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Tacking or coming about is a sailing maneuver by which a sailing craft (sailing vessel, ice boat, or land yacht), whose next destination is into the wind, turns its bow toward and through the wind so that the direction from which the wind blows changes from one side of the boat to the other, allowing progress in the desired direction.^[1] Sailing vessels are unable to sail higher than a certain angle towards the wind, so "beating to windward" in a zig-zag fashion with a series of tacking maneuvers, allows a vessel to sail towards a destination that is closer to the wind than the vessel can sail directly.

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.

Beating to windward

Sails are limited in how close to the direction of the wind they can power a sailing craft. The area towards the wind defining those limits is called the "no-sail zone". 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. Each such course is a "tack". The act of transitioning from one tack to the other is called "tacking" or "coming about".^[2] Sailing on a series of courses that are close to the craft's windward limitation (close-hauled) is called "beating to windward".^[4]

For various sailing craft

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.

Fore-and-aft rig – A fore-and-aft rig permits the wind to flow past the sail, as the craft head through the eye of the wind. Modern rigs pivot around a stay or the mast, while this occurs. For a jib, the old leeward sheet is released as the craft heads through the wind and the old windward sheet is tightened as the new leeward sheet to allow the sail to draw wind. Mainsails are often self-tending and slide on a traveler to the opposite side.^[5] On certain rigs, such as lateens^[6] and luggers,^[7] the sail may be partially lowered to bring it to the opposite side.
Square rig – Unlike with a fore-and-aft rig, a square-rigged vessel's sails must be presented squarely to the wind and thus impede forward motion as they are swung around via the yardarms through the wind as controlled by the vessel's running rigging, using braces—adjusting the fore and aft angle of each yardarm around the mast—and sheets attached to the clews (bottom corners) of each sail to control the sail's angle to the wind.^[8] The procedure is to turn the vessel into the wind with the hind-most fore-and-aft sail (the spanker), often pulled to windward to help turn the ship through the eye of the wind. The main (and often mizzen) sails are braced around onto the new tack as the ship approaches the eye of the wind. Once the ship has come about, the remaining sails are adjusted to align properly with the new tack. Because square-rigger masts are more strongly supported from behind than from ahead, tacking is a dangerous procedure in strong winds. The ship may lose forward momentum (become caught in stays) and the rigging may fail from the wind coming from ahead. Under these conditions, the choice may be to wear ship—to turn the ship away from the wind and around 240° onto the next tack (60° off the wind).^[9]
Windsurfer rig – Sailors of windsurfers tack by walking forward of the mast and letting the sail swing into the wind as the board moves through the eye of the wind; once on the opposite tack, the sailor realigns the sail on the new tack. In strong winds on a small board, an option is the 'fast tack', whereby the board is turned into the wind at planing speed as the sailor crosses in front of the flexibly mounted mast and reaches for the boom on the opposite side and continues planing on the new tack.^[10]
Kitesurfer rig – When changing tack, a kitesurfer rotates the kite end-for-end to align with the new apparent wind direction. Kite boards are designed to be used exclusively while planing; many are double-ended to allow an immediate change of course in the opposite direction.^[11]
Proa – Double-ended sailing vessels, such as proas, may tack by shunting: turning off the wind, switching the sails and steering mechanism end-for-end and then proceeding on the opposite tack with the former stern functioning as the new bow, and with the outrigger on the windward side as before.^[12]

Navigating

The bearing from a sailing craft's current location to a destination or racing mark that lies within the no-sail zone, may lie on one side or other of being directly upwind. The tack on that side is "favored", because the destination lies closest to the craft's highest point of sail—its "best course" is close-hauled on that tack. Wind shifts that improve the angle towards the destination are called "lifts"; those that increase the angle away from the destination are called "headers". A sufficiently large wind shift may cause the destination to lie on the opposite side of the direction from which the destination or mark lies and indicate a tack to the favored side—tacking on a header.^[13]

Apparent wind sailing

High-performance sailing craft, such as sailing catamarans, sailing hydrofoils, ice boats and land-sailing craft, may be capable of speeds exceeding the true wind speed, sailing off the wind. Because the speed of the craft is a dominant contributor to the apparent wind, the apparent wind angle shifts forward. Such sailing craft may tack, while going downwind, under the principle of apparent wind sailing.^[14]

Racing

Sailing race courses may be triangular, windward-leeward triangular, or simply windward-leeward, each of which involves at least one leg directly to windward.^[15] The windward mark may favor a best course on a given tack, until the wind shifts significantly. Wind strength and the relative position of other sailing craft may determine how frequently to tack.^[16]

