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Beating to windward

17K views 61 replies 28 participants last post by  SchockT 
#1 ·
Can some sailboats point higher than others? I have heard that the Olympic class Star and Flying Dutchman sailboats can point higher (sail closer to the wind) than most other sailboats. I have also heard that catboats and catamarans usually do not point very well to windward.

Are these statements true? If so, is a boat’s pointing ability, or lack thereof, significant? (Is it a matter of just a degree or two, or ten to fifteen degrees?) Does good pointing ability mean good speed to windward, or are some boats faster to windward than others with only average pointing ability?

Can someone explain this to me?

Richard
 
#2 ·
If you spend a lot of time 'beating' to weather then pointing ability is quite important. But 'pointing' isn't the whole story.

Modern race boats can point quite high, they have optimized rigs and state-of-the-art underbody designs that resist leeway, and when properly handled are upwind rocket ships. Certainly there are designs that 'point' better than others, and the actual pointing ability as far as sails go is tied to deck hardware arrangement, rig tension and tuning, and the skill of the sailor among other things. But a boat that can, for example, keep the telltales flying at a close angle to the wind isn't necessarily getting to weather as effectively as one might think. If the underbody won't support that sailing angle the boat often suffers excessive leeway, negating the 'gain' of the the narrow angle. So the same boat may well get to weather more quickly by not sailing quite so 'high', reducing leeway, going faster, covering a bit more 'ground', but in essence would gain more weather distance sooner....

Fat, max beam-forward boats with no provision to sheet sails inboard will necessarily have a wide sheeting angle that will not permit 'pointing'.. whether that boat could be improved with deck arrangements is often debatable. Bluff/wide entry angles of the hull will suffer from wave action, slowing further, etc etc...

I'm no designer and I'm probably explaining this badly, but the simple answer to the question 'do some boats point better' is a resounding YES! ;)
 
#3 · (Edited)
... If so, is a boat's pointing ability, or lack thereof, significant?
It depends on the boat's use.

Most racing today is done on short windward-leeward, round-the-buoys courses which emphasize tactics, crew work and boat handling skills, so the shortest course is almost directly upwind half the distance and almost directly downwind half the other distance. Upwind ability is very important since velocity made good upwind will determine how the fleet places on half the distance of the course. Now that racing boats can plane downwind and achieve much greater speed downwind than upwind, however, a fast downwind boat can still overcome a slight disadvantage upwind.

Upwind ability is less important while cruising. Some cruising sailors eschew upwind sailing completely, "Gentlemen don't sail to weather", and will inevitably motor to windward in almost all conditions. If you cruise any significant amount, it is not unusual to go out on a perfect sailing day and see perfectly capable (and usually expensive) boats motoring upwind instead of sailing. (These are the same boats you see running dead downwind with the boom trimmed to the centerline of the boat and the roller-furling jib on the wrong side.) To these sailors, beating upwind is too uncomfortable, difficult, frustrating and slow. Beating upwind requires skill, perseverence, heeling, spray, pounding, trimming in the headsail, scary noises, and attendant discomfort. It is difficult to hold your cocktail upright and maintain a calm demeanor for your guests with your ascot perfectly tied while your boat is pounding into the waves at a 30 degree angle. Plus, your wife may not sleep with you for at least a week if you persist. Nevertheless, on a given desirable cruising course heading with wind from no predominant direction, if you care to sail, you will end up going to weather at least 1/4 of the time (= 90/360 degrees) and downwind 1/4 of the time. So, you will effectively spend half your time beating or running downwind.

Running downwind can be equally scary. Some sailors have balls and some don't. Those without should probably just give up, spare us all the embarrassment, and buy a trawler.

Almost all boats sail well while reaching. The greatest speed differences are achieved upwind or downwind.
 
