sailboat zig zag

How To Sail Into the Wind (in 7 Simple Steps)

Sailing into the wind seems like Poseidon's magic, but once you learn how to set up your sails and hold the correct course, you can do it. This article explains the technique in 7 simple steps.

How to sail into the wind?

Make sure your sails are close-hauled and tight
Set your direction approximately 22 degrees from the direction of the apparent wind
If you sail left from the direction of the apparent wind, your front sail should be on the left side and vice versa
Your mainsail should be centered
You can not sail directly into the wind, as there is an approximately 44 degree 'no go' zone' - 22 degrees from each side of the wind direction
Because of that, if your destination is directly into the wind, zig-zag (tack) your way towards it, going 22 degrees left and then 22 degrees right
During this zig-zag maneuver, you need to simultaneously change the boat's course and switch the front sail from one side to another

If you’re unsure what it all means, don’t worry. I will explain all the technical terms in the steps below.

It really isn't all that difficult once you remember these few steps. Plus it is a fun way to sail: the boat leans elegantly, the wind blows against you and you feel like the king of the seas.

So let's go through the steps in a bit more detail and make sure that next time you are out sailing, you can go wherever you set your mind to. Because that's what sailing is about - the freedom to do whatever you want.

But soon I was proven wrong. Because when sailing into the wind, your sail doesn't work like a sheet that is simply pushed by the wind. Rather, it works like an airplane wing. That is why sails of boats going against the wind have approximately the shape of a wing - and that's what step 1 is all about - making sure the sails are tight and hold their form. No flapping around, no loose ropes.

The sails should also be close-hauled. Close-hauled means they are pointing almost straight back. Their direction is mostly determined by how you set them, not by the wind.

I have a confession to make - you can't sail directly into the wind. That's just physically impossible. At least until somebody comes up with some new revolutionary sail system.

But here is the good news - you can have the next best thing - sailing almost into the wind. Precisely 22 degrees left or right from the direction of the apparent wind. Once you cross this imaginary line and steer your boat closer into the direction of the wind, your sails will start to flap around, lose their form and your boat will slow down.

Plus the boat will start shaking as the sails flap, it will all get noisy, simply put, you want to stick to those 22 degrees.

Don't worry, you don't have to bring a pen and paper to the helm and measure everything. The little V on the top of your mast along with the arrow that points into the wind, that's your best friend in determining the right direction. The angle of the V is precisely these 22 degrees times two.

So if the tail of the moving arrow overlaps one of the legs of the V, you are hitting the sweet spot.

If the tail is inside of the V, you are headed too much into the wind.

If the tail is too much outside of the V, you are still moving, but you aren't sailing as much into the wind as your boat allows.

The correct position of your mainsail is pretty clear. Have it tightly set right in the middle.

But what about your headsail? Your headsail is your front sail. This is mostly a jib. Even if it is as close-hauled as possible, you still have two places to put it - the left side and the right one. So what to do?

Well, the answer is pretty easy. If your sailing direction is left of the wind direction, you put the sail on the left. If you are sailing on the right side of the wind direction, you put the sail on the right.

Not much else to explain here. The tricky part comes when you need to switch sides. But more on that later.

As mentioned, the mainsail should rest in the middle. While sailing upwind, you don't need to manipulate it at all. That is unless you need to reef it during a storm. The important thing is to have it firmly set in one place. No wiggle room like would be the case if the wind was in your back. Remember, you are not being pushed, you are using your sails like wings.

All that needs to be said was covered in the second step. As already said, you can't go directly into the wind and some 22 degrees from its left or right side.

By the way, this number 22 is not exactly set in stone. It differs slightly for different boats. Racers can go more into the wind whereas cruisers have to keep the angle wider.

But you can find out what your boat's angle is quite easily. Close haul your sails, make them tight and start turning into the wind. As long as they hold the wing-shaped form, all is well. As soon as they start to flap, your angle became too narrow. You've entered the no go zone.

So right before the flapping starts, that's the sweet spot.

Obviously we have to address the important question here. What if your destination lies somewhere in the no go zone? Let's say the marina you want to rest at for the night is exactly where the wind is coming from. Dead center.

Well, since 22 degrees is the closest we can get to the wind direction, that's what we will do. Head left of your destination, sail for a bit, then turn and head right of your destination. Then left again, then right again. Dance around the center line and eventually you will get to your spot. If it sounds a bit abstract, see the picture below. This is called tacking.

How often you turn is entirely up to you. Whether you decide to turn just once (the red line), making your passage wide but with less effort, or whether you turn every two minutes, making the passage narrow (the blue line), won't influence the total distance covered.

As portrayed in the picture, going all the way to the right corner, turning and going straight towards the finish, or turning every time you reach the end of a single field has no effect on how far your boat will have to go in total. You pass the same amount of chess fields.

But know that each turn slows your boat down a bit and it takes time before it gathers speed again. So as far as time and energy goes, better keep it simple.

This means that the route you take will mostly be dictated by how wide you can afford your passage to be. If you find yourself in a narrow channel, you will have to switch directions often, if on the other hand you have nothing but open seas ahead, you are in luck.

When planning your zig-zag route, keep in mind that the wind will make you drift. Your boat will not travel in a straight line ahead, it will be pushed by the wind wherever it will blow from. Even though you are travelling upwind, since you are going 22 degrees off the wind's course, the wind is still pushing you from one side.

This zig-zagging means you will have to change directions. Especially for beginners, this is a potentially challenging maneuver and oftentimes has to be done with at least two people.

The reason it is a bit tricky is that you have to change the boat's course and switch the front sail from one side to another simultaneously within the shortest time you can. Why the rush? You don't want to hesitate because, during the turn, the boat goes through the 'no go zone', the dead angle where it won't be propelled by the wind. You will rapidly start losing speed. So you want to make sure you are on the right course as soon as you can.

Also, in this dead angle, the sails will flap and you don't want to expose them to this much, especially if the winds are too rough.

The best way to go about this is to have one person at the helm and two more at winches. Once the helmsman starts changing the course, the winch holding the front sail on one side should be released and the front sail should be winched in onto the other side. There will be a lot of sail flapping, especially if it is windy, but don't worry and just keep winching the sail in until it is nice and tight again.

A Leaning Boat

Don't worry, no more steps. Just a quick heads up. If you travel upwind, your boat will lean to one side. The windier it is the more it will lean. This is completely normal. Don't correct the course just because the boat's belly starts peeking out of the waves. The wind itself can't tip the boat over. I won't go into the physics of why that is, just know you are safe.

But be sure to have all your cabinets closed and keep the number of things that can freely move around to a minimum. Many teacups have been broken like this. It is also nice to inform those onboard that the boat will lean, especially if they don't expect it.

Feel like a Poseidon

It is precisely the boat leaned to one side, oftentimes so much that you can touch the water while standing behind the helm, and the feeling of speed, that makes this type of sailing so fantastic. As both the wind and the waves will be coming towards you, the boat's speed will feel much higher than it is. This makes sailing exciting as you feel like you are flying through the waves.

As opposed to downwind sailing where you hardly feel any wind, since you are traveling with it.

Lift Explained (Ok, but how is all this possible?)

Right. I still haven't explained that. Well, as said in the beginning, you aren't being pushed by the wind, you are, as it were, being sucked into it. I know intuitively this makes little sense but if you bear with me through this little physics lesson, you'll understand it.

As mentioned, a tight sail on a boat going upwind has approximately the shape of an airplane wing. See the picture for illustration.

Because of this shape, the wind on the shorter side has to travel slightly slower speed than wind on the other side. This results in high pressure on one side and low pressure on the other. And as with anything, where there is low wind pressure, things are being sucked in. That's why the tight close-hauled sail is so important.

The reason why your boat doesn't just go sideways is your keel. It compensates for the suction by pushing the boat and the powers combined result in the boat going more or less forwards.

So there you go. The whole thing really is not that complicated. As with everything, go out there and practice a bit. The main things to get a feel for are keeping the correct angle so that you take advantage of the wind as much as possible and mastering the direction change. It is easier to practice in slower winds before you give it a full go.

What is the Ideal Wind Speed for Sailing?

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How A Boat Sails Upwind

By: Zeke Quezada, ASA Learn To Sail , Sailing Tips

A sailor’s life revolves around the wind. Its direction and its strength govern where he can sail, with what degree of difficulty or comfort, and how quickly. Naturally, the language of sailing reflects how sailors orient themselves and everything around them with reference to the wind.

Upwind and Downwind

The sailor’s world is roughly divided into two hemispheres: upwind and downwind. anywhere or anything in the direction from which the wind is blowing is upwind; anywhere or anything in the direction toward which it’s blowing is downwind.

When sailing, you trim the sails according to the wind direction relative to the boat. As you learn to sail, the all-important “points of sail” become second nature. When you are out on the water, you’ll be constantly aware of them as the wind changes and as your course changes. You will continually fine-tune the trim of your sails to suit the degree to which you are sailing upwind or downwind.

By understanding the points of sail and their implications on crew comfort and sail trim, the helmsman and the crew will be able to work together to move the boat efficiently to any destination they choose.

Sailing Close-hauled

You sail close-hauled on the very edge of the no-sail-zone — making your best speed toward a destination to windward. This involves a balancing act between boat speed and your course, or angle to the wind. For most boats, that angle is about 45 degrees to the true-wind direction, but it varies with the design of the boat, the shape of the sails (both their geometry and physical condition), and the strength of the wind.

If you attempt to sail a course above close-hauled, or closer to the wind, the sails will no longer deliver full power and the boat will slow down. Sailing a course below close-hauled (or footing off), would be faster but, if your destination is upwind, you would not be making as much progress toward it. Close-hauled is that happy confluence of speed and course that brings the boat upwind with maximum efficiency. Many sailors find close-hauled the most enjoyable point of sail. The wind (this is the apparent wind, remember) will feel the strongest in the crews faces, while the boat bounces along merrily over the waves (maybe sending a bit of spray-on deck) heeling more than on any other point of sail. All of this adds to the exhilaration and fun of sailing.

Start on a beam reach and head up about 45 degrees. Concurrently trim the jib sheet tightly (but not rock hard). Trim the mainsail to the point that its luff just stops bubbling. The boom will lie a little off centerline. experiment with small changes to the trim of both sails — it’s a fine art!

Steering is especially important when sailing close-hauled because with the sails pulled in tight there’s no more to trim in. The driver must be constantly adjusting course to any shifts of wind.

Telltales, short dark yarns or nylon strips streaming on the jib a foot or two back from the luff are an excellent closehauled steering aid.

Except in very light winds, when the boat is barely moving, the helmsman, whether using a tiller or a wheel, should always sit on the windward side for visibility and control. When you’re steering just a little too close to the wind, or pinching, the warning signs are obvious: The jib begins to luff at its leading edge, signaling your entry into the no-sail zone.

