on the water: ripples and streaks of foam move with the wind, and the crests of the wind sea lie across it. Flags ashore and boats at anchor also help, as long as no current is turning them. The wind instruments measure the apparent wind (AWA, AWS) and calculate the true wind from it (TWA, TWS). The guide True and apparent wind explains the difference.

How does Sailseer help with the points of sail?

For each leg of a route Sailseer shows the point of sail with the true wind angle, the apparent wind and a sail choice based on gust and course. Boat speed comes from a polar diagram by wind angle and wind strength. If the next waypoint lies closer to the wind than your boat can point (adjustable from 30 to 70 degrees), the analysis lays out the tacks itself. In the Free sailing tab, the local weather gives the course ranges over ground for close-hauled, beam reach, broad reach and running for each part of the day. Plan a route on the map. For navigation, official charts and marine forecasts apply.