Tactics

A boat to windward of others enjoys undisturbed air, while disturbing the air for nearby boats that are downwind and behind. To keep this advantage the lead boat will often try to "cover" the trailing boat(s) by maneuvering to keep them "blanketed" in the disturbed air coming from its sails. The trailing boats seek to avoid the disturbed air from boats to windward without losing too much speed or momentum.^[16] A "tacking duel" develops when a leading boat decides to cover a trailing boat and the trailing boat seeks to escape the disturbed air. A successful approach for the trailing boat is to tack within the area of maximally disturbed air, where the wind has the least effect on the boat's wind-caused drag (windage).^[17]^[18]

Roll tacking

Roll tacking, usually while racing sailing dinghies, involves aggressive heeling of the sailboat, as the skipper and crew move towards the windward side during the first half of the tack when the boat crosses through the wind. The skipper and crew then roll the boat back to an even keel following the completion of the tack, rapidly accelerating the boat back up to speed and allowing the sails to immediately resume their optimum shape on the new tack.^[19] The form of the boat in the water, not the rudder, is the primary mechanism for changing course from one tack to the other. Some keel boats may also be roll tacked.^[20]

The technique of roll tacking was developed by Peter Claydon who raced dinghies on the River Cam in Cambridge as a teenager (where it was necessary to tack repeatedly in quick succession up the very narrow river). 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. Subsequently the technique became essential to be competitive in dinghy racing. ^[21]

References

^ Keegan, John (1989). The Price of Admiralty. New York: Viking. p. 281. ISBN 0-670-81416-4.
^ ^a ^b Sailing, American (2010-01-01). Sailing Made Easy: The Official Manual For The ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing Course. American Sailing. pp. 48–51. ISBN 978-0-9821025-0-3.
^ McEwen, Thomas (2006). Boater's Pocket Reference: Your Comprehensive Resource for Boats and Boating. Anchor Cove Publishing. pp. 186–. ISBN 978-0-9774052-0-6.
^ Jobson, Gary (2008-09-08). Sailing Fundamentals. Simon and Schuster. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-4391-3678-2.
^ Jobson, Gary (2008). Sailing Fundamentals (Revised ed.). Simon and Schuster. p. 224. ISBN 978-1-4391-3678-2.
^ Campbell, I.C. (1995), "The Lateen Sail in World History" (PDF), Journal of World History, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 1–23, archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-04, retrieved 2017-06-16
^ Skeat, Walter W. (2013). An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. Dover language guides (Reprint ed.). Courier Corporation. p. 351. ISBN 978-0-486-31765-6.
^ Biddlecombe, George (1990). The Art of Rigging: Containing an Explanation of Terms and Phrases and the Progressive Method of Rigging Expressly Adapted for Sailing Ships. Dover Maritime Series. Courier Corporation. p. 13. ISBN 9780486263434.
^ Findlay, Gordon D. (2005). My Hand on the Tiller. AuthorHouse. p. 138. ISBN 9781456793500.
^ Hart, Peter (2014). Windsurfing. Crowood. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-84797-963-6.
^ Gratwick, Andy (2015). The Kiteboarding Manual: The essential guide for beginners and improvers. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-4081-9204-7.
^ World, Yachting (2021-04-08). "Jzerro: The oceangoing Pacific proa". Yachting World. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
^ Royce, Patrick M. (2015). Royce's Sailing Illustrated. Vol. 2 (11 ed.). ProStar Publications. p. 161. ISBN 9780911284072.
^ Bethwaite, Frank (2008). Higher performance sailing. London: Adlard Coles Nautical. ISBN 978-1-4729-0131-6. OCLC 854680844.
^ Cort, Adam; Stearns, Richard (2013-06-14). Getting Started in Sailboat Racing, 2nd Edition. McGraw Hill Professional. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-0-07-180827-9.
^ ^a ^b Walker, Stuart H. (1986). Advanced Racing Tactics. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-30333-9.
^ Jobson, Gary L.; Whidden, Tom; Loory, Adam (1990-07-15). Championship Tactics: How Anyone Can Sail Faster, Smarter, and Win Races. Macmillan. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-312-04278-3.
^ Spenkuch, Thomas; Turnock, Stephen; Scarponi, Matteo; Shenoi, Ajit (2010-06-01). "Real time simulation of tacking yachts: how best to counter the advantage of an upwind yacht". Procedia Engineering. The Engineering of Sport 8 - Engineering Emotion. 2 (2): 3305–3310. doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2010.04.149. ISSN 1877-7058.
^ Textor, Ken (1995). The New Book of Sail Trim. Sheridan House, Inc. pp. 54–57. ISBN 978-0-924486-81-4.
^ Westling, Niclas (2016-03-13). "Roll tacking in a keelboat - two methods to try". Sail better!. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
^ "ENGLAND'S TEAM of Peter Claydon and Nicholas Martin (right) are seen here on their way to overall victory". No. 15 September 1969. Eastern Sun Newspaper. 15 September 1969. p. 10. Retrieved 10 March 2024.

[1] Keegan, John (1989). The Price of Admiralty. New York: Viking. p. 281. ISBN 0-670-81416-4.