When you steer just slightly lower than your optimum close-hauled course, the sails will look full but you are no longer making your best speed to windward. Get in the groove! Concentrate on steering as close to the wind as possible without causing that small luff in the front of the jib with its associated loss of speed.

So now you’re in the groove, but don’t get too comfortable. You’re trying to get to windward, and there’s only one way to get there and that’s by a series of changes in course.

Tacking — Getting From Zig to Zag and Back

A sailboat cannot make any forward progress directly into the wind. When you tried to sail too close to the wind, the sails simply flapped and you lost headway. You may even have put the boat in irons. To reach a destination directly upwind, you have to sail a zigzag course. each leg of the zigzag will be approximately 45 degrees away from the direct line between your starting point and your destination. Think of climbing up a mountain on a trail with a series of switchbacks. This means at some point, you have to get from your zig course to your zag course, which is on the other side of the no-sail zone.

Tacking Defined

When you turn the boat so that its bow passes entirely through the wind — that is, through the no-sail zone — that’s called tacking. The word tack gets a bit of a workout here, just as you will when you tack the boat.

When the boat is sailing with the wind blowing on the starboard side, it’s on starboard tack, and when the wind is blowing on the port side, the moving sailboat is on port tack. To reach a destination directly toward the wind, you have to sail, using the steering skills you just learned, part of the way close-hauled on starboard tack and part of the way close-hauled on port tack. To bring the boat from close-hauled on starboard tack to close-hauled on port tack, you must pass through the no-sail zone — you have to tack.

Tack, Tacking, And Tacks

Where do the apparently multiple meanings of “tack” come from? An old-time square sail was supported along its top by a horizontal spar, or yard, and had control lines on the bottom two corners. When sailing closehauled, one of those corners was hauled forward and down, and was therefore the tack of the sail, and the other was hauled aft. If the wind was on the starboard side, the starboard corner was the tack — starboard tack. To go from sailing with the wind on the ship’s starboard side to sailing with it on the port side, the crew had to literally change tacks.

Of course, we also use the term coming about to mean tacking.

Sailing Upwind

The ability of a modern sailboat to sail close-hauled, sometimes even closer than 40 degrees to the wind’s direction, is due to the boat’s design and the shape of its sails and the forces they generate.

Lift, Drag, and Leeway

The net sum of the forces in play (sail, keel, and rudder) is the forward motion we enjoy. the wind blowing over the airfoil-shaped sails creates a forward force in the form of aerodynamic lift arising from the pressure difference between the windward and leeward sides of the sails. It also creates the sideways force that causes heeling and, even when the forces are in balance and the boat is steering “straight,” a small amount of leeway.

The hull and keel resist motion, both forward and sideways, because of their inherent drag, but once moving forward, the keel, because of the leeway, is at an angle to the water flow. In just the same way as the rudder generates lift when turned, the keel generates an additional forward force from its hydrodynamic lift.

When the forces are balanced, the boat sails in a straight line but with a few degrees of leeway. however, because of the frequent variations in the wind’s strength and the effect of waves on the hull and keel, this balance is hard to achieve simply with sail trim. the rudder provides the turning force that corrects for changes in the balance.

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How To Sail Against The Wind

Sailing against the wind, also known as "beating" or "tacking," can be challenging but it is an important skill for sailors to master.

Being able to sail against the wind means a sailor can sail their boat in most locations in the world.

To sail a sailboat against the wind:

Check the wind direction
Tack the boat
Use the tiller/steering
Adjust the sails continuously

Following these steps will allow a sailboat to sail windward.

1. Check The Wind Direction

The first step of sailing against the wind direction is the check the exact direction in which the wind is blowing.

To check the direction of the wind:

Use a wind indicator : Use a wind indicator like an anemometer to measure the exact wind direction
Check the onboard flag or sails : Look at the sails or flags onboard to get the exact wind direction
Check the weather forecast : Sailors can check the local weather forecast to get the exact direction the wind is blowing

Sailing against the wind requires a sailor to sail at an angle to the wind so a sailor will need to know the exact direction the wind is coming from to set this angle.

The benefits of checking the wind direction are it will inform the sailor of the exact wind direction so a tacking angle can be set and it will inform the sailor of the wind speed so they will know the force on the sails and keel.

2. Tack The Sailboat

The second step of sailing into the wind is to tack the sailboat, also known as "tacking".

Tacking is a sailing maneuver used to change the direction of a sailboat by turning the bow of the boat through the wind. This is also known as "coming about" or "beating."

When sailing, tacking is used to sail against the wind or to change the direction of the boat when sailing at an angle to the wind.

The tacking sailing maneuver means a sailboat will sail in a zig-zag direction against the wind rather than sailing at a 90-degree angle windward. The zig-zag direction change means the wind will alternate between blowing on the starboard side and blowing on the port side.

For example, if the wind is blowing from the north, tacking would mean sailing the sailboat in the direction between northeast and northwest rather than directly north.

To tack a sailboat:

Alert the crew : Alert the crew that you're about to tack the sailboat to prepare them to go to a close haul. Close hauled is a sailing term used to describe the point of sail where the boat is sailing as close to the wind as possible. This means that the boat is heading upwind with the sails trimmed in tight and the wind coming from the side of the boat
Tighten the mainsheet : Tightening the mainsheet is used to adjust the angle of the mainsail in relation to the wind. The mainsheet is the rope that controls the mainsail and it runs from the sail to the aft end of the boat
Adjust the angle of the sails : Adjust the angle of the sails until the sailboat is sailing at a 45-degree angle against the wind. Sailing at a 45-degree angle to the wind direction will allow the sailboat to sail close-hauled and help it to travel in the direction of the wind without being stopped by the wind forces

The keel of the sailboat will provide stability and prevent the sailboat from capsizing or being blown sideways by the wind. The keel is a heavy, vertical fin-like structure that extends down into the water from the bottom of the sailboat's hull.

As the sailboat moves against the wind through the water at a 45-degree angle, the keel acts as a counterbalance to the force of the wind on the sails, helping to keep the boat upright and on course.

3. Use The Tiller/Steering

The third step of sailing against the wind is to continuously use the tiller/steering on the sailboat. When sailing against the wind, the tiller or steering is an essential tool that the sailor uses to maintain the boat's course and angle to the wind.

Using the tiller/steering system when sailing against the wind will:

Keep the boat close-hauled : When sailing against the wind, the boat needs to be pointed as close to the wind as possible. This is known as close-hauled sailing. To achieve this, the sailor must use the tiller or steering to keep the boat pointed upwind which helps the boat maintain its course and speed at a 45-degree angle to the wind direction
Balance the boat : When sailing against the wind, the boat is heeled over to one side as the force of the wind pushes against the sails. The sailor should use the tiller or steering to balance the boat and prevent it from tipping over. This involves making small adjustments to the boat's angle and direction to maintain a stable and controlled sailing posture. The keel will also help with the balance of the boat in the wind
Maintain forward momentum : Sailing against the wind requires a delicate balance between pointing the boat upwind and maintaining forward momentum. The sailor should use the tiller or steering to maintain the boat's speed and ensure that it is moving steadily forward even when sailing directly into the wind. Getting the right balance between sailing in a zig-zag pattern and maintaining boat speed is crucial

With practice and experience, sailors can become skilled at using the tiller/steering to navigate against the wind and enjoy the unique challenges and rewards of sailing upwind.

When steering the boat against the wind, a sailor should avoid:

Turning the boat too slowly : When steering the boat against the wind, avoid turning too slowly when tacking as this can cause the sailboat to get caught in irons which can halt any progress when sailing against the wind
Oversteering : When steering the boat against the wind, avoid steering it too much (oversteering) as this can result in the sailboat not pointing at a 45-degree angle against the wind and instead have the point of sail close reach or broad reach which will halt progress when sailing against the wind
Tangling the jib sheet : Jib sheets might tangle with some fixtures on the fore deck and will need to be unwrapped. To prevent this from happening, close all fore deck hatches, keep some tension on both jib sheets before and during the tack and clear off any item that may snag the sheets

4. Adjust The Sails Continuously

The fourth step of sailing against the wind is to continuously adjust the sails as the sailboat progresses upwind.

To adjust the sails when sailing against the wind:

Trim the sails : To sail efficiently upwind, the sails need to be trimmed in tight. This means pulling the mainsail in close to the centerline of the boat and tightening the jib sail to bring it as close to the wind as possible. This will help the boat maintain its course and speed and reduce the amount of sideways drift.
Watch the telltales : The telltales are small strips of ribbon or yarn that are attached to the sails and help the sailor gauge the airflow across the sail. When sailing against the wind, the telltales on the jib sail should be flowing straight back indicating that the sail is at the proper angle to the wind. If the telltales are fluttering or streaming forward, the sail may need to be adjusted
Use the boom vang : The boom vang is a line that runs from the bottom of the mast to the boom and helps control the shape of the mainsail. When sailing upwind, the boom vang can be tightened to flatten the mainsail and reduce its draft. This can help the boat sail more efficiently and maintain forward momentum
Adjust the traveler : The traveler is a device that runs across the cockpit or deck and allows the mainsail to be adjusted from side to side. When sailing upwind, the traveler can be moved windward to help keep the boat on course and maintain a balanced sail plan

Overall, adjusting the sails when sailing against the wind is a delicate balance between maximizing efficiency and maintaining control.

With practice and experience, sailors can learn to adjust the sails to suit the prevailing wind conditions and sail upwind with confidence and skill.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are the most commonly asked questions about sailing against the wind.

How Long Does It Take To Learn How To Sail Against The Wind?

It will take a beginner sailor 3 to 5 attempts to properly sail a sailboat against the wind without any supervision. The timeframe of this is typically within 1 week of practicing 3 to 5 times. However, some sailors may take longer.

What Are The Forces When Sailing Against The Wind?

When sailing against the wind, there are four forces at play:

Wind Force : The wind is the primary force that is opposing the motion of the sailboat. As the boat sails into the wind, the wind exerts a force on the sails that resists the forward motion of the boat
Lift Force : The sails generate lift which is a force that propels the boat forward. When sailing against the wind, the lift force is reduced as the sails are not able to generate as much lift as when sailing with the wind
Resistance Force : As the boat moves through the water, it creates a resistance force which is the force that opposes the forward motion of the boat. This force is influenced by the shape of the hull, the size of the boat, and the speed of the boat
Friction Force : The friction between the water and the hull of the boat generates a force that opposes the forward motion of the boat. This force increases as the speed of the boat increases

When sailing against the wind, the opposing forces of wind and resistance become more dominant making it more difficult for the boat to move forward.

