Editing Point of sail (section)

== The points of sail ==
The recognized points of sail are judged relative to the true wind direction. The subcategories of these two situations include:
<!--Please do not add content about lift and drag to this simple introduction; it belongs in a more advanced discussion-->
* '''Into the wind''' where a sailing craft is pointed directly upwind in the middle of the '''no-go zone''', where sails cannot generate power.
* '''Close-hauled''' means a boat is sailing at the sharpest angle possible toward the wind without entering the no-go zone, where sailing isn't possible.
* '''Reaching''', including:
** '''Close reach''': between close-hauled and a beam reach.
** '''Beam reach''': the craft has the true wind at a right angle to its direction (on its beam).
** '''Broad reach''': the true wind is coming from behind, but not directly behind.
* '''Running downwind''' where a craft has the wind coming from directly behind.
{{center|
;A sailboat on three points of sail
The waves give an indication of the ''true wind'' direction. The flag gives an indication of ''apparent wind'' direction. True wind can also be indicated by a fixed wind indicator (flag, windsock, etc., not attached to the boat or any moving object).}}
<gallery mode="packed" widths="220">
File:Shrike-port-beam.jpg|Close-hauled
File:Shrike-reaching.jpg|Reaching
File:Shrike-running.jpg|Running downwind
</gallery>
=== Into the wind ===
[[File:Eissegler Hemmelsorfer See.jpg|thumb|Iceboats parked in irons with sails loose and not generating power, but flapping like a flag.]]
The range of directions into the wind, where a sailing craft cannot sail is called the [[:wiktionary:no-go zone|''no-go zone'']].<ref name="Complete">
{{cite book |last=Cunliffe |first=Tom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9b-gCwAAQBAJ&q=Sailing+no-go+zone&pg=PA46 |title=The Complete Day Skipper: Skippering with Confidence Right From the Start |date=2016 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=9781472924186 |edition=5 |pages=208}}</ref> A sailing craft cannot [[sailing|sail]] directly into the wind, nor on a [[Course (navigation)|course]] that is too close to the [[wind direction|direction]] from which the wind is blowing, because the sails cannot generate lift in this no-go zone. A craft passing through the no-go zone to change tacks from one side to the other, must maintain momentum until its sails can draw power on the other side. If it remains in the no-go zone, it will slow to a stop and be ''in irons''.<ref name="Jobson">{{cite book |last=Jobson |first=Gary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mKTrrP3wA-cC&q=Johnson,+Gary+(2008).+%22Sailing+Fundamentals%22 |title=Sailing Fundamentals |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=2008 |isbn=9781439136782 |location=New York |pages=72–75}}</ref> This is called ''missing stays''. To recover, that craft typically must return to its original tack and pick up sufficient speed to complete the maneuver.<ref>{{cite web |date=27 November 2012 |title=Sailing Terms You Need To Know |url=https://asa.com/news/2012/11/27/sailing-terms-you-can-use/ |access-date=19 April 2018 |website=asa.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Cunliffe |first=Tom |title=The Complete Yachtmaster |publisher=Adlard Coles Nautical |year=1994 |isbn=0-7136-3617-3 |location=London |pages=43, 45}}</ref> The span of the no-go zone depends on the efficiency of a sailing craft's [[sail]]s and its resistance to sideways motion in the water (using a keel or foils) on ice or on land, typically at an angle between 30 and 50 degrees from the wind.<ref name="Jobson" />

A  craft stopped in the no-go zone is said to be in irons. A [[Square rig|square-rigged]] vessel in irons by accident is [[:wiktionary:taken aback|''taken aback'']] with the sails blown against the mast<ref>{{cite web |date=30 June 2014 |title=Sailing the seas of nautical language - OxfordWords blog |url=http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2014/06/nautical-language/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706163955/http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2014/06/nautical-language/ |archive-date=July 6, 2014 |url-status=deviated |access-date=19 April 2018 |website=oxforddictionaries.com}}</ref> or [[:wiktionary:laid aback|''laid aback'']] if deliberate.<ref name="hnsa">{{cite book |url=https://www.hnsa.org/manuals-documents/age-of-sail/textbook-of-seamanship/working-to-windward/ |title=Text-Book of Seamanship |date=1891 |website=www.hnsa.org |publisher=Originally published by "SMITH & MCDOUGAL, ELECTROTYPERS"; digital copy posted by the Historic Naval Ships Association |chapter=WORKING TO WINDWARD}}</ref> In either case, the stopped vessel will be blown backwards, which with proper positioning of the rudder allows the vessel to point outside the no-go zone and resume forward motion, once the sails can draw power.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jobson |first=Gary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mKTrrP3wA-cC&dq=sailing+irons&pg=PA46 |title=Sailing Fundamentals |date=2008-09-08 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-4391-3678-2 |pages=46–48 |language=en}}</ref> Iceboats are often parked in irons with a brake applied to the ice to prevent motion. To commence sailing, the craft is guided to one side and boarded, once the sail can draw power.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=William |date=2009-10-05 |title=How Ice Sailing Works |url=https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/snow-sports/ice-sailing.htm |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=HowStuffWorks |language=en}}</ref>

=== Close-hauled ===

A sailing craft is said to be sailing close-hauled when its sails are trimmed in tightly and are acting ''substantially like a wing'', relying on lift to propel the craft forward on a course as close to the wind as the sail can provide lift. This point of sail lets the sailing craft travel upwind, diagonally to the wind direction.<ref name="Jobson" />  