[:0-2] Sailing, American (2010-01-01). Sailing Made Easy: The Official Manual For The ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing Course. American Sailing. pp. 48–51. ISBN 978-0-9821025-0-3.

[McEwen2006-3] McEwen, Thomas (2006). Boater's Pocket Reference: Your Comprehensive Resource for Boats and Boating. Anchor Cove Publishing. pp. 186–. ISBN 978-0-9774052-0-6.

[4] Jobson, Gary (2008-09-08). Sailing Fundamentals. Simon and Schuster. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-4391-3678-2.

[Jobson22-5] Jobson, Gary (2008). Sailing Fundamentals (Revised ed.). Simon and Schuster. p. 224. ISBN 978-1-4391-3678-2.

[Lateen2-6] Campbell, I.C. (1995), "The Lateen Sail in World History" (PDF), Journal of World History, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 1–23, archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-04, retrieved 2017-06-16

[Lugger2-7] Skeat, Walter W. (2013). An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. Dover language guides (Reprint ed.). Courier Corporation. p. 351. ISBN 978-0-486-31765-6.

[Biddlecombe2-8] Biddlecombe, George (1990). The Art of Rigging: Containing an Explanation of Terms and Phrases and the Progressive Method of Rigging Expressly Adapted for Sailing Ships. Dover Maritime Series. Courier Corporation. p. 13. ISBN 9780486263434.

[Findlay2-9] Findlay, Gordon D. (2005). My Hand on the Tiller. AuthorHouse. p. 138. ISBN 9781456793500.

[Hart2-10] Hart, Peter (2014). Windsurfing. Crowood. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-84797-963-6.

[Gratwick2-11] Gratwick, Andy (2015). The Kiteboarding Manual: The essential guide for beginners and improvers. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-4081-9204-7.

[12] World, Yachting (2021-04-08). "Jzerro: The oceangoing Pacific proa". Yachting World. Retrieved 2021-11-12.

[Royce-13] Royce, Patrick M. (2015). Royce's Sailing Illustrated. Vol. 2 (11 ed.). ProStar Publications. p. 161. ISBN 9780911284072.

[:02-14] Bethwaite, Frank (2008). Higher performance sailing. London: Adlard Coles Nautical. ISBN 978-1-4729-0131-6. OCLC 854680844.

[15] Cort, Adam; Stearns, Richard (2013-06-14). Getting Started in Sailboat Racing, 2nd Edition. McGraw Hill Professional. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-0-07-180827-9.

[:1-16] Walker, Stuart H. (1986). Advanced Racing Tactics. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-30333-9.

[17] Jobson, Gary L.; Whidden, Tom; Loory, Adam (1990-07-15). Championship Tactics: How Anyone Can Sail Faster, Smarter, and Win Races. Macmillan. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-312-04278-3.

[18] Spenkuch, Thomas; Turnock, Stephen; Scarponi, Matteo; Shenoi, Ajit (2010-06-01). "Real time simulation of tacking yachts: how best to counter the advantage of an upwind yacht". Procedia Engineering. The Engineering of Sport 8 - Engineering Emotion. 2 (2): 3305–3310. doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2010.04.149. ISSN 1877-7058.

[19] Textor, Ken (1995). The New Book of Sail Trim. Sheridan House, Inc. pp. 54–57. ISBN 978-0-924486-81-4.

[20] Westling, Niclas (2016-03-13). "Roll tacking in a keelboat - two methods to try". Sail better!. Retrieved 2022-09-20.

[Page_10-21] "ENGLAND'S TEAM of Peter Claydon and Nicholas Martin (right) are seen here on their way to overall victory". No. 15 September 1969. Eastern Sun Newspaper. 15 September 1969. p. 10. Retrieved 10 March 2024.