Sailors use the tacking technique which involves zigzagging back and forth across the wind to make progress against the wind. This allows the boat to use the lift force of the sails more effectively while minimizing the resistance force.

What Are The Benefits Of Sailing Against The Wind?

The benefits of sailing against the wind are:

Improved sailing skills : Sailing against the wind requires more skill and technique than sailing with the wind. It can be a great way to improve your sailing skills as you learn how to adjust the sails, steer the boat, and navigate more effectively
Access to more destinations : When sailing with the wind, a sailor's options for destinations may be limited by the wind direction. However, when sailing against the wind, a sailor can access more destinations that may have been previously out of reach
Greater control : Sailing against the wind requires more attention and focus but it gives a sailor greater control over the boat. A sailor can fine-tune the sails and the boat's position to optimize the speed and direction without issues or limitations
Challenge and adventure : Sailing against the wind can be a thrilling and adventurous experience. It requires mental and physical toughness and the satisfaction of successfully navigating against the wind can be very rewarding

Overall, while sailing against the wind may require more effort and skill, it can also provide a unique and exciting sailing experience with its own set of rewards.

What Are The Risks Of Sailing Against The Wind?

The risks of sailing against the wind are:

Increased risk of capsizing : When sailing against the wind, the boat may be more prone to capsizing due to the combination of wind and waves. The boat may be more difficult to control in these conditions and sailors will need to be prepared for any issues with the sailboat capsizing
Fatigue and physical strain : Sailing against the wind requires more physical effort and can be more tiring than sailing with the wind. This can lead to fatigue and physical strain which can affect a sailor's ability to navigate safely
Navigation challenges : Sailing against the wind may require more careful navigation and planning as sailor may need to navigate around obstacles and adjust their course more frequently. This can be challenging especially in unfamiliar waters or adverse weather conditions
Increased wear and tear on equipment : Sailing against the wind can be more taxing on the sailboat equipment as the sails and rigging are subject to greater stress, force, and strain. This can increase the risk of equipment failure or damage

To mitigate these risks, it is important to be prepared and to have the proper training and experience to handle sailing against the wind. This includes ensuring that the sailboat and equipment are in good condition, understanding the weather and navigation conditions, and taking appropriate safety precautions. It is also important to stay alert and attentive while sailing and to make adjustments as needed to ensure safe navigation.

What Should Be Avoided When Sailing Against The Wind?

When sailing against the wind, sailors should avoid:

Pinching : Pinching is a term used in sailing to describe the act of sailing too close to the wind. When sailing against the wind, the boat needs to sail at a 45-degree angle to the wind to maintain forward momentum and speed. Sailors should avoid pinching when sailing against the wind
Sailing in irons : Sailing in irons is when a sailboat is sailing directly against the wind. This will prevent the boat from moving forward against the wind and instead the sail angle will need to be adjusted to close haul to progress further
Turning too slowly or oversteering : When sailing upwind, avoid turning the sailboat too slow or oversteering it as this can affect the ability of the boat to travel against the wind effectively

My Cruiser Life Magazine

How to Sail Into the Wind – Tacking a Sailboat

One of the first sailing fundamentals you learn with you’re new to the world of sailing is the idea of sailing a boat into the wind. Sailboats can sail in the direction of the wind, but they do so by making a zig zag course made up of a series of maneuvers called tacks.

Why does a sailboat tack, what is a tack of a sail, what are the points of sail depending on the wind direction, what’s the difference between a port or starboard tack, what’s the difference between a tack and a jibe (gybe), how to tack a sailboat – step by step, how to tack in sailing kept simple, faqs (frequently asked questions).

Tack is a confusing word because it’s used in various ways on a sailboat. Depending on its usage, it can be either a noun or a verb.

First, as a noun, a tack is a maneuver that a sailboat makes when it turns in the direction of the wind blows. For example, a boat may be sailing on a port tack, with the wind coming from the left side of the boat. After the boat tacks—which in this case would be a turn to the left—the boat will be on a starboard tack, with the wind coming from the right-hand side.

As a verb, a skipper might yell, “Ready to tack!” to their crew to let them know that the boat is about to tack. An alternative command is “Ready about!”

Since a sailboat cannot sail directly into the wind, a boat makes a zig-zag course over the water to go in that direction. The zig-zag course is made up of a series of tacks.

The word “tack” has a second, entirely different definition on a sailboat, too. When discussing the parts of a sail, the tack is the lower rear corner of a triangular sail. So, the tack of a mainsail is the end attached at the back of the boom. The tack of a foresail, like a jib, is the one that you attach the jib sheets to.

The other two corners of sail are the head (at the top) and the clew (at the forward edge). The edges of sail are called the leech, luff, and foot. So more specifically, the tack is the corner where the leech and the foot meet.

Sailboats can sail in nearly any direction except directly into the wind. Each direction has a different name and is known as a point of sail .

Sailors measure their angle to the wind based on the apparent wind angle (AWA). The AWA is simply the number of degrees from the bow that the wind is located. If a boat is headed dead into the wind, the AWA is 0 degrees. If the boat is headed dead downwind, the AWA is 180 degrees. Neither of these directions is optimal, so normal sailing occurs between 45 and 160 degrees AWA.

Close Hauled — A boat that is as close to sailing upwind as it can is said to be “close-hauled.” In this scenario, the sails are tightly sheeted, and monohulls will be healed over. The AWA that a boat can sail depends on its design. Most boats cannot sail closer than 45 degrees to the wind. Colloquially sailors call sailing close-hauled “beating.”
Close Reaching — A bit “farther off the wind,” and the boat will be close reaching. This is usually between 60 and 90 degrees AWA.
Reaching — A boat is reaching when it is precisely 90 degrees AWA. This is actually the fastest point of sail for most boats.
Broad Reaching — If a boat is reaching, but the wind is behind the beam, it is on a broad reach. This occurs between 90 and 120 degrees AWA.
Running — When a boat is on a run, it is sailing downwind. In this situation, the sails act less like airplane wings generating lift and more like leaves blowing over the water.
Wing-on-Wing — Wing-on-wing is a sailing maneuver, not a point of sail. But it occurs when a boat is more or less sailing dead downwind (180 degrees AWA). When a boat is wing-on-wing, one sail is on a starboard tack, and the other is on a port tack.

How Does a Sailboat Sail Into the Wind?

Contrary to what many people think, modern sailboats can sail in the direction of the wind . In fact, they can sail in nearly every direction relative to the wind except one. But they cannot sail directly into the wind. So if the wind blowing on the water today is out of the direction of your desired course, you’ll have to tack back and forth to get there.

For the sail to work, it needs to have air pushing on one side of it. If the boat is pointed directly into the wind, the sails will flap like flags on a pole. When this happens, the boat is said to be “in irons” and will eventually come to a stop.

How close to the wind a boat can sail depends on its design. Racing sailboats can do the best and generally sail within 30 degrees of the wind. However, cruising boats usually fall somewhere in the 45 to 60-degree range due to their wider beams and shallower keels.

The boat’s direction is always described in terms of the wind for a sailor. As such, one of the most fundamental terms in sailing is which tack a sailboat might be on. A port tack describes a boat with the wind coming over the port railing, so the sails are on the boat’s starboard side. Conversely, a boat on a starboard tack has the wind over that rail and the sails on the port side.

Describing which tack a boat is on is vital in racing and right of way rules. Rule 12 of the COLREGs , the internationally agreed-upon rules that govern shipping, says that when two sailing vessels meet, the vessel on the starboard tack has the right of way.

If a tack has an opposite maneuver, it is likely a jibe, which is sometimes spelled “gybe.”

A jibe occurs when sailing downwind. For example, if a boat is running on a port tack and wants to switch to the opposite tack, they could go the long way around and tack through the wind, or they could sail through dead downwind. Passing dead downwind so that the sails switch is called a jibe.

Jibes are more dangerous maneuvers that tacks for a few reasons. A planned jibe that is well executed is perfectly safe, but the force of the boom passing over the boat can be significant. All crew should know that the jibe is occurring and duck down to avoid getting smacked by the boom.

An accidental jibe, which isn’t planned, can be catastrophic. The force of the boom crashing over the boat can be immense if the winds are strong. It can easily tear the sail, and brake lines or damage the boom or gooseneck fittings.

You should always take jibes slowly and carefully. The stronger the winds, the more careful you should be. When tacking, the crew’s attention is focused on the jib sheets, but in a jibe, the crew must pay close attention to the mainsail and boom. The jib will usually be blanketed by the wind and easy to control when sailing so deeply downwind, so the jib sheet will be easy to manage.

Anytime a jibe is imminent, be it purposeful or accidentally, the skipper shouts, “Jibe ho!” This is to let everyone know to be ready for the maneuver—or at least to get out of the way of the boom. In light wind, it is usually a nonevent, but care should be taken regardless.

How to tack a boat depends on the boat and how it’s set up. First, the boat is sailed close-hauled on the standard modern sloop with both sails sheeted in tight. With the mainsail brought in, it will be self-tending on its boom.

So besides turning the wheel, the crew needs to only worry about the jib. The crew will watch the jib as the skipper turns the boat and brings the helm about. When the sail begins to luff or flap, the crew will release the working sheet from its winch and start to bring in the lazy jib sheet on the other side of the boat.

The slacker you can take out of the line, the tighter the tack. Once the slack is out and the line secured on the drum, you can bring the sail in with the help of the winch handle.

The boat speed at which the crew works to switch the sheet depends greatly on the sort of sailing you’re doing. If it’s a solo skipping working alone with only the help of the sailboat autopilot , the emphasis is on making the tacking maneuver easy and safe. This means taking it slow and not rushing anything.

On the other hand, if the crew is prepping for a race, boat speed is of the essence. So they’ll want to pull off the tacking maneuver perfectly in sync. A sloppy tack means that the boat will slow down unnecessarily, and recovering from it may mean losing a little ground by sailing on a reach while the boat builds up boat speed again.

A good skipper will work out how to tack with their crew in advance. Tacking involves good communication and teamwork on a boat with more than one person. Cruising boats may care little if their tack is a little sloppy, but on a racing boat, a clean tack means no wasted time and competitive advantage.

How to tack sailing boats might sound complicated, but it isn’t. It’s one of the simplest maneuvers to do in the sailing world, and it’s safe to do it in most conditions. Basic sailboat training begins with tacks because it requires understanding how a boat sails into the wind and how to handle it in different situations.

What is a tack on a sailboat?

The word “tack” has a few meanings on a sailboat. The most common definition involves how a sailboat sails into the wind. A sailboat cannot steer directly into the wind and instead must follow a zig-zag course over the ground to make progress in that direction. To tack the sailboat is the action of turning its bow through the wind. This maneuver also called “a tack” (noun), is used to sail into the direction of the wind. Also, a sailboat can be on a port tack or starboard tack, depending on which side of the sails the wind is coming from. Finally, the tack of a sail is the bottom rear corner of a triangular sail.

