I have been sailing for about a year, only coastal stuff and never above 30knots. I have often read about 'getting caught on a lee shore' and thought this applied more to the old square riggers than todays
rigs. That was until I read a description of the Beaufort scale (albeit a modern revised version) the other day where it states that in winds of force 7 and above (32 knots and over) sailing to windward becomes impossible.
Is this correct ? Can yachts still get caught out on a lee shore because they cannot claw their way off because of the headwind ?