The points of sail are the names for a boat’s heading relative to the wind: the no-go zone (where she can’t sail), close-hauled, close reach, beam reach, broad reach and run. Each one needs the sails set differently.
The angle between the direction a boat is heading and the direction the wind is coming from decides how fast she goes, how much she heels and how her sails should be set. The different angles are called the points of sail. Measured from the direction the wind is coming from, they are roughly:
- No-go zone, up to about 45 degrees either side of the wind. The boat can’t sail here: the sails flap and she stops.
- Close-hauled, about 45 degrees. As close to the wind as she will sail, with the sails pulled in tight. This is how you make progress upwind.
- Close reach, about 60 degrees. The sails eased a little.
- Beam reach, 90 degrees, with the wind straight over the side. The sails about halfway out. Usually the fastest point of sail.
- Broad reach, about 120 to 150 degrees, with the wind from behind the side. The sails well out.
- Run, 180 degrees, with the wind directly behind. The sails let right out.
The basic rule of trim follows from this: the further you turn away from the wind, the further you let the sails out; as you turn back towards it, you pull them in.
The points of sail are the same on either side of the wind. A boat with the wind coming over her starboard side is on starboard tack, with the boom out to port; with the wind over her port side she is on port tack. You need to know which tack you are on for the rules of the road.
Exact angles vary from boat to boat. A racing yacht might sail close-hauled at about 35 degrees to the true wind, and an older cruising boat might struggle to do better than 50. The beam reach is the best place to learn: the boat is fairly upright, easy to steer and forgiving if the sails aren’t set quite right.
More in the book: Chapter 4, Points of sail