What is the difference between a tack and a jibe?

Both a tack and jibe (sometimes spelled “gybe”) are used to describe maneuvers in which the boat is steered onto a new heading relative to the wind. In a tack, the boat is steered through the wind so that the wind is blowing from the opposite side of the boat. A jibe is done downwind but accomplishes the same thing. The boat is steered through a 180-degree apparent wind angle (AWA) during a jibe. The sails will switch in much the same way they do during a tack, but it is a very different maneuver.

What does tack mean for a ship?

A tack is a maneuver on a sailing ship where the ship’s bow is steered through the wind. After a ship tacks, the wind will be coming over the opposite rail. A ship’s sails will not work when pointed directly into the wind, so a ship must complete a series of tacks and make a zig-zag course over the ground to sail windward.

Matt has been boating around Florida for over 25 years in everything from small powerboats to large cruising catamarans. He currently lives aboard a 38-foot Cabo Rico sailboat with his wife Lucy and adventure dog Chelsea. Together, they cruise between winters in The Bahamas and summers in the Chesapeake Bay.

How To Sail Against The Wind

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

June 15, 2022

Efficiently being able to sail against the wind takes more practice and skill than any other sailing endeavor. Doing this well will enable you to sail anywhere.

Powered only by the wind, it seems intuitive that sailboats can easily travel with the wind behind them. However, when it is time to turn the other way and go home, it may seem impossible to sail home with the wind blowing straight against your boat.

Table of contents

But it is possible for this movement to become reversed because the sail of a moving sailboat is shaped like an airfoil like an airplane's wing.

When the air moves over the wing of a plane from the front and going backward, the wind that flows over the wing's top has to travel farther than the wind that flows beneath the bottom surface of the wing. This creates a difference in pressure to lift the airplane.

On sailboats, the wind that blows at an angle against the boat inflates the sail. It forms a foil shape similar to the airplane. It creates a pressure difference pushing the sail perpendicular to the direction of the wind.

Sailing Windward

The force from the foil shape of the sail is balanced and combined with other forces including the keep of the boat. The keel is the thin, long piece jutting down from the boat bottom.

From the water, the forces of drag simultaneous with wind pressure against the sail pushes the craft onwards. It moves at angles opposite the wind direction. in sailing terminology, this is called windward.

The keel is of particular importance because without its balance action. boats would drift simply downwind. Sailing windward won't work either if boats are directly pointed opposite the direction of the wind. Instead, the wind has to move against the boat at angles of about forty degrees for many sailboats.

When you angle your sailboat too sharply into the wind will cause the forces on the craft to become imbalanced. When this happens, the boat will then move sidewards into the water.

It is possible to sail against the wind when your sailboat's sail is slightly angled in a direction that is more forward than the force of the sail. The boat can then move forward in this aspect because the centerline or the keel of the boat does to the water what the sail is doing to the wind.

The sail's force keeps its balance by the keel's force. This keeps the boat from moving into the sail force's direction. A proper angle of attack moves the boat forward even if the total force of the sail is to the side when the boat sails into the wind.

In other words, when the sail is angled away from the hull's centerline, the more the force is pointing forward rather than pointing to the side. When you combine the forward force's slight adjustment with the water's opposition to the air, the boat can then shoot windward because you have found a way to sail a course of least resistance against the wind.

A sailboat sailing against the wind will turn through the point on each tack. This is the point in which the boat is neither on the starboard tack or the port tack and is directly headed against the wind.

On the other hand, boats are not able to sail directly against the wind. Thus, f a boat heads into the wind it is said to be "in irons" when it loses steerage. For this reason, a boat sailing against the wind is sailing with the sails trimmed tightly, also known as sailing "close-hauled."

When it comes to how to sail against the wind, keep in mind that when a sailboat sails too close to the wind, or with an angle too small to the wind, the term is called "pinching." This is also a phrase used in colloquial expression that means "recklessness."

To reach its target, sailors that intend to travel windward to a point in line with the exact wind direction will need to zig-zag in order to reach its destination. This technique is tacking. Sailors can reach a point in any direction using the technique of tacking and traveling at angles closest to the wind direction.

Sailing against the wind in practice is usually achieved at a course of and angle of around forty-five degrees to the oncoming wind. To reach specific points, alternating the wind's direction between the starboard and the port is sometimes necessary. The term for this is "tacking."

Tacking is when a yacht or a sailboat sail against the wind. Counterintuitively, this means that compared to having a weak wind behind you, it is always better to have the strong wind in the direction opposite your craft. Having no wind is the worst-case scenario. Think of vectors.

The wind generates forces against the boat's hull through the momentum change that the sails cause. The force goes both towards the direction of where you are going and perpendicular to the motion. The keel takes up the perpendicular force and leans the yacht. Motion is then created by the remaining forward vector.

If your destination is located upwind, how are you going to sail there? Because of the lift created by wind blowing across and not against them, the sails propel the boat forward. This happens unless the wind blows from directly over the back of the boat (astern).

As you begin steering in the direction of the wind, you trim the sails tighter in and keep them full, so that lift is continuously generated. However, sailing too close to the sail and wind will "luff."

This means the edge of the forward sail begins to flutter inwards and outwards and the boat slows down. If you begin turning more into the wind, the whole sail will soon be flapping like a king-sized bedsheet you hung out to dry.

However, don't stop turning into the wind and you will soon see the sail filling on the other side of the boat. This is called tacking and the scientific reasons are explained as you read further down.

Sailboats made today can sail up to around a forty-five-degree angle against the wind. For example, if the north wind is blowing into your sail, the boat can sail on a port tack about the northeast.

The boat can sail all the way through to northwest, west, south, and east on the starboard tack, or wind coming from the boat's right side. Port tack means that the wind comes over the left side of the port. Tack means which side of the boat the wind blows from.

Even if you can't sail your boat literally directly into the wind, sailors call this tacking or beating to windward. You will find that on the newer tack, you sail in the direction that's at about right angles to the old tack. This occurs with the wind still at about forty-five degrees but this time on the other side. The zig-zagging and the repeated tack will move the boat upwind.

You can learn more about tacking a sailboat here .

Four Forces

Four forces act on a sailboat trying to sail against the wind. The two that directly affect the boat are the viscosity force of the water and the force of the wind, which propels the boat.

The water's viscosity slows down the boat and helps her keep on-course. The remaining two forces are buoyancy and gravity. Buoyancy pulls up the sailboat and gravity pulls her down. All of these forces keep the boat afloat as it sails against the wind.

The combined effect of the water and the wind is a net force pushing the boat diagonally against the wind. The resistance of the water combined with the force of the wind determines the direction in which a sailboat sails. On the sail, the force exerted by the wind has two components:

The lift component pushing the sail into the wind perpendicularly.
The drag component pushing the sail into the direction of the wind.

Because of the lift, the direction of the wind-force varies from the direction in which the wind blows. The angle between the wind and the sail shape of the sail will determine what direction the wind force goes.

The forward motion of the boat and her slippage sidewise slows down due to water resistance. For boats to sail against the wind diagonally, the sidewise slippage needs to be minimal compared to the motion forward. Sidewise slippage is significantly reduced with the keel.

If a keel somewhat eliminates the sidewise slippage, sailboats can only move in the keel's direction. This is also the direction of the sailboat's centerline. Whenever the wind-force total diagonally points forward in relation to the keel, the boat will then move forward in the keel's direction.

If the keel is pointing diagonally into the wind, and the wind-force diagonally points forwards, the boat will then diagonally sail into the wind.

On the other hand, the boat won't be able to diagonally sail into the wind if the sidewise slippage is too big. Just like everything else, sailing against the wind takes practice. Master this and you can sail yourself anywhere in the world and through anything.

I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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Sailing Upwind and Tacking

It is very easy on a sailboat, windsurfer, or even a kiteboard to be taken downwind so far that you have a miserable experience trying to get back to where you started. Once you learn how to sail upwind correctly and efficiently, sailing becomes much more enjoyable, if for no other reason, you can feel confident in your ability to get home and/or back to your starting point.

The science of sailing upwind is actually amazing. People unfamiliar with sailing always seem amazed when the learn that sailboats can actually sail into the wind. This is partially true, but only to a certain degree, and this is called sailing close hauled with your sail or sails trimmed in most all the way. The process of making your way upwind by tacking back and forth is know as beating upwind.

In the image above, a sailboat is shown sailing in a zig zag pattern about 45 degrees off the wind direction and making its way upwind. Notice the sails are sheeted in tightly and the boom is almost over the centerline of the boat hull. When the boat turns from a Port Tack to a Starboard Tack, this maneuver is called TACKING. Learning to tack upwind efficiently, so you dont loose ground and go backward or just too slow upwind, you need to learn specific techniques of where to sit correctly; how to sheet your sails during and through the tack, how to move correctly from one side of the boat to the other and how to steer smoothly through the tack so you do not over/under steer and slow yourself down unecessarily. We will practice this very often because practice is the only way to learn and get use to the correct techniques to operate the boat safely and confidently… and maybe be able to win some sailboat races someday soon!

This image shows the same thing as the other one, but with the complication of a narrow channel added to the situation, which is exactly the same as our situation sailing in and out of the canal in Avon! Look familiar?

The amazing science of sailing upwind is the same for airplanes, gliders, kites, foils, or any type of water vessel/boat or airplane. When sailing UPWIND the sail is actually being SUCKED into the direction of the wind… not pushed! You can illustrate this in your kitchen by dangling a big tablespoon from your fingertips and running water down it and you’ll see the spoon lifting sideways from the water flowing over it. But this is why it is so important to understand your sail shape and how to adjust it for the wind conditions and speed. If your mainsheet is too loose, for example, your sail will flutter or luff in the wind and have no shape and simply not work right. If you over tighten your mainsheet, you will stall your sail…… which isnt so bad on a sailboat, but if you did the same mistake on an airplane, you would fall out of the sky.

For the Scientific Minded, you should be incredibly challenged to make the sail work perfectly. For those less technical, remember one thing! While steering your boat upwind with your sheets close hauled, you can “Head Up” until your sails just start to begin luffing, to test that your steering as “Close” to the wind as possible and not in the NO GO ZONE, and then bear off slightly…. SLIGHTLY… until your sails just stop luffing, then you know you are on a good course. Then keep that course, but be mindful that the wind does shift constantly, normally in small degrees, but that you may need to be really vigilant and keep testing that you are on your best upwind heading so you get to the upwind mark or finish line before the others do!