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+{{short description|A sailing maneuver}}
-{{Multiple issues|
+[[File:Wende (Segeln).png|thumb|upright|Tacking: Sailing the craft into the wind from the port tack to the starboard tack.]]
-{{More citations needed|date=November 2016}}
+[[File:beating to windward.svg|thumb|Beating to windward on a series of port and starboard tacks, tacking between each at points 1, 2, and 3.]]
-{{Original research|date=November 2016}}
+'''Tacking'''  or '''coming about''' is a [[sailing]] maneuver by which a sailing craft ([[Sailing ship|sailing vessel]], [[Iceboat|ice boat]], or [[Land sailing|land yacht]]), whose next destination is into the wind, turns its [[bow (ship)|bow]] toward and through the wind so that the direction from which the wind blows changes from one side of the boat to the other, allowing progress in the desired direction.<ref>{{cite book |last=Keegan |first=John |author-link=John Keegan |title=The Price of Admiralty |publisher=Viking |date=1989 |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/priceofadmiralty00keeg/page/n312 281] |isbn=0-670-81416-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/priceofadmiralty00keeg }}</ref> Sailing vessels are unable to sail higher than a certain angle towards the wind, so "beating to windward" in a zig-zag fashion with a series of tacking maneuvers, allows a vessel to sail towards a destination that is closer to the wind than the vessel can sail directly.
-}}
-{{short description|Basic sailing maneuver, where ship turns its bow through the wind}}
+A sailing craft, whose course is downwind, [[jibes]] (or "wears" if [[square-rig]]ged) by having the [[apparent wind]] cross the stern from one tack to the other.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Sailing |first=American |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SEWEDwAAQBAJ&dq=tacking+a+sailboat&pg=PA50 |title=Sailing Made Easy: The Official Manual For The ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing Course |date=2010-01-01 |publisher=American Sailing |isbn=978-0-9821025-0-3 |pages=48–51 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="McEwen2006">{{cite book |last=McEwen |first=Thomas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kdHyM6_egMwC&pg=PA186 |title=Boater's Pocket Reference: Your Comprehensive Resource for Boats and Boating |publisher=Anchor Cove Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-9774052-0-6 |pages=186–}}</ref> [[High-performance sailing|High-performance sailing craft]] may tack, rather than jibe, downwind, when the apparent wind is well forward.
-'''Tacking'''  is a [[sailing]] maneuver by which a [[Sailing ship|sailing vessel]], whose desired course is into the wind, turns its [[bow (ship)|bow]] toward and through the wind so that the direction from which the wind blows changes from one side of the boat to the other, allowing progress in the desired direction.<ref>{{cite book |last=Keegan |first=John |author-link=John Keegan |title=The Price of Admiralty |publisher=Viking |date=1989 |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/priceofadmiralty00keeg/page/n312 281] |isbn=0-670-81416-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/priceofadmiralty00keeg }}</ref> Sailing vessels are unable to sail higher than a certain angle towards the wind, so proceeding in a zig-zag fashion with a series of tacking maneuvers, allows a vessel to sail towards a destination that is closer to the wind that the vessel can sail directly.
-==The need for tacking==
+==Beating to windward==
+[[File:Points of sail.svg|thumb|Points of sail: the shaded area is the "no-sail" zone.]]
-[[File:Tacking.svg|frame|Tacking from starboard tack to port tack. Wind shown in <span style="color: red">red</span>. <big>①</big> on [[starboard]] tack, <big>②</big> turning to windward to begin the tacking maneuver or "preparing to come about", <big>③</big> headed into the wind; the sail [[luffing|luffs]] and loses propulsion, while the vessel makes way on [[momentum]] to provide rudder [[Steerage (ship)|steerage]], <big>④</big> making way on the new port tack by sheeting in the mainsail, <big>⑤</big> on [[port (nautical)|port]] tack.]]
+[[File:Tacking Intervals.svg|thumb|Beating to windward on short (P1), medium (P2), and long (P3) tacks, each with a progressively wider corridor over the water.]]
+Sails are limited in how close to the direction of the wind they can power a sailing craft. The area towards the wind defining those limits is called the "no-sail zone". 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. Each such course is a "tack". The act of transitioning from one tack to the other is called "tacking" or "coming about".<ref name=":0" /> Sailing on a series of courses that are close to the craft's windward limitation ([[close-hauled]]) is called "beating to windward".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jobson |first=Gary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mKTrrP3wA-cC&q=beating |title=Sailing Fundamentals |date=2008-09-08 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-4391-3678-2 |pages=73 |language=en}}</ref>
+=== For various sailing craft ===
-Sailing ships cannot proceed directly into the wind, but often need to go in that direction. Movement is achieved by tacking. If a vessel is sailing on a [[starboard]] tack with the wind blowing from the right side and tacks, it will end up on a [[port (nautical)|port]] tack with the wind blowing from the left side. See the accompanying image; the red arrow indicates the wind direction. This maneuver is frequently used when the desired direction is (nearly) directly into the wind.
+The method for tacking of sailing craft differs, depending on whether they are [[Fore-and-aft rig|fore-and aft]], square-rigged, a [[Windsurfing|windsurfer]], a [[Kiteboarding|kitesurfer]], or a [[proa]].