#35 ·
I am a bit mystified by those who don't like to go to wind. It is definitely my favorite point of sail. My boat, like other S&S boats of its era, was designed to go to wind and when she settles into a groove, it is thrilling. But I can recall it wasn't quite as much fun when I had a much more tender boat that didn't point as high. And as to the original post, yes, pointing ability makes a big difference, racing or otherwise.
 
#4 ·
Can some sailboats point higher than others? I have heard that the Olympic class Star and Flying Dutchman sailboats can point higher (sail closer to the wind) than most other sailboats. I have also heard that catboats and catamarans usually do not point very well to windward.

Are these statements true? If so, is a boat's pointing ability, or lack thereof, significant? (Is it a matter of just a degree or two, or ten to fifteen degrees?) Does good pointing ability mean good speed to windward, or are some boats faster to windward than others with only average pointing ability?

Can someone explain this to me?

Richard
Yes it's true.

Usually, lack of pointing ability results in a lower VMG, which results in a longer travel time to your destination (whatever that may be), however in the case of multi-hull boats, they are often fast enough, that their sheer hull speed keeps their VMG high enough to compare or beat monohulls. True, they end up sailing a great number of actual miles, but they sail them faster, and so arrive at their destination sooner than your average, cruising monohull might.

That's sort of an apples-to-oranges comparison though. If you restrict the comparison to mono-vs-mono or multi-vs-multi, then yes- Loss of point can result in more miles sailed, and longer to arrive.

The importance of pointing ability is largely determined by YOU.If you race, then pointing ability is probably very important.
If you're a cruiser who places a priority on sailing vs. motoring, pointing ability will be important, because you want to arrive at your destination before your turn to skeletons.

If you're a day-sailor who's just farting around it's not a huge deal.
If you don't like the upwind motion, and prefer to motor, then it's not going to be important.

Pointing ability between boats can vary as much as 10 degrees. There are a LOT of factors that contribute to this. Design, sail condition, rig tune, etc.

Really, Faster's explaination was pretty good. I'm probably just re-hashing what he said.
 
#5 ·
You want to go to windward. Get a canting keel 20 feet deep with a load of depleted uranium on the bottom, plus a set of serious crisp paper sails which you replace every 6 months.

Dont care about going to windward. Get a fat bottomed bilge keeler with baggy sails.

Trust me you WILL notice a difference.
 
#6 ·
Hey,

I can add some real world numbers to this.

I crew on a well prepared early 80's C&C 34 with all sorts of go fast gear: deep keel, rod rigging, faired bottom that is kept clean, 2 blade folding prop, high tech laminated head sails, hydraulic backstay adjuster, crew of 4 or so sitting on the weather rail (in a good breeze), empty water tanks, no anchor on the foredeck, etc.

My own boat is a 1986 O'day 35 with shoal keel, 3 blade fixed prop, dacron sails (headsail is 4 years old), fixed backstay, dodger up all the time, 30lb anchor on the bow, full water tanks, no crew, etc.

The race boat sails at about 32 degrees apparent wind angle. My boat sails at about 40 degrees apparent wind angle.

I have been working to improve my pointing ability and by making changes to the boat I have improved the pointing by about 5 degrees. This year I am planning on changing the rigging and getting the forestay properly tensioned, and adding a new main. I might be able to sail a little higher but I can't trim the headsail in tighter without it hitting the shrouds.

Barry
 
#7 ·
ACC boats typically could point 30* to the true wind. Aparant wind was something like 20*. Actual tacking angles were 60* or less. That's a HUGE advantage to someone who tacks through a typical 90* tack. Do the trig and decide if it's that important.

 
#8 ·
I don't know much; but years ago I read how the racers/engineers pared back sizes and weights of stuff till it broke, then went back up one size.....
I figger it's better ta get there in one piece than get there FAST and chance breaking something!
Am I wrong?? ;)
 
#10 · (Edited)
I figger it's better ta get there in one piece than get there FAST and chance breaking something!
Am I wrong?? ;)
You are not "wrong" but its a puerile statement. Unless you make good boat speed to weather the leeway will push you backwards so you will never get to where you are going.... Unless, like old sailing ships your turn and go round the world.