Please study these pictures and try your best to understand them. When you come back to Sailing Class next week, we will sit down and try to clarify anything you may not understand. The better you understand this upwind sailing challenge, the faster it will start to become easy for you to sail fast UPWIND on your boat!

Here are some additional videos on sailing your Opti Upwind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_FppGg23X4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8YCByrWYrk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEf_VZtyc-k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9qCSBQa9Zw

This one is really really good on form, where to sit, how to trim, how to hold the lines. https://youtu.be/LHhXD5jKL3w

…if you are over 70lbs it is very important where you sit

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How Do Sailboats Sail into the Wind?

It seems intuitive that sailboats, powered only by the wind, can travel easily with the wind at their backs, but it may seem impossible that they turn around and come home again, with the wind blowing straight against them.

But this reverse movement is possible because a moving boat's sail is shaped as an airfoil like the wing of a plane. When air moves over a plane's wing, from front to back, wind flowing over the top of the wing has to travel farther than wind flowing under the wing's bottom surface. This creates a pressure difference that lifts the plane.

On a sailboat, wind blowing against the boat at an angle inflates the sail, and it forms a similar foil shape, creating a difference in pressure that pushes the sail perpendicular to the wind direction.

According to "The Physics of Sailing Explained" (Sheridan House Inc, 2003), by Kent State University physics professor Bryon D. Anderson, this force from the sail's foil shape is combined with and balanced by other forces, including those of the boat's keel (the long thin piece that juts down from the bottom of the boat).

Together, the forces of drag, from the water, and the pressure from the wind against the sail itself push the craft forward. It moves at an angle opposite the direction of the wind, called windward in sailing terminology.

According to the American Institute of Physics' Physics Today magazine, the keel is especially important because without its balancing action, a boat would simply drift downwind.

Windward sailing also does not work if a boat is pointed directly opposite the wind direction, according to The Physics of Sailing. Wind has to be moving against the boat at an angle of at least 40 degrees for most vessels. Angling too sharply into the wind causes the forces on the boat to become unbalanced, and moves the boat sideways in the water.

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A sailor intending to travel windward toward a point exactly in line with the direction of the wind will have to zig zag back and forth to reach its target. Using this "tacking" technique, and traveling at an angle as close to the wind's direction as possible, sailors can reach a point in any direction, regardless of the direction of wind.

Got a question? Email it to Life's Little Mysteries and we'll try to answer it. Due to the volume of questions, we unfortunately can't reply individually, but we will publish answers to the most intriguing questions, so check back soon.

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What Is Tacking In Sailing? Steps To A Proper Tack

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Post Date – Updated:

When you are sailing, an important maneuver that you need to be able to do is called tacking. Tacking is a fundamental sailing maneuver.

Tacking is when you move the boat’s bow into the wind to turn the boat’s direction. It is a very common maneuver that all sailors must learn to master. But with any sailing maneuver, you must understand the proper steps to do a safe tack.

Definition of tacking in sailing, step 1 – prepare to tack.

Step 2 – The Bow Of The Boat Is Turned Towards The Wind

Step 3 – Helmsman And Crew Cross Over Boat

Step 4 – tack is completed, all about tacking your sailboat, what is the best way to remember the points of sail when sailing, what is the sailing term for “no wind”, what is “sailing into the wind” called.

Tacking in sailing is when you move the boat from one direction to another. You move the boat’s bow through the wind to tack a sailboat.

As a sailboat cannot sail directly into the wind, you must usually sail a zigzag course to reach your destination. In other words, you must sail the sailboat zigzag in the direction you want to go while considering where the wind is blowing.

When a sailboat begins to switch from a “zig” to a “zag” motion, it is when you turn the bow of the boat into the wind; this is called a tack.

A few things to remember about a tack are:

Tacking Is Moving The Bow Of The Boat – In a tack, you move the boat’s bow through the wind to change direction.
Tack Will Move Through The No-Go Zone – With a tack, and you will move your boat through the No-Go Zone to get to the other side.
Sail And Boom Change Directions – As you have changed the boat’s direction, the sails and wind will also change direction.

Tacking is an essential maneuver that sailors must learn to move the boat back and forth through the water to catch the wind in their sails.

Proper Steps To Tacking Your Sailboat

Even though tacking is about changing the boat’s direction by turning the bow into the wind, they are proper ways to tack, especially when you have a crew on board the boat.

In sailing, when working with a crew, you must communicate to everyone on the boat what is happening and the maneuvers you will make. Tacking is one of those maneuvers you need to speak to the crew members you are about to do.

Step one, the boat is on the Beam Reach (on another reach) with the wind coming over the port side of the boat: the helmsman or the captain sailing the boat checks for anything that might be in the way.

He then shouts to the crew something like “Ready About” and “Ready To Tack.” This will alert the crew that they are ready to tack the boat.

At this point, the crew members would also check to ensure the jib sheets were un cleated. The crew will un cleat the jib and shout, “Ready.”

This lets the helmsman know that the boat is ready to be tacked.

Step 2 – The Bow Of The Boat Is Turned Towards The Wind

Now that the jib sail is un cleated and the crew has said they are ready, the Helmsman calls out tacking or the more traditional “hard-a-lee!.” This announces the beginning of the tack, and the boat turns towards the wind.

The Helmsman moves the tiller, so the boat turns into the wind; the sails will begin to luft. The tiller is pushed towards the sail. The jib sail is released so that the main sail and the jib sail can move to the other side of the boat.

When the sail luffs, the helmsman steers through to the wind, and the wind blows across the bow. Then the helmsman crosses over to the other side of the boat.

The correct way is that the helmsman is to switch the rudder from one hand to another behind their back so that they are always looking forward and looking at the front of the boat. The Helmsman needs to keep their eye on the front of the boat to see what is in front of them and ensure there is no danger or any issues.

Depending on the wind, the crew may cross over to the other side of the boat.

The tack is completed, and the helmsman centers the tiller and steers the boat in the direction they are going. Depending on your boat, the helmsman or crew adjusts the main sail.

The crew will adjust the jib sail for the direction they are going.

Tacking is one of those maneuvers that may sound very complicated, but when you start tacking a sailboat, it begins to make sense. It is a sailing maneuver you must practice to get right.

A few things to remember about tacking are:

Let The Sail’s Luff When Tacking – The main sail and jib sail are not tightened but luffing when you tack.
You Need To Communicate A Tack – For safety, you must always communicate what you will tack.
Tiller Go Towards Sail – The helmsman was pushing the tiller towards sail.
The Helmsman Moves To Another Side While Constantly Looking At The Front Of The Boat – The helmsman will move to the other side while constantly looking at the front of the boat. The helmsman must keep their eyes on the front of the boat.
Do Not Tighten Sails Until Everyone Is Back In Position – Do not tighten any sails until everyone is back in position and ready to go again.

Tacking is one of those maneuvers you should repeatedly practice when learning to sail. Perfecting your tack moves is necessary even if you are an experienced sailor; this is because tacking is one of those essential yet critical maneuvers every sailor must master.

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Specification

S/Y Zig Zag

Length	25m / 82'
Builder
Exterior Designer	Rob Humphreys
Interior Design	Oyster Yachts
Built \| Refit	2007
Model
Beam	6.4m / 21'
Gross Tonnage	71 GT
Draft	3.4m / 11'2
Cruising Speed	8 Knots
Top Speed	10 Knots

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How to Sail Upwind (Against the Wind)?

Sailing upwind is perhaps one of the most misunderstood aspect of sailing for most beginners.

The wind, this invisible force, personified and divinized in mythology and religion, has been harnessed throughout human history, but going against it is somehow harder to grasp intellectually than it actually is.

Not surprisingly, one of the first sailing fundamentals you learn when you are new to this world is therefore upwind sailing .

What does this mean? How does a yacht sail upwind? Read on and you will understand this obscure concept.

What is upwind sailing?

Let’s start with a simple and short definition: upwind is when going against the wind.

However, you do not directly go against the wind. That is physically impossible, as you may have already guessed.

“Sailing upwind” means sailing as close to the direction the wind is blowing from as possible. In a word, about 45 degrees away, left or right, from the apparent wind’s direction. You are not going against the exact direction of the wind, but you can move forward against the wind without directly facing it.

What happens if you cross this imaginary line steering the boat closer into the direction of the wind? The sails start to flap around and the boat slows down.

As an old sea-dogs once said: “flapping sail, unhappy sail!” Or something like that.

The main differences between sailing upwind and downwind

While sailing upwind means going against the wind, sailing downwind is going with the wind. It is simply the opposite.

Obviously, sailing downwind is much easier than sailing upwind. If the sailing concept of upwind and downwind is still obscure to you, try with a bicycle and you should quickly understand.

Another important difference involves how the boat is steered and the sails trimmed when going downwind or upwind.

Going upwind, one generally pulls the sails all the way in and then uses them as a guide to steer the boat. When sailing downwind, one usually aims the boat straight to the desired course, and then uses this heading as a guide for how to trim the sails. Upwind sails work like airplane wings. They are trimmed to give lift. Downwind, the air is behind the sails, and they drive the boat by filling and pulling it.

Let’s have a look at how sailing upwind is actually performed while sailing.

Tacking: the main upwind sailing tactic

As we have seen above, sailing upwind means sailing towards the general wind direction but not directly into the wind; the sails would flutter and the boat would stop. Instead, sailors use a zigzag motion with moving the bow of the boat, left and right, through the wind in order to make headway. This tactic is called “ tacking ”.

This sounds a very simple thing to do but, in fact, it is tough to be good at. This requires some cooperation from the crew and commands will keep everyone working together. Tacking is teamwork and strength lies in numbers!

Let’s continue with the essential vocabulary mastery. A series of tacking moves, in a zig-zag pattern, is called beating . The opposite manoeuvre to tacking is called jibing . A jibe consists in turning the stern of the boat through the wind so that the wind changes from one side of the boat to the other side. It allows sailing upwind in the desired direction.

When facing the wind and its various caprices, the art of sailing is real choreography!

How to tack a sailing yacht to sail upwind (against the wind)

Let’s now get to the heart of the matter: the technical aspect of tacking a sailing yacht to sail upwind.

First things first

A good communication and a coordinated team are a must when tacking a sailing boat. To follow, the different steps of the process but before a brief glossary of the key terms.

Port and starboard refer to the left and right side of the vessel, not the observer.

Port Tack : port tack is when the wind is blowing from the port side (left) of the vessel.

Starboard Tack : a boat is on a starboard tack if the wind is coming over the starboard (right) side of boat with sails on port (left) side.

Jib Sheets : ropes and lines to trim or “sheet” the jib.

Working sheet: jib sheets that are actively trimming the jib. They are tight on to the clue and pull out and trim the jib sail.

Lazy sheet : jib sheets ropes that are unused momentarily.