+* ''Fore-and-aft rig'' – A fore-and-aft rig permits the wind to flow past the sail, as the craft head through the eye of the wind. Modern rigs pivot around a stay or the mast, while this occurs. For a [[jib]], the old leeward sheet is released as the craft heads through the wind and the old windward sheet is tightened as the new leeward sheet to allow the sail to draw wind. [[Mainsail]]s are often self-tending and slide on a traveler to the opposite side.<ref name="Jobson22">{{cite book |last=Jobson |first=Gary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mKTrrP3wA-cC |title=Sailing Fundamentals |date=2008 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-4391-3678-2 |edition=Revised |pages=224}}</ref> On certain rigs, such as [[lateen]]s<ref name="Lateen2">{{Citation |last=Campbell |first=I.C. |title=The Lateen Sail in World History |url=http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/journals/jwh/jwh061p001.pdf |periodical=Journal of World History |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=1–23 |year=1995 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804061252/http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/journals/jwh/jwh061p001.pdf |access-date=2017-06-16 |archive-date=2016-08-04 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[lugger]]s,<ref name="Lugger2">{{cite book |last=Skeat |first=Walter W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jeeGAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA351 |title=An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language |date=2013 |publisher=Courier Corporation |isbn=978-0-486-31765-6 |edition=Reprint |series=Dover language guides |page=351}}</ref> the sail may be partially lowered to bring it to the opposite side.
+* ''Square rig'' – Unlike with a fore-and-aft rig, a square-rigged vessel's sails must be presented squarely to the wind and thus impede forward motion as they are swung around via the yardarms through the wind as controlled by the vessel's [[Running rigging#Adjusting angle to the wind|running rigging]], using [[Brace (sailing)|braces]]—adjusting the fore and aft angle of each [[Yard (sailing)|yardarm]] around the mast—and [[Sheet (sailing)|sheets]] attached to the [[Parts of a sail#The corners|clews]] (bottom corners) of each sail to control the sail's angle to the wind.<ref name="Biddlecombe2">{{cite book |last=Biddlecombe |first=George |url=https://archive.org/details/artrigging00steegoog |title=The Art of Rigging: Containing an Explanation of Terms and Phrases and the Progressive Method of Rigging Expressly Adapted for Sailing Ships |date=1990 |publisher=Courier Corporation |isbn=9780486263434 |series=Dover Maritime Series |page=[https://archive.org/details/artrigging00steegoog/page/n33 13]}}</ref> The procedure is to turn the vessel into the wind with the hind-most fore-and-aft sail (the [[Spanker (sail)|''spanker'']]), often pulled to windward to help turn the ship through the eye of the wind. The main (and often mizzen) sails are braced around onto the new tack as the ship approaches the eye of the wind. Once the ship has come about, the remaining sails are adjusted to align properly with the new tack. Because square-rigger masts are more strongly supported from behind than from ahead, tacking is a dangerous procedure in strong winds. The ship may lose forward momentum (become ''caught in stays'') and the rigging may fail from the wind coming from ahead. Under these conditions, the choice may be to ''wear ship''—to turn the ship away from the wind and around 240° onto the next tack (60° off the wind).<ref name="Findlay2">{{cite book |last=Findlay |first=Gordon D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OzFWjOMvGs4C&pg=PA138 |title=My Hand on the Tiller |date=2005 |publisher=AuthorHouse |isbn=9781456793500 |page=138}}</ref>
+* ''Windsurfer rig'' – Sailors of [[windsurfer]]s tack by walking forward of the mast and letting the sail swing into the wind as the board moves through the eye of the wind; once on the opposite tack, the sailor realigns the sail on the new tack. In strong winds on a small board, an option is the 'fast tack', whereby the board is turned into the wind at planing speed as the sailor crosses in front of the flexibly mounted mast and reaches for the boom on the opposite side and continues planing on the new tack.<ref name="Hart2">{{cite book |last=Hart |first=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2-JKCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT380 |title=Windsurfing |date=2014 |publisher=Crowood |isbn=978-1-84797-963-6 |pages=176}}</ref>
+* ''Kitesurfer rig'' – When changing tack, a [[Kite surfing|kitesurfer]] rotates the [[kite]] end-for-end to align with the new apparent wind direction. Kite boards are designed to be used exclusively while planing; many are double-ended to allow an immediate change of course in the opposite direction.<ref name="Gratwick2">{{cite book |last=Gratwick |first=Andy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pELTBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA106 |title=The Kiteboarding Manual: The essential guide for beginners and improvers |date=2015 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4081-9204-7 |page=106}}</ref>
+*''Proa –'' Double-ended sailing vessels, such as [[Proa|proas]], may tack by [[Shunt (sailing)|shunting]]: turning off the wind, switching the sails and steering mechanism end-for-end and then proceeding on the opposite tack with the former stern functioning as the new bow, and with the outrigger on the windward side as before.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=World |first=Yachting |date=2021-04-08 |title=Jzerro: The oceangoing Pacific proa |url=https://www.yachtingworld.com/extraordinary-boats/jzerro-the-oceangoing-pacific-proa-130899 |magazine=Yachting World |language=en-US |access-date=2021-11-12}}</ref>
+{{Expand section|tacking procedure for dipping lug, standing lug, lateen, crab claw|date=September 2023}}