Beating to weather in a cruising boat built poorly is hell to take cruising to weather. You don't make anywhere near a 90 degree tack. With waves slowing the boat, leeway, current, unusable gusts, a good cruising boat may be quite lucky to get 110 degrees. A poor boat 130 degrees.

When I say unusable gusts I mean because we are not hand steering we can't take advantage that a helmsman would of gusts, minor variations in direction "lifts" etc. a racing boat going well up wind is using them all. I spose too that every "knock" on a cruising boat on autopilot will slow the boat down more and for longer than hand steering.

In my idea of cruising I try to do the upwind bits in a block. I am not interested in sailing them in day hops, give me the bad stuff and lets get it over with.

Mark
 
#9 ·
Can some sailboats point higher than others? I have heard that the Olympic class Star and Flying Dutchman sailboats can point higher (sail closer to the wind) than most other sailboats. I have also heard that catboats and catamarans usually do not point very well to windward.

Are these statements true? If so, is a boat's pointing ability, or lack thereof, significant? (Is it a matter of just a degree or two, or ten to fifteen degrees?) Does good pointing ability mean good speed to windward, or are some boats faster to windward than others with only average pointing ability?

Can someone explain this to me?

Richard
It can vary by the design: some boats that look like tubs point just fine. Others that should be witches to weather are not. But as a general rule....

1. Long, narrow boats with fine entries point better than short, fat ones with bluff bows.

2. Deep hulls point better than flat-sectioned ones.

3. Boats with thin, blade-like appendages generate more lift (resisting leeway) than boats with long-chord keel & rudder.

4. Boats with inboard sheeting (usually fractional rig) point higher than boats with overlapping genoas.

5. Sloops point higher than ketches or yawls; cat(boat) rigs should (theoretically) point higher than sloops, but in practice turbulence behind the mast and lack of a slot effect cancels the benefits.

6. Slow boats point higher than fast boats; going too slow may cause leeway, tho.

7. Stiff boats point higher than tender boats.

Still. It's a package deal, and appearances may deceive. There are long, slender hulls betrayed by poor appendages or inefficient sailplans that don't point like they oughta (see Albin Vega). There are flat-sectioned beamy hulls like the Open60 that point quite high indeed: they ride on their hard chine, have incredibly good sails, deep narrow foils & ballast carried low, and maybe even daggerboards to increase lift. Tho chances are they will sail lower most of the time, just for the extra speed. But they CAN point high at need.

IOR boats are famous for good windward ability, yet they have outboard-sheeting genoas & moderate appendages. Just the ideal balance of righting moment, hull shape, and boat speed. OTOH, multis should point very high indeed (extreme L/B, high initial stability, blade jibs, powerful full-battened mains, etc), yet many struggle to achieve 45 degrees true. That's mostly because they are so fast, traveling up to 2x wind speed; they shift the apparent wind angle right onto the nose, so they have to crack off to keep the sails drawing. Odds are they'll still whup you to the weather mark, even tacking thru 100 degrees.;)

Finally, a given boat may see its pointing angles vary by 15 degrees due to conditions & the size of its 'groove.' Take our SJ21. Never the most weatherly craft (bluff entry, flat sections, swept keel, short waterline), there is a narrow window (8-11kts true) where that boat will tack thru 80 degrees, if you get the heel angle just so. Less wind, the foils stall and (being a light boat) boat speed is too high a percentage of wind speed, pushing apparent too far forward. More wind, the boat begins making leeway, chop knocks the bows off, and you need to ease sheets to prevent excess heeling. Narrowest groove of any boat I've ever sailed on: outside that ideal windspeed range, we are happy to tack thru 100 degrees & expect substantial leeway.