Main sheet : Rope that is attached to the boom and is used to control the mainsail.

How to tack a sailboat properly in 10 Steps

1- The skipper makes sure that the new course is clear.

2- If that is the case, he shouts “ Ready about ” to the crew members to be ready. The perfect translation of “ Ready about ” would be ” before I throw the helm over, are you ready to let go of the old jib sheet, trim in the new and move to the other side? ».

2- He now waits for them to prepare the sheets and lines for managing the sails.

4- In the meantime, the skipper estimates the lay line, that is to say where the boat is going to be pointing after the tack. When sailing upwind the lay line is generally 90 degrees to your left or right from where you stand now. This step is essential.

5- When the skipper hears “ Ready ” or “ All clear ” from the crew, he responds “ helm to lee ” to notify the crew that he is about to start the tacking manoeuvre by turning the steering either to portside or starboard side. When the wind starts blowing the jib to the lazy-sheet, it is the time to stop turning.

6- Then, with calling Lee-Ho or Hard-a-Lee , the skipper announces he is turning the boat towards the wind. The vessel is tacking. As the headsail starts to flap, the crew on the working sheet eases and releases the sheet from the winch.

7-At this stage the wind will have switched sides and is now blowing to the other side of the sails. This is the time when the crew moves to the other side of the sailboat. This point is crucial for the balance of the vessel.

8- The boat continues to turn through wind and the jib blows across to the new side, flapping a little as it goes.

9- This is the good time for the crew on winch to pull in the new working sheet and start pulling in the line on the lazy sheet (now being working sheet) on the other side. The main sheet needs to be tightened in the centre of the boat.

10- The sailboat starts to pick up speed at about 90 degrees off from the original course. The skipper keeps the tiller in the middle. The crew starts to trim and adjust the sail. The tack has been successfully performed!

Read also : New Lagoon 51 Catamaran: The Perfect Combination of Modernity and Sustainability

Tacking to sail upwind with a monohull vs tacking with a multihull

The operations of sailing a multihull and a monohull are basically the same. Almost.

One of the main differences is actually in tacking, so in sailing upwind.

A monohull, much easier to manoeuvre, will tack quickly and is faster to respond to the helm than a multihull.

Conversely, tacking with a multihull can be quite challenging. Because of its lighter weight, wider beam and windage, the multihull will suddendly slow whereas the tacking requires a sufficient speed not to lose too much forward momentum.

Therefore, turning through the wind will be more hesitant than on a ballasted monohull, which carries its momentum through the wind.

Tacking with a monohull vs tacking with a multihull: a clear advantage for monohull!

That’s it, you know everything there is to know about sailing upwind. If you are unsure about how to sail against the wind, you can always charter a yacht with an experienced crew or skipper and see how it’s done pratically.

“Zig Zag” Catamarán

Belize 43” fountain pajot cat.

Zig Zag is known in Cabo as the best in its category characterized as the most luxurious Catamaran/sailboat. Elegance and service along with the most delightful places Los Cabos and the Peninsula of Baja California Sur offers are what distinguish us from others. Service, service, service!. We have 8 years of experience receiving groups from the most prestigious resorts in Cabo San Lucas, The Corridor and San José del Cabo. Our priority is to create a one of a kind experience so our guests can remember it as the highlight of their trip.

OUR BILINGUAL CREW is fully qualified to deal with demanding customers that are used to receive V.I.P treatment. Our Captain is Yacht Master Certified and our Sailor/Chef is also certified so our guests are in the best hands.

OUR TOURS are 100% customized, focusing on fulfilling our guests desires, wishes and needs. How about sailing in the most extraordinary sunsets in Cabo? Encounter with humpback whales (seasonal)? Enjoy the scenary of Lovers Beach and our most antique rock formation symbol of Cabo, The Arch? Snorkel in the waters that Jacque Custeau nicknamed “The Aquarium of the World”? Romance under the full moon? Bachelor and Bachelorette parties? Unique marriage proposals? Weddings? You name it!!!…

YOU DREAM IT, WE WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!

Pleasure or business, let us take care of the details while your guests relax and enjoy the experience that Sail Baja Adventures has to offer.

WELCOME ABOARD!!!

Sail Baja Adventures

Boarding Location

Cabo san lucas marina dock f:.

Find anything, super fast.

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Zig Zag is a semi-custom sailing yacht launched in 2007 by Oyster Marine.

Oyster Marine was founded in 1973 and has established itself as an international market leader of world-class cruising yachts. With their distinctive Deck Saloon design, Oyster yachts are recognised throughout the sailing world for quality, comfort and performance.

Zig Zag measures 25.00 feet in length, with a max draft of 3.4 feet and a beam of 6.4 feet.

Her exterior design, naval architecture and interior design is by Rob Humphreys.

Zig Zag is a semi-custom Oyster 82 model.

Performance and Capabilities

Accommodation.

Zig Zag accommodates up to 6 guests in 3 cabins. She also houses room for up to 3 crew members.

Other Specifications

Zig Zag is MCA compliant

Zig Zag flies the flag of British.

Yacht Builder Oyster Marine No profile available
Naval Architect Rob Humphreys No profile available
Exterior Designer Rob Humphreys No profile available
Interior Designer Rob Humphreys No profile available

Yacht Specs

Other oyster marine yachts.

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Robert Mulcahy sells Oyster sailing superyacht Zig Zag with Stockbridge and Berthon

Good news from Stockbridge Yachts that their joint listing for sale with Berthon International , the 24.9 metre sailing yacht Zig Zag is sold with Robert Mulcahy Yachts representing the buyer.

Cutter rigged, she was built in GRP by UK yard Oyster Marine to a design by Rob Humphreys and was delivered in 2007 as the personal yacht of the yard's founder, maintained in immaculate condition since delivery. Improvements include new Spectra sails in 2010, new Navtec standing rigging in 2011 and a new generator and upholstery in 2012.

Her interior is in teak and has accommodation for six guests in a master suite, double stateroom and a twin cabin, all with en suite shower facilities.

Zig Zag has excellent volumes for a yacht of her size and can cross oceans in comfort while also being a great passage maker. Under power, a 300hp Caterpillar engine gives her a comfortable cruising speed of 9.5 knots.

Lying in the UK, Zig Zag was asking £1,950,000.

Our Boat: Zig Zag

A 30 foot catalina yacht.

Sailing in Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico from Anna Maria Island, Florida.

Sailboat Description

The Catalina 30 is a sloop-rigged monohull with an aft-cockpit. It is the largest and longest continuous production keel boat in the world. Its mainsail is raised on a 46 foot mast, and its powerful foresail can be quickly unfurled. It has a stable lead fin keel with a spade rudder, and is quite maneuverable under power, making it suitable for both racing and cruising.

The deck is fairly wide, with a beam of 10 foot 10 inches, and consequently it is very comfortable to move around on. Included are teak grab rails on the cabin top which can be very helpful when underway. Additionally the shrouds are conveniently positioned so that it is easy to go around them.

Zig Zag under sail, Spice Sailing Charters

The cockpit is spacious and accommodating, and as a cruising vessel it includes the typical v-berth that converts to a nice double sized bed. It also includes a comfortable head, ample galley, and a welcoming folding table, which you would expect in a small yacht.

Catalina 30 Specifications

Length: 29.92' / 9.12m Mast Height from DWL: 45.92' / 14.00m Beam: 10.83' / 3.30m Draft (max.) 5.25' / 1.60m

With an experienced and skilled captain sailing a sturdy and sleak vessel, you are sure to have a wonderful sailboat cruise with Spice Sailing Charters.

‘Superman’ director, crew zig-zag around the CLE on Friday, prep for week-long shoot on Public Square (photos, video, spoilers)

Updated: Jun. 28, 2024, 7:52 p.m. |
Published: Jun. 28, 2024, 7:28 p.m.

Peter Chakerian, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio – James Gunn is Cleveland’s “Roy Kent,” at the moment.

For those not familiar with the wildly popular Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso,” the chant for the brash English footballer Kent goes “He’s here, he’s there, he’s every-freaking-where!”

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Sailboat zig zag applique

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Description

This is a DIGITAL embroidery design available for immediate download intended for use with an embroidery/applique machine. This is not an iron on patch. This file includes a zigzag finish sailboat with fill stitch top sail. This file comes in a 4x4, 5x7, and 6x10 hoop size. There is a separate listing for this exact design only finished in a blanket stitch in the shop as well. This file comes in the following formats: PES, DST, EXP, HUS, JEF, VP3, VIP, SEW, and XXX. To avoid a raggy finish with blanket stitch appliques, Heat N Bond Lite is a great product to iron onto the back of your applique fabrics. In accordance with US copyright law, this file may not be sold, traded, shared, gifted, emailed, or claimed as your own work in anyway.

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Is Yevgeny Prigozhin Dead? Russia Claims Wagner Group Boss Killed in Plane Crash Outside Moscow, Two Months after Failed Coup [WATCH]

Prigozhin spearheaded a mutiny within his military group against russian president vladimir putin on june 24..

By R. Ghosh Updated August 24, 2023 14:26 +08

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is feared killed in a plane crash in Russia. This incident comes two months after his unsuccessful coup attempt against Putin. Prigozhin, the Russian dissident Putin labeled a "traitor," is believed to have been killed when a private jet crashed outside Moscow Wednesday evening.

According to the TASS news agency, Prigozhin's name was present on the passenger list of the Embraer aircraft that crashed close to the village of Kuzhenkino, located 60 miles north of Moscow, as reported by the Federal Agency for Air Transport.

Strange Coincidence

Video footage appears to show the airplane falling from the sky in the Bologovsky district within the Tver region, located 60 miles north of Moscow. A burning debris, resembling that of an aircraft, was later seen in a field. Images, which have yet to be confirmed, seem to show the wreckage engulfed in flames.

Initially, it was uncertain whether Prigozhin, the head of Wagner and known as Putin's chef, along with his longstanding connections to the Kremlin, was on board. However, reports later indicated that his name was indeed present on the passenger list.

"An investigation of the Embraer plane crash that happened in the Tver Region this evening was initiated. According to the passenger list, first and last name of Yevgeny Prigozhin was included in this list," the agency stated.

Unverified media reports suggested that Prigozhin might have owned the jet.

Officials told TASS that 10 passengers were on board the aircraft when it crashed less than 30 minutes into its flight from Sheremetyevo Airport west of the Russian capital to St. Petersburg.

While AFP initially verified the fatalities, current reports indicate that the precise identities of the deceased are not confirmed. Russian authorities have said that a business jet crash in Russia resulted in the deaths of 10 people.

As of Wednesday evening, it has been confirmed that President Biden has been informed of the situation by Washington.

Witnesses to the crash reported hearing a loud bang before seeing the jet falling from the sky.

