How do you Sail Upwind
A Voyaging Canoe’s Anatomy, Movement and Ability
Aloha Kākou,
Keili here. Today I wanted to talk about something I am asked often, and asked myself for quite a while… How the heck do sailboats sail INTO the wind? It is one thing to imagine a sailboat wing - in - wing (two sails put out opposite direction) going down with the wind / being pushed by the wind. However, it is another thing entirely to imagine the same sailboat with sails trimmed in tightly, going against the wind while maintaining the same speed. It adds another layer of confusion when you think about a catamaran because it does not have a keel (I will explain that in a bit).
Basically, the best image to help your brain make sense of it is to imagine the sails of the boat acting as the wings of an airplane, or a bird.
Just like a wing, the sails are generating lift. The boat does not actually get pushed by the wind (unless it is a square sail). If you tried this with a toy sailboat built to scale with nothing but a hull and a sail, the lift would consequently cause a vessel to tip. That is why all sailboats have a keel or a dagger board. Is put in place to counteract the sideways movement while not resisting the forward glide.
Yay! We can sail into the wind! Well, not directly into the wind….
Going into the wind means you are going toward the direction it is coming from, or against the wind if you will. When doing this it is possible to position yourself at a 45 degree angle. For example, if the wind is coming from the East you can position yourself to go North east and cross the wind (called a tack) to go Southeast. Allowing you to move eastward in a sort of zig zag way. Though this may seem frustrating, a 45 degree angle is actually the most optimal position for sailing! Therefore, if you can find a destination that is at a 45 degree angle from your starting point, you are looking at a pretty direct, quick and easy passage!
Now, what keeps a catamaran from Capsizing (flipping over) when pushed by the wind, waves and other forces?
Of course, like I said, the steering rudder (Hoe) helps. Also, the beam, and a catamarans two hulls help not only with stability, but with buoyancy as well. Thus many sailors prefer catamarans, especially because they offer more space and stability while underway. Ie; less items, dishes, and drinks being thrown to the side as is known to happen with many mono hulled boats.
Since they don't have a heavy lead keel (photo below), also called a ballast, they are less prone to sinking since they are not full of lead. We also love our catamaran because she can go right up onto the sand. Most monohulls (single hulled boats) have around 3 -6 ft below the water that they have to think about. Not just when they want to come to shore, but also when they are in the presence of rocks and reefs.
Of course, all boats can still capsize
no matter how buoyant, stable, or large they are. Main factors are weather, studying and understanding weather patterns before you go and knowing the usual weather for the area you are exploring is something Chris and I have been learning and doing for quite some time. Until we accrue the budget for the higher level weather tracking gear, Chris and I have been familiarizing ourselves with a number of apps. If you have any to add please comment on the post! Ones we use a lot are windy, navionics boating, marine traffic, zoom earth, tides, & garmin marine.
I hope this helps you understand sailing (especially upwind) a bit more!
If you have any questions this article brought to the surface of your mind, feel free to respond to this email or message us on Substack to get the conversation started! I really enjoyed doing research and writing this post, I hope you liked reading it.
As the cuddle weather keeps us indoors, looking out at the wind and cold, at least now we can all imagine sailing wildly against the wind at a 45 degree angle & hauling butt!
Happy holidays - Whatever you choose to reflect on, celebrate, observe this season I hope you are surrounded by people who love you and all your favorite foods.
-Keili
As always, mahalo ke Akua, my friends, family and my angel of a mother, Illa McEvilly. Thank you for all the dreams you have fostered in my heart, and for being with me on all my adventures.