Close-hauled means sailing as close to the wind as the boat will go, usually about 45 degrees to it, with the sails pulled in tight. It is the point of sail used to make progress upwind.
A boat is close-hauled when she is sailing just outside the edge of the no-go zone, as close to the wind as she can, with the sails pulled in tight. For most yachts that is about 45 degrees to the true wind. It is the only way to make progress towards the wind, by sailing close-hauled on one tack and then the other in a zigzag, called beating.
Close-hauled feels lively. The apparent wind is strongest, the boat heels the most, and spray may come over the bow. It feels fast, but a boat is usually quicker on a reach.
Because the sails are already pulled right in, you don’t trim them to follow the wind when close-hauled. You steer instead, using the telltales on the jib:
- Windward telltale lifting, or the front of the jib starting to flutter: you are too close to the wind. Bear away slightly.
- Leeward telltale drooping: you have turned too far away from the wind. Head up slightly.
- Both streaming: hold your course.
The wind shifts a few degrees all the time, so a good helmsman is making small corrections constantly. Keep tiller or wheel movements small and smooth.
Common mistakes close-hauled:
- Pinching: steering a little too close to the wind to save distance. The boat slows, slips sideways more, and gains nothing. Bear away a few degrees and let her pick up speed.
- Heeling too far. Past about 20 degrees on a typical yacht, she becomes slower and harder to steer. Ease the mainsheet or the traveller in the gusts, and reef if it keeps happening.
- Sailing too high and slow after a tack. Let the boat build speed on a slightly freer course, then come back up to close-hauled.
More in the book: Chapter 4, Points of sail