Photos circulating on social media appear to show the fiery remnants of the aircraft located within a field in the Tver region. According to Russian media, eight bodies have been retrieved up to this point.

Plumes of black smoke can be seen billowing into the sky, with the wreck completely engulfed in flames.

The number "795" can faintly be made out near the scrap heap's border. These digits align with the plane associated with the former military figure.

Silencing His Critic

Prigozhin spearheaded a mutiny within his military group against Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 24. The group advanced toward Moscow, but the operation was abandoned approximately 100 miles prior to reaching the capital. The troops eventually reversed course and returned to the front lines.

The plane crash comes just two days after Prigozhin gave his first video message since the unsuccessful coup attempt.

The unverified video footage shows the mercenary dressed in camouflage and carrying an assault weapon. This video surfaced on Tuesday across Telegram channels associated with the Wagner Group.

"The Wagner PMC (private military company) makes Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa – even more free," the oligarch said in the video, which included a phone number for recruits.

The video is suspected to have been taken somewhere within Africa, considering that a plane linked to Prigozhin reportedly landed in Bamako, Mali, on Sunday.

In 2021, the Wagner Group was engaged by a local military junta in Mali, following the expulsion of UN peacekeepers and French troops from the country.

Prior to the release of the video footage, Prigozhin had maintained a low profile following the June 24 uprising, which posed a threat to Russia's military leadership due to their handling of the conflict in Ukraine.

Wagner fighters have suffered enough casualties in the ongoing conflict, particularly in their role leading the assault on Bakhmut.

Prigozhin has been increasingly cautious after a coup attempt against Putin's regime exactly two months ago. After the failed coup, he received warnings that his life was at risk, prompting him to exercise stringent security measures.

As per Russia's state news agency Tass, the crashed plane carried a total of three pilots and seven passengers.

A Wagner-affiliated channel suggested that the aircraft had been brought down by air defenses, but this claim remains unverified.

Sources with proximity to Prigozhin revealed that, although the plane belonged to him, he typically utilized a different aircraft for his travel.

In the aftermath of the crash, a second aircraft, also allegedly linked to Prigozhin, was spotted maneuvering in a zig-zag pattern above Moscow. This development has spurred speculation that Prigozhin might not have been aboard the ill-fated plane after all.

MomentðŸ‘€ pic.twitter.com/wTdBEjNCUb — ÐÐ—ÐžÐ’ South (@Azovsouth) August 23, 2023

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Ben Macintyre US Editions

Agent zigzag: a true story of nazi espionage, love, and betrayal.

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year A Washington Post Best Book of 2007 One of the Top 10 Best Books of 2007 ( Entertainment Weekly ) New York Times Best of the Year Round-Up New York Times Editors’ Choice

Eddie Chapman was a charming criminal, a con man, and a philanderer. He was also one of the most remarkable double agents Britain has ever produced. Inside the traitor was a man of loyalty; inside the villain was a hero. The problem for Chapman, his spymasters, and his lovers was to know where one persona ended and the other began. Based on recently declassified files, Agent Zigzag tells Chapman’s full story for the first time. It’s a gripping tale of loyalty, love, treachery, espionage, and the thin and shifting line between fidelity and betrayal.

CHAPTER ONE

The Hotel de la Plage Spring came early to the island of Jersey in 1939. The sun that poured through the dining-room window of the Hotel de la Plage formed a dazzling halo around the man sitting opposite Betty Farmer with his back to the sea, laughing as he tucked into the six-shilling Sunday Roast Special “with all the trimmings.” Betty, eighteen, a farm girl newly escaped from the Shropshire countryside, knew this man was quite unlike any she had met before.

Beyond that, her knowledge of Eddie Chapman was somewhat limited. She knew that he was twenty-four years old, tall and handsome, with a thin mustache—just like Errol Flynn in The Charge of the Light Brigade—and deep hazel eyes. His voice was strong but high-pitched with a hint of a Northern accent. He was “bubbly,” full of laughter and mischief. She knew he must be rich because he was “in the film business” and drove a Bentley. He wore expensive suits, a gold ring, and a cashmere overcoat with mink collar. Today he wore a natty yellow spotted tie and a sleeveless pullover. They had met at a club in Kensington Church Street, and although at first she had declined his invitation to dance, she soon relented. Eddie had become her first lover, but then he vanished, saying he had urgent business in Scotland. “I shall go,” he told her. “But I shall always come back.”

Good as his word, Eddie had suddenly reappeared at the door of her lodgings, grinning and breathless. “How would you like to go to Jersey, then possibly to the south of France?” he asked. Betty had rushed off to pack.

It was a surprise to discover they would be traveling with company. In the front seat of the waiting Bentley sat two men: the driver a huge, ugly brute with a crumpled face; the other small, thin, and dark. The pair did not seem ideal companions for a romantic holiday. The driver gunned the engine and they set off at thrilling speed through the London streets, screeching into the Croydon airport, parking behind the hangar, just in time to catch the Jersey Airways plane.

That evening, they had checked into the seafront hotel. Eddie told the receptionist they were in Jersey to make a film. They had signed the register as Mr. and Mrs. Farmer of Torquay. After dinner, they moved on to West Park Pavilion, a nightclub on the pier, where they danced, played roulette, and drank some more. For Betty, it had been a day of unprecedented glamour and decadence.

War was coming, everyone said so, but the dining room of the Hotel de la Plage was a place of pure peace that sunny Sunday. Beyond the golden beach, the waves flickered among a scatter of tiny islands, as Eddie and Betty ate trifle off plates with smart blue crests. Eddie was halfway through telling another funny story when he froze. A group of men in overcoats and brown hats had entered the restaurant and one was now in urgent conversation with the headwaiter. Before Betty could speak, Eddie stood up, bent down to kiss her once, and then jumped through the window, which was closed. There was a storm of broken glass, tumbling crockery, screaming women, and shouting waiters. Betty Farmer caught a last glimpse of Eddie Chapman sprinting off down the beach with two overcoated men in pursuit.

There was much that Betty did not know about Eddie Chapman. He was married. Another woman was pregnant with his child. And he was a crook. Not some halfpenny bag snatcher, but a dedicated professional criminal, a “prince of the underworld,” in his own estimation.

For Chapman, breaking the law was a vocation. In later years, when some sort of motive for his choice of career seemed to be called for, he claimed that the early death of his mother, in the TB ward of a pauper’s hospital, had sent him “off the rails” and turned him against society. Sometimes he blamed the grinding poverty and unemployment in northern England during the Depression for forcing him into a life of crime. But in truth, crime came naturally to him.

Edward Chapman was born in Burnopfield, a tiny village in the Durham coalfields, on November 16, 1914, a few months into the First World War. His father, a marine engineer and too old to fight, had ended up running the Clippership, a dingy pub in Roker, and drinking a large portion of the stock. For Eddie, the eldest of three children, there was no money, not much love, little in the way of guidance, and only a cursory education. He soon developed a talent for misbehavior and a distaste for authority. Intelligent but lazy, insolent and easily bored, the young Chapman skipped school often, preferring to scour the beach for lemonade bottles, redeemable at a penny a piece, and then while away afternoons at the cinema in Sunderland.

At the age of seventeen, after a brief and unsatisfactory stint as an unpaid apprentice at a Sunderland engineering firm, Chapman joined the army, although underage, and enlisted in the Second Battalion of the Coldstream Guards. Early in his training at Caterham, he slipped while playing handball and badly gashed his knee; the resulting scar would provide police with a useful distinguishing feature. The bearskin hat and smart red uniform made the girls gawp and giggle, but he found sentry duty outside the Tower of London tedious, and the city beyond beckoned.

Chapman had worn a guardsman’s uniform for nine months when he was granted six days’ leave. He told the sergeant major that he was going home. Instead, in the company of an older guardsman, he wandered around Soho and the West End, hungrily eyeing the elegant women draped over the arms of men in sharp suits. In a café in Marble Arch, he noticed a pretty, dark-haired girl, and she spotted him. They danced at Smokey Joe’s in Soho. That night he lost his virginity. She persuaded him to stay another night; he stayed for two months, until they had spent all his pay. Chapman may have forgotten about the army, but the army had not forgotten about him. He was sure the dark-haired girl told the police. Chapman was arrested for going absent without leave, placed in the military prison in Aldershot—the “glasshouse”—and made to scrub out bedpans for eighty-four days. Release and a dishonorable discharge brought to an end his first prison sentence, and his last regular job. Chapman took a bus to London with £3 in his pocket, a fraying suit, and a “jail-crop haircut.” He headed straight for Soho.

Soho in the 1930s was a notorious den of vice, and spectacular fun. This was the crossroads of London society, where the rich and feckless met the criminal and reckless, a place of seamy, raucous glamour. Chapman found work as a barman, then as a film extra, earning £3 for “three days doing crowd work”; he worked as a masseur, a dancer, and eventually as an amateur boxer and wrestler. He was a fine wrestler, physically strong, and lithe as a cat, with a “wire and whipcord body.” This was a world of pimps and racecourse touts, pickpockets and con artists; late nights at Smokey Joe’s and early champagne breakfasts at Quaglino’s. “I mixed with all types of tricky people,” Chapman wrote later. “Racecourse crooks, thieves, prostitutes, and the flotsam of the night-life of a great city.” For the young Chapman, life in this seething, seedy enclave was thrilling. But it was also expensive. He acquired a taste for cognac and the gaming tables. Soon he was penniless.

The thievery started in a small way: a forged check here, a snatched suitcase there, a little light burglary. His early crimes were unremarkable, the first faltering steps of an apprentice.

In January 1935, he was caught in the back garden of a house in Mayfair, and fined £10. A month later, he was found guilty of stealing a check and obtaining credit by fraud. This time the court was less lenient, and Chapman was given two months’ hard labor in Wormwood Scrubs. A few weeks after his release, he was back inside, this time in Wandsworth Prison on a three-month sentence for trespassing and attempted housebreaking.

Chapman branched out into crimes of a more lurid nature. Early in 1936, he was found guilty of “behaving in a manner likely to offend the public” in Hyde Park. Exactly how he was likely to have offended the public was not specified, but he was almost certainly discovered in flagrante delicto with a prostitute. He was fined £4 and made to pay a fee of 15 shillings 9 pence to the doctor who examined him for venereal disease. Two weeks later, he was charged with fraud after he tried to evade payment of a hotel bill.

One contemporary remembers a young man “with good looks, a quick brain, high spirits and something desperate in him which made him attractive to men and dangerous to women.” Desperation may have led him to use the attraction of men for profit, for he once hinted at an early homosexual encounter. Women seemed to find him irresistible. According to one account, he made money by seducing “women on the fringes of society,” blackmailing them with compromising photographs taken by an accomplice and then threatening to show them to their husbands. It was even said that having “infected a girl of 18 with VD, he blackmailed her by threatening to tell her parents that she had given it to him.”