+=== Navigating ===
-In practice, the sails are set at an angle of 45° to the wind for modern sailing yachts. [[Rotor ship]]s can tack much closer to the wind, 20 to 30°.
+The bearing from a sailing craft's current location to a destination or racing mark that lies within the no-sail zone, may lie on one side or other of being directly upwind. The tack on that side is "favored", because the destination lies closest to the craft's highest point of sail—its "best course" is close-hauled on that tack. Wind shifts that improve the angle towards the destination are called "lifts"; those that increase the angle away from the destination are called "headers". A sufficiently large wind shift may cause the destination to lie on the opposite side of the direction from which the destination or mark lies and indicate a tack to the favored side—tacking on a header.<ref name = Royce>
-A sailing vessel, whose course is downwind, [[jibes]] (or "wears" if [[square-rig]]ged) by having the wind cross the stern from one tack to the other.<ref name="McEwen2006">{{cite book |last=McEwen |first=Thomas |title=Boater's Pocket Reference: Your Comprehensive Resource for Boats and Boating |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kdHyM6_egMwC&pg=PA186 |year=2006 |publisher=Anchor Cove Publishing |isbn=978-0-9774052-0-6 |pages=186–}}</ref>
-==Technical usage==
-[[File:beating to windward.svg|thumb|right|300px|Relationship between 'tacking' and 'beating to windward']]
-Tacking is sometimes confused with 'beating to windward', which is a process of beating a course upwind and generally implies (but does not require) actually coming about. In the accompanying figure, the boat is seen to tack three times while beating to windward.
-When used without a modifier, the term "tacking" is always synonymous with "coming about"; however, some find it acceptable to say "tack downwind"; i.e., change tack by jibing rather than coming about. Racers often use this maneuver because most modern sailboats (especially larger boats with [[spinnaker]]s and a variety of [[staysail]]s) sail substantially faster on a [[broad reach]] than when running "dead" downwind. The extra speed gained by zig-zagging downwind can more than make up for the extra distance that must be covered. Cruising boats also often tack downwind when the swells are also coming from dead astern (i.e., there is a "following sea"), because of the more stable motion of the hull.
-'To go about' is defined as: "To change the course of a ship by tacking. Ready about, or boutship, is the order to prepare for tacking."<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Naval_Encyclopaedia_Comprising_a_Dicti/PEg5AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=A+naval+encyclopædia:+comprising+a+dictionary+of+nautical+words+and+phrases%3B+biographical+notices,+and+records+of+naval+officers%3B+special+articles+of+naval+art+and+science&printsec=frontcover |title=A naval encyclopædia: comprising a dictionary of nautical words and phrases; biographical notices, and records of naval officers; special articles of naval art and science |publisher=LR Hamersly & Co |year=1881 |location=Philadelphia |access-date=January 23, 2014}} at [[Internet Archive]]</ref>
-===Beating===
-{{unreferenced section|date = February 2021}}
-[[File:Tacking Intervals.svg|thumb|232px|Alternative routes to a windward destination. Path P1 has the most tacks, but narrowest lateral limits between them. Path P3 has the fewest tacks, but the widest lateral limits.]]
-'Beating'; the procedure by which a ship moves on a zig-zag course to make progress directly into the wind (upwind). No sailing vessel can move directly upwind (though that may be the desired direction). Beating allows the vessel to advance indirectly upwind.
-A ship that is beating will sail as close to the wind as possible; this position is known as [[close hauled]]. In general, the closest angle to the wind that a ship can sail is usually around 35 to 45 degrees, and it depends on the exact boat, the exact sails, the exact wind strength, and the state of the sea. Most sailboats can sail at an angle closer to the wind as the wind gets stronger. Some modern yachts can sail very near to the wind, while older ships, especially [[square-rigged]] ships, are much worse at it.
-Thus when a ship is tacking, it is moving both upwind and across the wind. [[Crosswind]] movement is not desired, and may be very much undesirable, if for instance the ship is moving along a narrow channel.
-Therefore, the ship changes tack periodically, reversing the direction of cross-wind movement while continuing the upwind movement. The interval between tacks depends (in part) on the lateral space available: in a small navigable channel, tacks may be required every few minutes, while in the open ocean days may pass between tacks, provided that the wind continues to come from the same general direction.
-In older vessels that could not sail close to the wind, beating could be an lengthy process that required sailing a total distance several times the distance actually traveled upwind.
-==Tacking strategy==
-===Favorable tacks "lifts" and "headers"===
-When beating to [[windward]], often your desired destination although still in the no sail zone, is not aligned directly [[upwind]] - to the eye of the wind. In this case one tack becomes more favorable than the other - it angles more closely in the direction you wish to travel than the other tack does. One of the most common reasons a certain tack may become favorable is a fan puff.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-08-04 |title=Use Gears Tactically for Puffs and Separation |url=https://sailzing.com/use-gears-tactically-for-puffs-and-separation/ |access-date=2022-09-19 |website=SailZing |language=en-US}}</ref> The best strategy in this position is to stay on this favorable tack as much as possible, and shorten the time you need to sail on the unfavorable tack. This will result in a faster passage with less wasted effort. Your overall course then is not an equal zig-zag as in the diagrams above, but more of a [[saw]] tooth pattern. If while on this tack the wind shifts in your favor, called a "lift," and allows you to point up even more, so much the better, then this tack is even more favorable. But if the wind shifts against you and makes you fall off, called a "header," then the opposite tack may become the more favorable course.<ref name = Royce>