The smaller the angle between the direction of the true wind and the course of the sailing craft, the higher the craft is said to ''point''. A craft that can point higher or sail faster upwind is said to be more ''weatherly''.<ref name="Jett">{{cite book |last=Jett |first=Stephen C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EgOUDgAAQBAJ&q=WEatherly+definition+sailing&pg=PA177 |title=Ancient Ocean Crossings: Reconsidering the Case for Contacts with the Pre-Columbian Americas |date=2017 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |isbn=9780817319397 |pages=528}}</ref> ''Pinching'' occurs as a craft's point of sail approaches the no-go zone and its speed falls off sharply.<ref name="Jobson" />

==== Sailing to windward ====
[[File:Course made good by tacking--square-rigged ship versus schooner.jpg|thumb|Beating upwind in a more- (blue) and less- (red) [[:wiktionary:weatherly|weatherly]] watercraft]]
In order to sail upwind, sailing craft must zig-zag across the direction of the oncoming wind, called [[Beating (sailing)|beating to windward]]. The higher that a vessel can point into the wind, the shorter its "course made good" to an upwind destination.<ref name="fastest">{{cite web |date=16 September 2020 |title=What Is The Fastest Point Of Sail? |url=https://dinghyracingtips.com/blog/what-is-the-fastest-point-of-sail/}}</ref> Beating upwind, a vessel alternates between having the wind come on the port and starboard sides (the port and starboard tack). Changing from one tack to the other, by steering through the wind direction, is called [[Tacking (sailing)|''tacking'']], or [[:wiktionary:go about|''going about'']].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kemp |first=Dixon |url=https://archive.org/details/amanualyachtand01kempgoog |title=A Manual of Yacht and Boat Sailing |date=1882 |publisher=H. Cox |pages=[https://archive.org/details/amanualyachtand01kempgoog/page/n115 97] |language=en |quote=fetch.}}</ref>

=== Reaching ===
A craft sailing with the true wind on its side (within limits) is ''reaching''.<ref name="Jobson" /> Wind is flowing over the surface of the sail, creating lift (like a wing) to propel the craft. Because lift is more powerful than drag on this point of sail, sailing craft achieve their highest speeds on a reach.<ref name="fastest" /> A variety of [[High-performance sailing|high-performance sailing craft]] sail fastest on a broad reach with the sails close-hauled at speeds several times the true windspeed. Depending on the angle of the true wind with respect to the course sailed, a reach may be ''close'', ''beam'', or ''broad'', as follows:

* A '''close reach''' is a course closer to the true wind (more upwindwards) than a beam reach, but below close-hauled; i.e., any angle between a beam reach and close-hauled. The sails are trimmed in (hauled towards the centreline of the hull), but not as tightly as for a close-hauled course.

* A '''beam reach''' is when the true wind is at a right angle to the direction of motion (so called because the wind is parallel to the cross-hull beams, if any; see [[:wiktionary:beam#Noun|beam]]).

* A '''broad reach''' is when the wind is coming from behind the sailing craft at an angle. This represents a range of wind angles, between a beam reach and running downwind (see next paragraph). On a sailboat (but not an iceboat) the sails are eased out away from the sailing craft, but not as much as on a downwind run. If the sailcraft points any further downwind, the sails cease acting substantially like a wing.

=== Running downwind ===
{{redirect|Dead run|other uses|Dead run (disambiguation)}}

Sailing with the wind or ''running before the wind'', the sails generate power primarily through drag (like a parachute) with the true wind directly from behind the sailing craft.<ref name = Jobson/> A sailing craft running more downwind than a broad reach cannot attain a speed faster than the true wind. 

However, higher-performance sailing craft achieve a higher [[velocity made good]] downwind, by sailing on whatever broad reach is most efficient on that particular craft, and jibing as needed. The longer course is offset by the faster speed. For instance, if a vessel sails alternately in the directions 45° from the downwind direction, it will sail {{radic|2}} (≈1.4) times farther than it would if it sailed dead downwind. However, as long as it can sail faster than 1.4 times its dead downwind speed, the indirect route will allow it to arrive at a chosen point sooner.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VfaADwAAQBAJ&q=sailing+catamaran+downwind&pg=PA50|title=Cruising Catamarans Made Easy: The Official Manual For The ASA Cruising Catamaran Course (ASA 114)|last1=Batchelor|first1=Andy|last2=Frailey|first2=Lisa B.|date=2016|publisher=American Sailing Association|isbn=9780982102541|pages=50|language=en}}</ref>

Craft running downwind increase power from the sails by increasing total area presented to the following wind, sometimes by putting out sails that adapt well to the purpose, such as a [[spinnaker]] on a fore-and-aft rigged vessel. Another technique is to place the jib to windward (opposite to the main sail)—called  "wing on wing" or one of several other terms—for a fore-and-aft vessel going dead downwind.<ref name="Jobson"/> In light winds, certain square-rigged vessels may set [[studding sail]]s, sails that extend outwards from the [[yardarm]]s, to create a larger sail area for points of sail, ranging from downwind to a close reach.<ref name="king424">{{cite book|last1=King|first1=Dean|title=A Sea of Words|date=2000|publisher=Henry Holt|isbn=978-0-8050-6615-9|page=424|edition=3}}</ref><ref name="Luce">{{cite book|last1= Luce |first1=Stephen Bleecker|title=Seamanship, Compiled from Various Authorities, and Illustrated with Numerous Original and Select Designs, for the Use of the United States Naval Academy|date= 1868|publisher=D. van Nostrand|pages=190–472|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AJ5DAAAAIAAJ}}</ref>
{{center|
;Downwind
Sails for a fore-and-aft rig and a square rig in use downwind
}}
<gallery mode="packed" heights="220px">
File:Amante Choate 48 photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|[[Spinnaker]]
File:Training ship 1902 (cropped).jpg|[[Studding sail]]s
</gallery>