Etchells is a monster for pointing. Star, as you say, if you have crew that can droop-hike for two hours.:laugher Your Meter boats, even though their keels generally suck.
 
#11 ·
You're wrong if you're trying to win the America's Cup. If you're not in a very serious race, you're right.

Frankly, pointing ability is one of the most important factors in a boat to me, but that's because I love to beat upwind. I'd rather sail upwind than any other point of sailing, but that's purely personal preference. I just love the feel of a boat driving efficiently upwind.
 
#19 ·
Thank you to all who have replied. I had no idea! I had thought that, among "normal" boats, pointing was more a matter of sailor skill than rig and design. Apparently, some boats do if fact point better than others.

If that is true, then what are some of the better pointing boats? The Star, Beneteau First, and Etchells were mentioned above. For boats < 30 ft. LOA, can you think of some other boats that are known for being fast to windward? I, too, enjoy beating to windward (and unless I use the motor, I have to in order to get out of my harbor.)

Thanks again, Richard
 
#12 ·
Even in benign coastal cruising, there are times pointing a decent ability to point can be really nice. On a charter cat I spent a ton of time slowly tacking through a passage wide enough to sail through but narrow enough to channel the wind. She tacked through about 135 degrees, so to figure out where you were going next you basically did a shoulder check like changing lanes in a car. If we hadn't pushed each tack as close to land as we could, I think I'd still be there.

My beach cat does much better than that but it also makes much better speed and accelerates a lot faster on the new tack, so we can get closer to the true wind.

Neither cat comes near any monohull keelboat I've been on for pointing ability.
 
#13 ·
Delta,

It all depends on your objectives. I sailed on a boat that had a million dollars a year budget. The entire point for the owner was to win at any cost, so we did things on that boat that I would dream of on a cruising boat. I can't say the plan was wrong, it was just different.

For instance to jibe the spinnaker we disconnected the forestay then reattached it on the other side of the pole. It cost the boat a new mast every two years or so, but also allowed us to use a 65' spinnaker pole on a 70' boat. Average cost per year $100,000.

We tossed sails regularly as they 'wore out' (this meant more than 7 days sailing on them). Average cost per year $150,000.

We had three different keels that were swapped depending on the water depth the boat was sailing in. From the 17' deep off shore keel, to the 12' inshore keel. No idea what this cost.

All new lines at least once per year

New PBO rigging every year

Was this budget crazy? Maybe a little, but the owner had the money, and loved the game of it. So as long as we won, it didn't matter what we spent.
 
#17 ·
Delta,

It all depends on your objectives. I sailed on a boat that had a million dollars a year budget. The entire point for the owner was to win at any cost, so we did things on that boat that I would dream of on a cruising boat. I can't say the plan was wrong, it was just different.

For instance to jibe the spinnaker we disconnected the forestay then reattached it on the other side of the pole. It cost the boat a new mast every two years or so, but also allowed us to use a 65' spinnaker pole on a 70' boat. Average cost per year $100,000.

We tossed sails regularly as they 'wore out' (this meant more than 7 days sailing on them). Average cost per year $150,000.

We had three different keels that were swapped depending on the water depth the boat was sailing in. From the 17' deep off shore keel, to the 12' inshore keel. No idea what this cost.

All new lines at least once per year

New PBO rigging every year

Was this budget crazy? Maybe a little, but the owner had the money, and loved the game of it. So as long as we won, it didn't matter what we spent.
What boat? Name? Model?
 
#14 ·
There's a big difference in pointing ability between different designs. Knowing what your boat's best point of sail is makes it possible to figure the most efficient way to get from point A to point B when you are plotting a cruising route. Not only in racing over short distances, but over a long distance it can make a big difference. Looking at the polars for a particular design is helpful and can actually be plugged into some plotter software to calculate best headings.
 