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-=== Roll tacking ===
+=== Apparent wind sailing ===
+High-performance sailing craft, such as [[Catamaran|sailing catamarans]], [[Sailing hydrofoil|sailing hydrofoils]], [[Iceboat|ice boats]] and [[Land sailing|land-sailing craft]], may be capable of speeds exceeding the true wind speed, sailing off the wind. Because the speed of the craft is a dominant contributor to the apparent wind, the apparent wind angle shifts forward. Such sailing craft may tack, while going downwind, under the principle of [[High-performance sailing#High-performance sailing|apparent wind sailing]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Bethwaite |first=Frank |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WTRLAAAAQBAJ&q=Higher+Performance+Sailing+-+Google+Books |title=Higher performance sailing |date=2008 |publisher=Adlard Coles Nautical |isbn=978-1-4729-0131-6 |location=London |oclc=854680844}}</ref>
-Roll tacking, usually while [[Sailing (sport)|racing]] [[Dinghy sailing|sailing dinghies]], involves aggressive heeling of the sailboat, as the skipper and crew move towards the windward side during the first half of the tack when the boat crosses into irons.<ref>{{Cite web |last=K |first=Matt |date=2022-08-30 |title=How To Roll Tack: A Comprehensive Guide |url=https://howtosail.org/how-to-roll-tack-a-comprehensive-guide/ |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=How to Sail |language=en-US}}</ref> The skipper and crew then roll the boat back to an even keel following the completion of the tack, allowing the sails to immediately resume their optimum shape on the new tack.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Textor |first=Ken |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2JIbS0c1XPwC&dq=roll+tacking&pg=PA54 |title=The New Book of Sail Trim |date=1995 |publisher=Sheridan House, Inc. |isbn=978-0-924486-81-4 |pages=54–57 |language=en}}</ref> The form of the boat in the water, not the rudder, is the primary mechanism for changing course from one tack to the other. Some keel boats may also be roll tacked.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Westling |first=Niclas |date=2016-03-13 |title=Roll tacking in a keelboat - two methods to try |url=https://www.sailbetter.com/roll-tacking-keel-boat/ |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=Sail better! |language=en-US}}</ref>
-===Best course===
+==Racing==
+[[Sailing (sport)|Sailing race]] courses may be triangular, windward-leeward triangular, or simply windward-leeward, each of which involves at least one leg directly to windward.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Cort |first1=Adam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bG8aJfIpgiQC&q=race+course |title=Getting Started in Sailboat Racing, 2nd Edition |last2=Stearns |first2=Richard |date=2013-06-14 |publisher=McGraw Hill Professional |isbn=978-0-07-180827-9 |pages=6–7 |language=en}}</ref> The windward mark may favor a best course on a given tack, until the wind shifts significantly. Wind strength and the relative position of other sailing craft may determine how frequently to tack.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Walker |first=Stuart H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DrONGOuRNoQC&q=tacking |title=Advanced Racing Tactics |date=1986 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |isbn=978-0-393-30333-9 |language=en}}</ref>
-Since conditions are always changing somewhat, a sailor must keep evaluating which tack, [[port]] or [[starboard]] is actually the most favorable. So with these concepts in mind, when the desired destination is exactly to windward, the most efficient strategy is given by the old racing adage to "Tack on a header." This is true because if before the wind changed both tacks were exactly equal – neither one was more favorable, then since a header on one tack is automatically a lift on the other, the opposite tack has just become the more favorable one and the helmsman should tack and change course for the most efficient passage.<ref name = Royce/>
-==Tacking duels==
+=== Tactics ===
+A boat to windward of others enjoys undisturbed air, while disturbing the air for nearby boats that are downwind and behind. To keep this advantage the lead boat will often try to "cover" the trailing boat(s) by maneuvering to keep them "blanketed" in the disturbed air coming from its sails. The trailing boats seek to avoid the disturbed air from boats to windward without losing too much speed or momentum.<ref name=":1" /> A "tacking duel" develops when a leading boat decides to cover a trailing boat and the trailing boat seeks to escape the disturbed air. A successful approach for the trailing boat is to tack within the area of maximally disturbed air, where the wind has the least effect on the boat's wind-caused drag ([[windage]]).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Jobson |first1=Gary L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w-WuY0nhnO8C&dq=tacking+duel&pg=PA160 |title=Championship Tactics: How Anyone Can Sail Faster, Smarter, and Win Races |last2=Whidden |first2=Tom |last3=Loory |first3=Adam |date=1990-07-15 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-312-04278-3 |pages=160 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Spenkuch |first=Thomas |last2=Turnock |first2=Stephen |last3=Scarponi |first3=Matteo |last4=Shenoi |first4=Ajit |date=2010-06-01 |title=Real time simulation of tacking yachts: how best to counter the advantage of an upwind yacht |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705810004030 |journal=Procedia Engineering |series=The Engineering of Sport 8 - Engineering Emotion |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=3305–3310 |doi=10.1016/j.proeng.2010.04.149 |issn=1877-7058|doi-access=free }}</ref>
