The skipper asks you to name this point of sail for the logbook. What is it?
- Broad reach
- Beam reach
- Run
- Close reach
Show the answer
A. Broad reach
With the wind about 135° off the bow, over the quarter, you are on a broad reach.
Points of sail & sail handling
A sailing boat is driven by the angle between her sails and the wind. Know the points of sail and what each line does to a sail, and you can trim, tack and gybe on the skipper's word.
Your course against the wind
How close to the wind can a sailing boat sail?
To about 45° off it: that far either side of the wind lies the no-go zone, where the sails flap and the boat stops. Close-hauled, on the edge of the zone, is as close as you can sail.
No boat sails straight into the wind. About 45° either side of it lies the no-go zone: point the bow there and the sails flap and the boat stops. Every other course has a name, from close-hauled on the edge of the zone to a run with the wind astern.
Close-hauledabout 45° off the wind
Beam reachwind on the beam
Broad reachwind over the quarter
Runwind astern, main right out
All four boats have the wind on their port side: they are on port tack.
To reach a harbour dead upwind you beat: close-hauled on one tack, then on the other, in a zigzag. On a dead run the mainsail hides the genoa from the wind and it collapses: set it on the opposite side, goose-winged, or head up a little.
Ease until it flaps, then sheet in
How do I know if a sail is trimmed right?
Ease the sheet until the luff starts to flutter, then pull in just enough to stop it: a sail works best just short of flapping. On the genoa, both tell-tales should stream aft.
A sheet pulls a sail in or lets it out. The mainsheet sets the angle of the boom; the genoa has a sheet on each side. To sheet in is to pull, to ease is to let out under control.
The luff is the front edge of a sail, and the first part to flap.
A sail works best just short of flapping. Ease the sheet until the luff starts to flutter, then pull in just enough to stop it. The tell-tales, streamers on each side of the genoa's luff, show it more finely: both should stream aft.
| What you see | What it means | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Windward tell-tale lifting | Sail eased too far | Sheet in a little |
| Leeward tell-tale lifting | Sail in too hard, stalled | Ease a little |
Wind makes the boat heel. In a gust, ease the mainsheet to spill wind and bring her upright, then sheet in again as the gust passes. That is playing the main.
The wind you feel on a moving boat
Why does the wind feel weaker when the boat bears away downwind?
Because your sails feel the apparent wind, the true wind mixed with the wind of your own speed. Downwind your speed is taken off it: at 7 knots in 15 knots of true wind you feel only 8.
The true wind is what a flag ashore feels. On a moving boat it mixes with the wind of your own speed: motor at 6 knots through a flat calm and you feel 6 knots from dead ahead. The mixture is the apparent wind: the one your sails and instruments feel.
| Course | Apparent wind |
|---|---|
| Close-hauled | Stronger than the true wind, and further forward |
| Beam reach | Forward of the beam: the instrument may read 60° |
| Broad reach, run | Lighter than the true wind: your speed is taken off it |
So when the boat bears away from close-hauled to a broad reach, the wind on deck drops and moves aft, though the true wind is the same. Dead downwind at 7 knots in 15 of true wind you feel only 8.
The bow goes through the wind
When do I let go of the old genoa sheet during a tack?
As the bow passes through the wind, on "Lee-oh", and not before. Let it go too early and the genoa stops driving before the turn has begun: the boat slows and may stop head to wind, in irons.
A tack turns the bow through the wind, from close-hauled on one side to close-hauled on the other. The genoa crosses the boat: one crew lets go the old sheet, another pulls in the new one.
Beforeclose-hauled, starboard tack
Bow through the windold sheet off now
Afterclose-hauled, port tack
- "Ready about?" Check your sheet and winch, answer "Ready", and keep the old sheet on.
- "Lee-oh": the helm turns. As the bow passes through the wind, throw the old sheet off its winch.
- On the new sheet, pull in the slack fast by hand, then winch in the last, loaded part.
Let the old sheet go too early and the genoa stops driving before the turn has begun: the boat slows and may stop head to wind, in irons.
