What makes a sailboat go?
Wind pushes a sailboat forward the same way an airplane wing lifts a plane off the ground. To get maximum lift, or pull forward, the sails have to be lined up (trimmed) in relation to the direction of the wind so the wind flows over the sail evenly. Suppose you want to go toward a dock which is into the wind. If you turn the boat and aim it at the dock into the wind, you can see that your sails will luff and you will get nowhere. Again, the solution is easy. You pull the mainsail in as far as you can and then steer the boat so the mainsail is just filling. Your course will be approximately 45 degrees to the wind direction. Of course, you will now not be aiming at the dock, but 45 degrees away from it. You sail this 45 degree course until you come to a position where the dock is 90 degrees from your course. At this point you turn your boat into the wind and out the other side. This is called tacking. You will now be sailing 45 degrees to the wind, but you will be heading towards the doc
