How do I sail from one point to the other?

Davidasailor26 · Sep 9, 2023

Anytime your destination is more directly upwind than you can reach when close hauled you’ll need a set of tacks to get there. As a rule of thumb you’ll want to sail on the “longer tack” first - the one that points closer to the target. Just stay on a close hauled course with sails sheeted all the way in, watching your telltales to sail as high as possible. Tack at or before the “lay line” - the imaginary line to the target that you can sail along on a close hauled course. The best way to judge the lay line is just to look at when the target is directly on or just slightly behind your beam - 90 to 100 degrees off your current course. The simplest course is just to take one tack when you’re at the lay line. Beyond that you can optimize your course by doing things like tacking when you’re headed (if the wind direction is oscillating) so you’re always sailing on a lifted course.

As an example, if you’re trying to get to the red target in the below you’d sail something like the green course.

garymalmgren · Sep 9, 2023

Hi xavpil
Points of sail.

RE Is there a “rule of thumb” stating that when the wind is wind(s) angles are between “x” and “x” degrees, you stick to your heading in a straight line?

1. Sailing in a straight line. This is the ideal situation, but because of set, drift, wind and wave action your course will be a tangent of the line that you want to sail. You can point directly to a landmark or port that you are heading for, but the forces applying to your boat mean that you will have to compensate and not actually sail a straight line.

2, when the wind is wind(s) angles are between “x” and “x” degrees. Winds are fickle. They die, grow stronger and shift direction. You will have to adjust your course and sail settings (ie reef) to suite the wind conditions.
This is called sailing.

3, how do I use the wind when it’s not an obvious ideal wind - close haul, beam, etc…, or when it is an obvious tack route?
If you refer to the chart above you can see that you can sail almost around the compass except into the wind. If your destination is dead into the wind you have no choice but to stay put at anchor and wait for the wind to change or to beat / tack (uncomfortably) into the wind.

I highly recommend Kevin Boothby's videos. How to Sail Oceans.

gary

Tally Ho · Sep 9, 2023

Take plenty of fuel….

Greg

dlochner · Sep 9, 2023

The wind is not your only concern and it is the easiest to manage. In coastal and ocean sailing tides and currents are extremely important and on top of that timing is essential. Entering an inlet with wind opposing tide will make for a challenging or dangerous passage through the inlet.

For longer passages, over a few hours weather is also an issue, will there be wind shifts, in what direction and a building or dying breeze.

It might be best for you take a good course on navigation if you plan to sail distances. Simple errors can put you in a precarious position. Sailing from Florida to the Bahamas can be a fun day sail if planned correctly, or a night mare with you ending up dozens of miles off course.

Once you learn the basics, navigation is not all that difficult. However, it is best learned in a structured and organized manner rather haphazardly in a forum.

High Current · Sep 9, 2023

Practice tacking to fetch a buoy or landmark. You’ll get a feel for leeway, how tightly close-hauled you can be, etc.

If the target is directly abeam of you, you can sail 45 degrees to the wind, and you’re not making any leeway, then you can reach it. Also congratulations, your boat is really good at pointing. In practice you’ll usually go beyond 90 degrees.

Try to stay on each tack as long as is practical. Unless you enjoy or are practicing re-trimming the sails, it’s less work. You also lose less speed if you tack less often, which can be a big deal if you’re fighting the tide.

shemandr · Sep 9, 2023

Hopefully Xavpil has a compass that he can see from the helm. Compass is a very powerful instrument when trying to sail on the favored tack - and it is fun to do so.
You need to develop a sense of knowing what your compass course is at all times. Build a sense of awareness through practice - even when you are reaching back and forth.
When your are sailing upwind close hauled (That's sailing as close to the wind as you can without stalling your sails), you should note the compass course. Compare that to the compass heading to the "Mark," gained by sighting over the compass. That differential is how close you are sailing toward the mark.
Most compasses have lubber lines which give you a pretty good idea of what your course will be on the other tack by sighting over the line to the compass card. If that differential is larger than the differential for the Cours you are on, you are on the favored course. And, of Course, vice versa. This is not just a racing thing. When you are on the unfavored tack you are in a sense sailing away from the target.
As you develop compass awareness, you will see that while sailing an optimum upwind tack, the compass heading will change almost constantly. That's the result of wind oscillations, velocity shifts, waves, current etc. So if you compass course changes by 10 degrees so that you're heading further from the target (Delta has increased), that is a header. The good thing is that the other tack will be a lift. Your compass has just told you to tack.
Hope I didn't reverse anything!

Leeward Rail · Sep 9, 2023

dlochner said:
it is best learned in a structured and organized manner rather haphazardly in a forum.

I can't agree more.

@xavpil ...
This is beginner stuff.
Getting back to your marina, is the same as getting to another destination.
Tides, wind direction, etc.