#15 ·
Thanx for the education, fellas. I am slowly absorbing a lot of facts, data and lore. The engineering I leave to others ;)
My two lines; while not mutually exclusive, were not mean to be taken as chiding the racing crowd. Simply an recalled observation and notation of my own desires.

Mine is strictly a limited budget production. :D I don't envy those with deeper pockets or sumptious tastes in boats. I simply find it curious that the "racing" aspect of boats is usually presented; even in cruising threads. Granted...some *do* enjoy racing cruisers. Hell ! I usta drag race a Datsun pick-up! :D Run with whatcha brung! ;)

Would that there were such finite specs and formulae for cruising hulls. I suppose such subjectives as comfort and space/style are harder to quantify with specific data points and calculations? But why re-invent the wheel? Existing terms and recognized calc results are the language of all boats. Guess I'll need to learn ta read and comprehend more :D

Thanx,
Paul
 
#16 ·
Here in the Windwards, it seems one is ALWAYS beating. After the summer sitting in Grenada (to avoid hurricanes) in SE winds, just as everybody is beginning to sail north the winds shift to NE; slog, slog, slog. As one heads south for Grenada, the winds turn SE and it's slog, slog, slog once again. What can one do?
But the reality of all this in relation to pointing ability is more governed by sea conditions and current than a vessel's windward ability, I believe.
We all try not to end up far off the island we are heading for and have to motor up in the windless lee. Generally, the current is westward even when, following Don Street's theories, it should not be. Anyway, with the westwerly set of the current and adding seas of 4 to 8 feet (short, steep ones at that) that have a bit of fetch, (like the whole Atlantic Ocean) then squeezed between a couple of islands, I think we all are going to point about the same. Boat speed will vary, of course, but unless you are sailing something over 70 feet, Neptune will have more to say about your pointing ability than your boat's designer, down here.
 
#18 · (Edited)
On what regards coastal cruisers most just turn on the engine when they have to go dead upwind and when there is waves they let the main on and motorsail for a better wind angle.

There are very few that really like to beat against the wind. Its is slow, even if you go fast and many times uncomfortable and that's why most modern production cruisers are not optimized upwind sailing boats. The large majority of cruisers are coastal cruisers.

Even among production cruisers you can have remarkable differences and on the same model the depth of the keel is an important factor. The same boat with a 1.70m keel and with a 2.25m keel will go very differently against the wind. The quality of the sails and its condition is also important.

some have already given practical examples: ZZ4GTA had already gave an example of an extremely good pointing boat, the America cup monohulls, withapparent angles of 20º and and Actual tacking angles of 60º.

As Mark said on typical modern cruising boat the angles are most of the time around 110 degrees. A good one can do 100º and only a performance cruiser with very good pointing ability will make about 90º. There are many boats that will make more than 110º

Regarding cruising the difference of a boat capable of making around 90º and one capable of making 110º is a huge one, providing one really sails and don't just use the engine;)

The angles a boat can make will depend on the wind (more wind, closer you can get, till a point) and on the wave and sea condition. To get an idea you can get a look at an ORCI file. Here you have one of a very good performance cruiser, the First 40. These numbers are with optimal conditions, no waves, excellent sails and a very well sailed boat. These perfect speeds are very difficult to reach by a cruiser in normal conditions even if one can get close.

http://vtr.com/vtroceanico/images/CHI2755_Pura_Sangre.PDF

You can see that they point to each wind speed the best beat angle (true wind) that can go from 44º with 6K wind to 36.6º with 16K wind.

A Benetau Oceanis 393 (1.93 draft), in perfect conditions with racing sails can go from 46.5º with 6K wind till 40.6º with 16K wind.

http://www.cvpa.es/files/rating_banff_2012.pdf

That does not seem much but the First is more narrow, will knife better through the waves and in reality the results with be farther apart than the ones that consider flat water, specially in what concerns medium and high winds (bigger waves).