The stern goes through the wind
Why do you pull the boom in to the centre before a gybe?
Because in a gybe the sails stay full, and a boom left right out would sweep across the cockpit with the full force of the wind. Centre it on the mainsheet first, and keep your head down.
A gybe turns the stern through the wind, from a run on one tack to a run on the other. The sails stay full all the way, and a boom left right out would sweep across the cockpit with the full force of the wind. So you centre it first, and keep your head down.
Before: port tackboom and genoa to starboard
After: starboard tackboom and genoa to port
- "Ready to gybe?" On the mainsheet, pull the boom in to the centre of the boat.
- "Gybe-oh": the helm turns, and the boom crosses on a short sheet.
- Ease the mainsheet out smoothly on the new side.
- The genoa crosses too: the old sheet is let go and the other one takes the load.
Take the wind out of the sail first
Why does the mainsail have to be hoisted head to wind?
So that it hangs empty as it goes up. Ease the mainsheet before you pull the halyard, and if the sail fills halfway and the halyard goes heavy, ask the helm to bring the bow back into the wind.
The main goes up the mast on its halyard; the genoa rolls up round the forestay.
The mainsail is hoisted with the bow head to wind, so that it hangs empty. Ease the mainsheet before you pull the halyard: a tight sheet holds the boom down and the sail cannot go up. If the sail fills halfway and the halyard goes heavy, ask the helm to bring the bow back into the wind.
| Genoa | Furling line | Sheet |
|---|---|---|
| To unfurl | Ease out under control, with a turn round a winch | Pull |
| To furl | Pull | Ease, keeping a light tension |
A furling line let go runs wild and tangles on its drum. A sheet let fly while you furl leaves a loose roll and a flogging sail.
Practice questions
Questions from this topic, as the app asks them. Open one to see the answer.
Genoa tell-tales
- Close reach, helm on a steady course
- Windward tell-tale: lifting, spinning
- Leeward tell-tale: streaming aft
You are trimming the genoa and see this on the tell-tales. What do you do?
- Pull the sheet in a little
- Ease the sheet out a little
- Leave it: the trim is right
- Ease the genoa halyard a little
Show the answer
A. Pull the sheet in a little
A lifting windward tell-tale means the sail is eased too far: sheet in.
Motoring in a flat calm
- Boat speed 6 kn
- Wind instrument: 6 kn from dead ahead
- Sea glassy, flags ashore hanging limp
Why does the instrument show a breeze?
- It is apparent wind made by the boat's speed
- The current is dragging the air along
- A sea breeze is starting to blow
- The instrument needs calibrating
Show the answer
A. It is apparent wind made by the boat's speed
Moving through still air at 6 kn makes a 6 kn apparent wind from ahead.
In a tack you are on the new genoa sheet. As the genoa blows across, what do you do?
- Wait until the sail fills, then start winding
- Winch it in from the start, with all turns on
- Pull the slack in fast by hand, then winch the last part
- Wait until the old sheet has been coiled
Show the answer
C. Pull the slack in fast by hand, then winch the last part
Slack comes in fastest by hand before the sail fills; the winch takes the last, loaded part.
The helm gybes onto starboard tack. Which genoa sheet takes the load afterwards?
- The starboard sheet: it stays the working one
- The port sheet: the sails are now to port
- Both sheets equally until the next tack
- Neither: the genoa is furled for every gybe
Show the answer
B. The port sheet: the sails are now to port
In a gybe the sails cross to the other side, so the other sheet becomes the working sheet.
The skipper asks you to furl the genoa. What do you do with the furling line and the sheet?
- Pull the furling line; ease the sheet with some tension
- Pull the furling line; let the sheet fly free
- Pull the sheet; ease the furling line slowly
- Pull the genoa halyard; ease the sheet
Show the answer
A. Pull the furling line; ease the sheet with some tension
Light tension on the sheet rolls the sail up tightly and stops it flogging.
Practise it
All 20 questions of this topic are in the app: practice by topic with the reason after every answer, your mistakes brought back, and a timed mock exam. Free, no sign-up, in the browser or in Telegram.