Pointing straight into the wind long enough to figure out its direction is slow. For any time when I'm in enough of a hurry to care about the true direction I'll stick to the method of averaging compass headings on opposing tacks, or just read it from my wind indicator linked to GPS to do the calculations.
At the risk of wandering off topic in self-defense, the OP's question was whether it was worth repairing a disconnected electronic wind sensor vs just using a windex. Pretty sure my response was still on topic, stating that I prefer the electronic sensor but that there are alternatives.
Wow, an ASA instructor? Are you kidding? Do you think that true wind must be expressed as a "true" compass heading? Dude.... you can express true wind in any medium you want that makes it separate from apparent wind. Magnetic, True, compass pts., even magnetic relative bearings to the boat's centerline..... such as you see in Polar charts.
No, it isn't. Forgive me, but the above is a totally wrong statement. The boat is sailing on a beam reach when its Windex points normal (90% relative) to the vessel's heading (i.e., abeam). That's it. Not harder than that. Also, if the wind (across the race course as you say) is arriving from the west it is arriving from a direction of 270 deg T-- and that is the True Wind direction. However, referencing the compass one might report that the true wind is bearing from 256 deg M, etc, but it would still be arriving from 270 deg TRUE.
Right... but you can say it anyway you like.... as long as you specify that it is true. True wind is 270t, or true wind direction is 354m .... or you can say we're sailing on a course on 180m, true wind is 270m, relative bearing on true wind is 90 deg, we're on a starboard beam reach. See how easy that is.
This statement is presented before the apparent wind discussion later in the chapter. Nowhere is it stated or implied that apparent wind defines the concept of points of sail... the geometric relationship between wind and boat. or the boat's course compared to true wind direction.
Note: he's talking about the boat's angle to true wind direction, not the wind the boat is sailing in (apparent).
In most every introduction to sailing course ever written, filmed, or taped... the concept of Points of Sail is introduced BEFORE the concept of apparent wind. So when they say "wind direction, how the wind hits the boat, the direction the wind is coming from, where is the wind, this arrow depicts the wind" any phrase like this at all.... they are talking about the actual, or true, wind direction as it comes across the water and strikes your boat, whether it is standing still or moving. At this point in the instruction, the wind is just the wind.... there is no mention of true vs. apparent wind, because the concept has not even been introduced yet.... that always appears later in the lesson.... So... since the points of sail concept is established before the idea of apparent wind is introduced.... does it make any sense to abruptly redefine the points of sail in terms of apparent wind .... try to explain THAT to your confused students and sound like you know what you're talking about.
Yes, it does make sense and here is how you do it. Students are given the POS diagram to study. Sail trim is introduced at the same time with respect to the Points of Sail. Next, a model boat (with a big Windex atop the mast) is set up in the room along with a fan for demonstration. The fan is turned on and the boat is rotated through the POS positions relative to the fixed fan (which represents in your explanation the "true" wind). Students learn what POS the boat is on by referring to the Windex (which is pointing TOWARD THE WIND) relative to the long axis of the boat, etc. Later, students are taken out in a boat and we sail. The exercise is to apply the POS concept on the water. I ask them to bring the boat respectively to close-hauled, close reach, beam reach, broad reach, DDW, etc., and to hold that POS for several minutes BY REFERRING TO THE WINDEX (which is what they saw in the classroom demonstration). Later that day or the next, we go back to the classroom and I explain to them the difference between the wind's angle when blowing over a static object versus one in motion, etc. Students have enough experience doing stuff (like bike riding) to know that a moving object creates its own wind, etc. It is THEN that you introduce the concept of the APPARENT WIND and explain to them how the combination of the true wind direction and boat's speed and heading create the apparent wind angle that the WINDEX responds to, etc. Thus, on the water the POS is the boat's heading relative to the apparent wind.
Actually a windex is all we need for now. The Admiral is usually at the helm and I man the sheets. I tell her to go "that" direction and just keep the arrow from the dead zone. I trim the sails somewhere in-between max speed and over heeling and we're good. I am not a racer but as we know, if there are sailboats close together then there is a race We must be doing something right since I have never been overtaken yet.
Funny but true! The "race" only ends when I am out front, if the other boat is overtaking or ahead, we were just sailingI I am not a racer but as we know, if there are sailboats close together then there is a race
Well, that explains your confusion alright. You have left out a major point with your table top model discussion... The model is NOT moving. If you simple said "the point of sail is determined by the geometric position of the BOAT to the wind direction" and then said "the sails are initially set to reflect the boat's position, or point of sail" The student would be correctly informed. No... it is your curriculum that is the culprit here... not Gary Jobsen and John Rousmaniere. Your mis applied logic cannot change the course of sailing history and tradition. Your ASA version of determining points of sail is an ill conceived shortcut... mixing apples with oranges, if you will.
If we say that the POS of the boat is beam reaching (True wind abeam), but the sails are sheeted in hard (presumably) and with the apparent wind in your face looking forward, then the basic POS instructional diagram we've been discussing which also shows (defines) sail trim as a function of POS ultimately breaks down.
No that's not what I'm saying. But we are closer to agreement than you might think.