Also, even in flat water the speeds made good (the real speed considering a straight line against the wind and not the speed the boat is making over the water against the wind) are very different. With 6K wind The Benetau Oceanis 93 will be making 2.98K and the First 40 3.69K. With 16K wind the Oceanis is making 4.98K and the First 5.81.

As I have said that is in ideal conditions that we rarely find in reality (no waves) and as I have said with waves we will have a bigger difference in what regards to sail with 16K because there are normally waves with 16K wind.

Anyway that means that dead upwind in perfect conditions the Oceanis 393 will make with 6K wind 71.5nm in 24 hours and the First 40 88.6. With 16k wind and flat water the Oceanis will make 119.5nm and the First 139.2.

The Oceanis 393 is a well designed modern boat and even if there are some old boats that can have a better performance (specially with 16k wind) many will have a worse performance and in some the difference will be as big or bigger than the difference between the Oceanis and the First.

So you can get a idea about the subject in what concerns different boat performances upwind:).

....
 
#20 ·
Regarding American boats, J boats in general, specially the more sportive ones, the new C&C 101 for instance. As someone has said : look for performance cruisers, even older ones, with a fin keel, big draft, big B/D ratio and relatively narrow boats. Some older long keelers, narrow ones and well designed, can also be quite good. Generally most cruisers that are successful club racers, even old ones, are good upwind boats.
 
#21 ·
If you see only snatch blocks on the toerail for jib sheets, unless it's a very narrow boat your sheeting angles are going to be restrictive.. if on a similar boat you see deck or cabin-top tracks for jib cars, with easy to use adjustments then you're likely looking at a boat that will point better because it's able to create narrower sheeting angles for a finer luff entry angle, which will translate to higher pointing.

But, as mentioned, that's just part of the story.. sail condition, helmsmanship and the condition and shape/type of underbody is just as important.
 
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#22 ·
Would note until you can "throw up the hook" for good many of us cruise from and back to the same harbor as we are working stiffs. That usually means beating away from or back to a home port.You may go "down Maine" but sooner or later you have to beat it home. Even though I'm reaching a point in my life that will not be a concern windward ability was a major component in choosing my "last boat". Having a boat that doesn't pound and has a good VMG is important to my spouse. When she is happy life is good. Agree wth posters stating published polars can be quite misleading particularly in a seaway.
 
#23 ·
We lived and sailed for nearly 25 years at the end of a 25nm long coastal fiord. Daily inflow winds 20+ knots were 'normal' in summer, stronger outflow winds often occurred in winter. Either way you're beating coming or going.

We put a lot of stock in windward ability, and learned (and loved) to sail the weather. If you didn't you'd never have left home!
 
#30 ·
Bringing high performance mono and multihulls into the discussion is complicating the discussion because any boat that can break free of it's theoretical hull speed has to deal with significant swings in it's apparent wind angles when doing so. As the apparent portion of the total wind speed increases, the boat will be forced to bear off to maintain the minimum angle it can sail to. Have you ever noticed how high performance boats look like they are sailing close hauled even when they are actually sailing on a broad reach according to the true wind angle?

With regards to conventional displacement boats, there is a large element of helmsmanship involved in being able to point high. You have to understand your particular boat and how it's keel and sails work. For example, my old Hotfoot 20 had a deep draft, short cord keel. As a result of the short cord it stalled easily at slower speeds. If I tried to make the boat point before I got up to speed, well, it just wouldn't! When I learned to foot off and build up speed the boat suddenly was able to point. If I hit some waves I had to foot off to power through them, then go back to pointing. You have to be really active on the helm and trim in order to get the most point out of a boat.
 
#31 ·
Thank you all very much. This has turned out to be more complex than I suspected.

Can anyone comment on the Star (Olympic class) or Lightning cb sloop? I live in southern California and sail in the ocean. How do these do in ocean coastal waters? The Star is supposed to point well to windward. I don't know about the lightning.

Any comments?

