Tacking and Jibing...The Science to Turning a Sailboat - Part 1 - Tacking

To power boaters, sailing is something that we all try to stay away from. Those who sail say that once you go sail you will never go back to the "other side" of power. Sailing requires much more thinking and tactical maneuvering than power boating does. After all, every move that you make is dependent upon mother nature.

One think that always has confused me is turning a sail boat. If you turn too slowly you will stall out. If you turn too quickly, something bad could happen. The key to sailing is to keep everything as controlled as possible. Have you ever watched the America's Cup or any other big sailboat race? If you look closely and listen to what is happening on the boat, it could definitely be considered controlled chaos. When it comes time to turn the boat to stay on the course, it takes the entire crew to control the boat and make sure that it is back on its desired course as efficiently as possible. 

While under sail power, there are two terms used for turning. One term is used when sailing up wind (into the wind) and the other is used when sailing down wind (with the wind). 

Tacking: This is the term used when sailing into the wind. Like we learned earlier, we cannot sail directly into the wind. Therefore, if our destination is directly up wind, we must tack back and forth until we reach our destination. (Figure 1) Inside the idea of tacking, there are two types of tacks, a port tack and a starboard tack. A starboard tack is when the wind is hitting the sails from the starboard side, or the right side. A port tack is when the wind is hitting the sails from the port side, or the left side. (Figure 2)

When tacking, boat speed is important. If you are not moving fast enough you may stall too close to the wind and find yourself at the dreaded point of sail called "the irons." If you find yourself at this point of sail stop and think about how a boat will move in reverse. When a boat is "in irons" it will begin to move backwards. If you are backing up, which way will you turn the rudder to turn the boat in a desired direction? Using that mind set, use the wind to push you backwards (like you are in reverse at the dock) and turn the bow so that is is pointing in the new desired direction. (Figure 3)

Please excuse my lack of drawing skills. But I believe pictures is the best way to understand this concept, I know that is what helped me learn. 

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Be sure to tune in to see the other half of the science, jibing. Until then, may the winds always be in your favor!