Tacking (sailing)

A sailing craft whose course is downwind jibes (or "wears" if square-rigged) by having the apparent wind cross the stern from one tack to the other.

[2][3] High-performance sailing craft may tack, rather than jibe, downwind, when the apparent wind is well forward.

To travel towards a destination that is within the no-sail zone, a craft must perform a series of zig-zag maneuvers in that direction, maintaining a course to the right or the left that allows the sail(s) to generate power.

[4] The method for tacking of sailing craft differs, depending on whether they are fore-and aft, square-rigged, a windsurfer, a kitesurfer, or a proa.

Wind strength and the relative position of other sailing craft may determine how frequently to tack.

Peter then represented England at the 1969 junior world championships in Bermuda, which he won together with his team mate Nick Martin, demonstrating that the roll tacking technique he developed on the narrow river gave a distinct advantage in open water too.

Tacking: Sailing the craft into the wind from the port tack to the starboard tack.
Beating to windward on a series of port and starboard tacks, tacking between each at points 1, 2, and 3.
Points of sail: the shaded area is the "no-sail" zone.
Beating to windward on short (P1), medium (P2), and long (P3) tacks, each with a progressively wider corridor over the water.