Richard
 
#33 ·
Thank you all very much. This has turned out to be more complex than I suspected.

Can anyone comment on the Star (Olympic class) or Lightning cb sloop? I live in southern California and sail in the ocean. How do these do in ocean coastal waters? The Star is supposed to point well to windward. I don't know about the lightning.

Any comments?

Richard
I owned a couple of Lightnings. They are only good for relatively flat conditions and will pound in any kind of sea. If you want to "daysail" in any sort of waves, they would not be a good choice. A Lightning has almost a flat bottom and a hard chine. What you need for a more comfortable ride is a boat with a rounder chine and deeper bottom. ODay makes some nice little boats that might fit the bill. The Star is a great sailboat but is getting into the purely-for-racing category. It would be more difficult to trailer and is also not meant to be in any kind of sea conditions.
 
#32 ·
The Star is not a boat that many would choose for 'daysailing' - it's a race boat pure and simple with quite rigorous demands on the crew. The go to weather well but have far too complex rig and sail controls for the casual sailor, and the crew spends most of his time hiking with everything above the knee hanging over the side...The Lightning is a more conventional daysailer but they too can be tech'd/tricked out somewhat. Neither would likely be considered a good open water boat.
 
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#36 ·
CBinRI i'm with you, I love to go to weather. But let me tell you why some don't ( wife) It is wet with the spray coming back to you, its bumpy, the boat bucks, if the wind is cold it feels colder as you are now going into it with more speed. You feel like the boat is being pushed up hill, pitching ect. Why she likes off wind sailing more, it feels like you are being pulled to your destination less bucking/pitching it is less windy, more dry. So I can see it both ways. Maybe gentleman just don't like the feeling and us dogs revel in it. Who knows...

Brad
Lancer 36
 
#50 ·
Occasionally we have to put our preferences aside in favor of keeping our better halves happy. The wife has to be happy or we might have to find another hobby. And as I am usually behind the wheel (nice and dry) I understand that it is not necessarily the same for those on the rail.
 
#37 ·
Different strokes etc.... my wife would rather beat in 20+ knots than run downwind in 15... Which is OK, but unusual. It takes a while to talk her into flying the spinnaker, and once it's up after 7.0 knots we don't jibe, but she much prefers beating to windward.
 
#38 · (Edited)
My old boat, 50 year old design, a centerboard yawl, doesn't point very high. I knew that from reading long ago. And I have a friend with a J35. If we're sailing to windward together, he points higher :)

A couple years back with my college aged son and daughter as crew, we took our boat across the Gulf of Maine overnight(something we've done several times). This time, instead of just powering into the southerly breeze, I offered," Instead of motoring for 24 hours, what do you say we allow ourselves 36 or so, and just sail?" "Sure", all around. They love to sail rather than motor anytime.

Our forecast was south winds, our course,...south. To make a long story short(I appologize to anyone who's heard the long story), we made 3 tacks. Starboard, port, starboard. At times, we seemed so wide of a logical course, I didn't figure we'd finish under sail.

We used our WP for all the steering. Conditions ranged from 5kts on the nose, building to near 20 on the nose for the final tack, and a lot of water on the decks(we stayed dry and warm below or behind the dodger and spent little time behind the wheel).

We never attempted to point as high as the boat would allow, instead falling off to keep the boat on her feet, make it easy for the WP to steer(it did the whole way), and make it easy on us as far as how the boat handled the waves(my daughter, like her mom is prone to seasickness unless you make the boat sail, so they don't get sick;it can be done usually).

Leaving from Tenants Harbor area, we arrived at the Cape Cod Canal about 32 hours later. If I recall correctly, we covered about 180 nm on those 3 tacks. That was our fastest crossing, and most have been made under power on the shorter rhumb line.

I remember our tacking angle on the chartplotter, it was pretty pathetic. :) It was an amazing trip though, and our old boat goes to weather. I took this shot on the port tack into the setting sun that night
 
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