Chapman was on a predictable downward spiral of petty crime, prostitution, blackmail, and lengthening prison terms—punctuated by episodes of wild extravagance in Soho—when a scientific breakthrough in the criminal world abruptly altered his fortunes.

In the early 1930s, British crooks discovered the high explosive gelignite. At about the same time, during one of his stints inside, Chapman discovered James Wells Hunt—the “best cracksman in London”—a “cool, self-possessed, determined character” who had perfected a technique for taking apart safes by drilling a hole in the lock and inserting a “French letter” stuffed with gelignite and water. Jimmy Hunt and Chapman went into partnership and were soon joined by Antony Latt, alias Darrington, alias “Darry,” a nerveless half-Burmese burglar whose father, he claimed, had been a native judge. A young felon named Hugh Anson was recruited to drive their getaway car.

In 1934, the newly formed “Jelly Gang” selected as its first target Isobel’s, a chic furrier in Harrogate. Hunt and Darry broke in and stole five minks, two fox-fur capes, and £200 from the safe. Chapman remained in the car, “shivering with fear and unable to help.” The next was a pawnbroker’s in Grimsby. While Anson revved the Bentley outside to cover the sound of the explosions, Chapman and Hunt broke into an empty house next door, cut their way through the wall, and then blew open four safes. The proceeds, sold through a fence in the West End, netted £15,000. This was followed by a break-in at the Swiss Cottage Odeon cinema using an iron bar, a hit on Express Dairies, and a smash-and-grab raid on a shop in Oxford Street. Escaping from the latter scene, Anson drove the stolen getaway car into a lamppost. As the gang fled, a crowd of onlookers gathered around the smoking vehicle; one, who happened to be a small-time thief, made the mistake of putting his hand on the hood. When his fingerprints were matched with Scotland Yard records, he was sentenced to four years in prison. The Jelly Gang found this most amusing.

Chapman was no longer a reckless petty pilferer, but a criminal of means, and he spent money as fast as he could steal it, mixing with the underworld aristocracy, the gambling playboys, the roué actors, the alcoholic journalists, the insomniac writers, and the dodgy politicians drawn to the demimonde. He became friendly with Noël Coward, Ivor Novello, Marlene Dietrich, and the young filmmaker Terence Young (who would go on to direct the first James Bond film). Young was a suave figure who prided himself on his elegant clothes, his knowledge of fine wine, and his reputation as a lothario. Perhaps in imitation of his new friend, Chapman also began buying suits in Savile Row and driving a fast car. He kept a table reserved at the Nest in Kingley Street, where he held court, surrounded by bottles and girls. Young remarked: “He was able to talk on almost any subject. Most of us knew that he was a crook, but nevertheless we liked him for his manner and personality.”

Young found Chapman intriguing: He made no secret of his trade, yet there was an upright side to his character that the filmmaker found curious. “He is a crook and will always be one,” Young observed to a lawyer friend. “But he probably has more principles and honesty of character than either of us.” Chapman would steal the money from your pocket, even as he bought you a drink, but he never deserted a friend, nor hurt a soul. In a brutal business, he was a pacifist. “I don’t go along with the use of violence,” he declared many years later. “I always made more than a good living out of crime without it.”

Careless, guiltless, and godless, Chapman reveled in his underworld notoriety. He pasted press clippings describing his crimes into a scrapbook. He was particularly delighted when it was reported that police suspected American gangs were behind the recent spate of safecracking because chewing gum had been found at the crime scenes (the Jelly Gang had merely used chewing gum to stick the gelignite to the safes). By the summer of 1935, they had stolen so much money that Chapman and Darry decided to rent a house in Bridport on the Dorset coast for an extended holiday; but after six weeks they grew bored and “went back to ‘work.’ ” Chapman disguised himself as an inspector from the Metropolitan Water Board, gained access to a house in Edgware Road, smashed a hole through the wall into the shop next door, and extracted the safe. This was carried out of the front door, loaded into the Bentley, and taken to Hunt’s garage at 39 St. Luke’s Mews, Notting Hill, where the safe door was blown off.

But cash could not confer all the benefits of class, and mixing with authors and actors, Chapman became conscious of his lack of education. He announced that he intended to become a writer, and began reading widely, plundering English literature in search of knowledge and direction. When asked what he did for a living, Chapman would reply, with a wink, that he was a “professional dancer.” He danced from club to club, from job to job, from book to book, and from woman to woman. Late in 1935, he announced he was getting married, to Vera Freidberg, an exotic young woman with a Russian mother and a German-Jewish father. From her, Chapman picked up a grounding in the German language. But within a few months, he had moved into a boardinghouse in Shepherd’s Bush with another woman, Freda Stevenson, a stage dancer from Southend who was five years his junior. He loved Freda, she was vivacious and sassy; yet when he met Betty Farmer—his “Shropshire Lass”—in the Nite Lite Club, he loved her, too.

Macintyre is the more graceful writer; Agent Zigzag has a clarity and shape that make it the more fluid account… I would give a personal nod to Macintyre’s as the better book… A review cannot possibly convey the sheer fun of this story… or the fascinating moral complexities.

Chapman’s story has been told in fragments in the past, but only when MI5 declassified his files was it possible to present it in all its richness and complexity. Macintyre tells it to perfection, with endless insights into the horror and absurdity of war….Eddie Chapman was a patriot, in his fashion, and this excellent book finally does him justice.

[R]ichly descriptive, marvelously illuminating, and just plain brilliant….One could not think of a better subject for Macintyre's curious mind than the man whom British intelligence dubbed Agent Zigzag in December 1942…. [A] plot - impossible and pointless to summarize - that is as briskly paced and suspenseful as any novel's. Macintyre's diligent research and access to once-secret files combine here with his gift of empathetic imagination and inspired re-creation. He writes with brio and a festive spirit and has quite simply created a masterpiece.

Fact sounds like fast-moving fiction in this espionage saga of a man who was probably the most improbable double agent to emerge in World War II. ... The author has written an enormously fascinating book about an enormously fascinating man. The late Eddie Chapman would have been delighted to at last capture the limelight denied him by the restrictions of his wartime profession. The question now is, who will make the movie and who will play the lead? Too bad Errol Flynn is dead.

[Agent Zigzag’s] incredible wartime adventures, recounted in Ben Macintyre’s rollicking, spellbinding Agent Zigzag blend the spy-versus-spy machinations of John le Carré with the high farce of Evelyn Waugh.

Meticulously researched, splendidly told, immensely entertaining and often very moving

About the Author
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Mystery over second Wagner plane seen zig-zagging and landing after Russia plane crash

Just two months ago, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin amassed his 25,000 war-hardened mercenaries and started to march on Moscow to depose Russia's military leadership

21:14, 23 Aug 2023
Updated 10:23, 24 Aug 2023

The sighting of a second plane zig-zagging through the air and landing safely in Russia has sparked mystery after an aircraft carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin crashed - reportedly killing everyone on board.

This evening it appeared as though karma may have come full circle for Prigozhin - who just two months ago had tried to depose the Russian military leadership - after his aircraft carrying 10 people fell out of the sky in Tver's Bologovsky district.

One local woman reported seeing parts of the plane flake off as it tumbled toward the ground, as another said she saw two massive explosions ring out in the moments before its fatal descent. Another plane, which was also reportedly owned by the chief of the shadowy band of mercenaries, Wagner PMC, was seen zig-zagging through the air as it turned around over the Russian capital of Moscow.

According to Russian sources, Prigozhin was well-known for trying to deceive any would-be assassins, and often "confused everyone" by running additional flights while he was officially checked in on another charter. The Readovka news agency, which has been linked to the warlord, even said it was "premature" to jump to the conclusion that he had died.

One of the most important confirmations from today's incident came from Rosaviatsiya, Russia's aviation agency, who confirmed that the Wagner chief was named on the passenger list. There were said to have been 10 passengers on-board at the time, but only eight bodies had been recovered.

Among the charred remains was one corpse which was missing a head, and another with a face described as "shattered" by local media outlet BAZA. A source who had seen the wreck, said: “The infrastructure [of the plane] was not damaged, the tail fell off in one settlement, everything else in another. The wing also fell off, we don’t know yet what and where. Three people, the pilots, are torn to pieces, to pieces. The rest are in the tail section. Four bodies were picked open, and then it is still not clear. The plane burned out completely. Only the front part, windows and a piece of hardware remained, and a piece of the engine is lying on one wing. Everything else burned out. There is no other wing with an engine.”

MORE ON Russia Ukraine war Yevgeny Prigozhin Vladimir Putin Wagner Company

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How To Sail Against The Wind
The tacking sailing maneuver means a sailboat will sail in a zig-zag direction against the wind rather than sailing at a 90-degree angle windward. The zig-zag direction change means the wind will alternate between blowing on the starboard side and blowing on the port side. For example, if the wind is blowing from the north, tacking would mean ...
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A sailboat cannot steer directly into the wind and instead must follow a zig-zag course over the ground to make progress in that direction. To tack the sailboat is the action of turning its bow through the wind. This maneuver also called "a tack" (noun), is used to sail into the direction of the wind. Also, a sailboat can be on a port tack ...
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The process of making your way upwind by tacking back and forth is know as beating upwind. In the image above, a sailboat is shown sailing in a zig zag pattern about 45 degrees off the wind direction and making its way upwind. Notice the sails are sheeted in tightly and the boom is almost over the centerline of the boat hull.
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A sailor intending to travel windward toward a point exactly in line with the direction of the wind will have to zig zag back and forth to reach its target. Using this "tacking" technique, and ...
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When a sailboat begins to switch from a "zig" to a "zag" motion, it is when you turn the bow of the boat into the wind; this is called a tack. A few things to remember about a tack are: Tacking Is Moving The Bow Of The Boat - In a tack, you move the boat's bow through the wind to change direction.
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Is Yevgeny Prigozhin Dead? Russia Claims Wagner Group Boss Killed in
In the aftermath of the crash, a second aircraft, also allegedly linked to Prigozhin, was spotted maneuvering in a zig-zag pattern above Moscow.
Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal
Based on recently declassified files, Agent Zigzag tells Chapman's full story for the first time. It's a gripping tale of loyalty, love, treachery, espionage, and the thin and shifting line between fidelity and betrayal. Excerpt: CHAPTER ONE. The Hotel de la Plage Spring came early to the island of Jersey in 1939.
Mystery over second Wagner plane seen zig-zagging and landing after
The sighting of a second plane zig-zagging through the air and landing safely in Russia has sparked mystery after an aircraft carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin crashed - reportedly killing everyone on board.
Zig Zag
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