Do yourself, your family, and every other boater on the water, a favour...go take classes. Based on this question you really have no business sailing a 42ft boat to the Carribbean yet.

dlochner · Sep 9, 2023

@xavpil is headed towards Florida, so he will be dealing with ocean inlets and currents. Conditions in these inlets can be treacherous. Haulout Inlet near Miami is one such example, it is not navigable by sailboats because of a low bridge, other similar inlets are constrained by bridges. The vide below shows what conditions can be like in the inlets.

David in Sandusky · Sep 9, 2023

Every boat has a different capability to sail into the wind. With a shoal draft keel, and jib sheet blocks on the toenail, the best my Lady Lillie can do is 60 degrees off the true wind. I can point higher, but when I do, the shoal keel allows more leeway, so the course made good is still 60 degrees off the wind.Most boats with deep keels and inboard sheet blocks can come within around 45 degrees of the true wind.

Over time, you will learn how close your boat can sail to the true wind, or the relative wind shown by a windex at the top of most masts. If the course to your destination is closer the the angle you can sail off the wind. you will need to tack. Or, if you steer a course toward you destination, and you cannot trim your sails to fill, or avoid luffing , then you will need to steer downwind until the sails fill, and begin tacking.

Given the poor pointing ability of our boat, I do not plan cruising destinations or daysails that require tacking. If I have no choice, then I motor sail into the wind (and waves) on our mainsail.

Joe · Sep 9, 2023

Perhaps the most important sailing concept is the differences between APPArent wind speed and direction, and TRUE wind speed and direction.
AWS AWD TWS TWD. When you're cruising around in your boat, trying to go faster or stay upright just as you describe in your day sailing experineces, you are relying on Apparent wind. Apparent wind is what you feel on the moving boat. It's what the wind indicator on the mast head is showing you. It's important because you trim your sails in reaction to apparent wind speed and direction.

But, when you want to sail a course.... either to a point on land, a fixed navigational or just a particular compass direction.... you use TRUE wind information. Which, is the wind that is felt when you are stationary. On land, or at anchor. for instance.

The points of sail diagram posted by Gary above describe the relationship of a sailboat on a specific course and the true wind direction.

The major concept is that the direction and speed of your boat, when combined with the true wind speed and direction will create the apparend wind cnditions. Each factor... boat speed and direction, true wind speed and direction, insteract with each other to affect the apparent wind speed and direction. Earlier I said that we trim our sails to apparent wind... so and change in the boat speed/direction and the true wind speed/direction will require some type of sail adjustment to maintain a particular compsss course..... or..... you can do like most beginners and casual daysailers do and simply turn the boat in reaction to the AWS/AWD changes.

Find yourself a decent sailing text... I recommend John Rousmanier's Annapolis Book of Seamanship.... and all this will be explained in the first few chapters.

Once you understand how the TRUE, APPARENT and BOAT speed and direction affect one another, you will be able to sail any course you choose, with confidence.

Here's a tip for finding the true wind direction... Sail close hauled on both port and starbord tack. Record your boat's compass course on each tack,
your true wind direction will be the average of the compass couress you've noted. Let's say you're close hauled on starboard on a course of 270 ,(which is due west), you tack over and are able to maintain close hauled on port at 0/360 (or due north).... then your approximated trjue wind dirction will be 215, or NW.... So.... how this helps.... keeping an eye on your compass you note that your starboard tack course on closed hauled has changed 5 degrees to 275. This means the wind direction is moving back.... allowing you to sail a higher course.. This is called a LIFT. If your compass course drops 5 degrees to 265, for instance, you are expeiience a "header" or "knock"..... pushing you away from you destination... telling you may want to tack over .... turning that header on starboard to a lift of port.

Okay... hope this hasn't been too confusing. Have fun. Good luck.

jssailem · Sep 9, 2023

All of what has been said is relevant to sailing from one point to the next.
Using what you have been doing, going where the wind takes you, what do you feel is working?

Are you thinking that you want

to sail the “shortest distance between two points”.
sail the most comfortable between two points even if that means it will take a bit longer
Navigate between two points that are not visible
sail between two points in the dark

There are many thoughts that go into all of this. Cruising I sail differently than if I am racing. For instance when I need to go in a direction that is towards the wind, instead of straining the sails in a close hauled condition trying to pinch the angle as tight as possible, I will ease the sails point off the wind 10-15º sail more quickly and with less heel. I keep my head out of the cockpit choosing a landmark in the distance as my target. This is like driving looking out at the highway rather than focusing on the map and speedometer while driving a car.

If this is open waters. Then you still need to keep your eyes out towards the horizon monitoring the sails, while checking on the compass occasionally to confirm what you see about you.

rgranger · Sep 9, 2023

Tally Ho said:
Take plenty of fuel….

Greg

How do I sail from one point to the other?

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SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John

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