-Sailing courses laid out for racing purposes always have one leg directly to windward. This is where the highest sailing skills often form the essence of the race. Sail trim and keeping the boat moving most efficiently are of the utmost importance. In these circumstances tacking duels will often develop.
+=== Roll tacking ===
-Any boat in clear air to windward has an [[aerodynamic]] advantage over other boats. To keep this advantage the lead boat will often try to "blanket" the trailing boat(s) by maneuvering to keep them in the disturbed foul air she is creating to her [[Lee side|lee]]. This involves constant anticipation and balancing many different dynamic factors. Conversely the trailing boats will try to overtake or otherwise escape the bad air blanket created by the lead boat and head for clear air without losing too much speed or momentum.
+Roll tacking, usually while racing [[Dinghy sailing|sailing dinghies]], involves aggressive heeling of the sailboat, as the skipper and crew move towards the windward side during the first half of the tack when the boat crosses through the wind. The skipper and crew then roll the boat back to an even keel following the completion of the tack, rapidly accelerating the boat back up to speed and allowing the sails to immediately resume their optimum shape on the new tack.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Textor |first=Ken |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2JIbS0c1XPwC&dq=roll+tacking&pg=PA54 |title=The New Book of Sail Trim |date=1995 |publisher=Sheridan House, Inc. |isbn=978-0-924486-81-4 |pages=54–57 |language=en}}</ref> The form of the boat in the water, not the rudder, is the primary mechanism for changing course from one tack to the other. Some keel boats may also be roll tacked.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Westling |first=Niclas |date=2016-03-13 |title=Roll tacking in a keelboat - two methods to try |url=https://www.sailbetter.com/roll-tacking-keel-boat/ |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=Sail better! |language=en-US}}</ref>
+The technique of roll tacking was developed by Peter Claydon who raced dinghies on the River Cam in Cambridge as a teenager (where it was necessary to tack repeatedly in quick succession up the very narrow river). 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. Subsequently the technique became essential to be competitive in dinghy racing.
-A '''tacking duel''' develops when two or more boats execute multiple usually excessive course changes (tacking) in very close quarters. A duel may lead to bending, or breaking, the safety [[Racing Rules of Sailing|right-of-way-rules]], and intentionally creating dangerous and threatening conditions between the dueling boats. Each skipper is trying to gain the lead and the advantage of clear air. This can sometimes become counter-productive as some speed and time is always lost in each tack.
+<ref name="Page 10">{{cite news |title=ENGLAND'S TEAM of Peter Claydon and Nicholas Martin (right) are seen here on their way to overall victory |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/easternsun19690915-1.2.102 |access-date=10 March 2024 |issue=15 September 1969 |publisher=Eastern Sun Newspaper |date=15 September 1969 |page=10}}</ref>
-== For various sailing craft ==
-The method of tacking of sailing craft differs, depending on whether they are [[Fore-and-aft rig|fore-and aft]], square-rigged, a [[Windsurfing|windsurfer]], a [[Kiteboarding|kitesurfer]], or a [[proa]].
-* ''Fore-and-aft rig'' – A fore-and-aft rig permits the wind to flow past the sail, as the craft head through the eye of the wind. Modern rigs pivot around a stay or the mast, while this occurs. For a [[jib]], the old leeward sheet is released as the craft heads through the wind and the old windward sheet is tightened as the new leeward sheet to allow the sail to draw wind. [[Mainsail]]s are often self-tending and slide on a traveler to the opposite side.<ref name="Jobson22">{{cite book |last=Jobson |first=Gary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mKTrrP3wA-cC |title=Sailing Fundamentals |date=2008 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-4391-3678-2 |edition=Revised |pages=224}}</ref> On certain rigs, such as [[lateen]]s<ref name="Lateen2">{{Citation |last=Campbell |first=I.C. |title=The Lateen Sail in World History |url=http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/journals/jwh/jwh061p001.pdf |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=1–23 |year=1995 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804061252/http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/journals/jwh/jwh061p001.pdf |periodical=Journal of World History |access-date=2017-06-16 |archive-date=2016-08-04 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[lugger]]s,<ref name="Lugger2">{{cite book |last=Skeat |first=Walter W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jeeGAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA351 |title=An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language |date=2013 |publisher=Courier Corporation |isbn=978-0-486-31765-6 |edition=Reprint |series=Dover language guides |page=351}}</ref> the sail may be partially lowered to bring it to the opposite side.
-* ''Square rig'' – Unlike with a fore-and-aft rig, a square-rigged vessel's sails must be presented squarely to the wind and thus impede forward motion as they are swung around via the yardarms through the wind as controlled by the vessel's [[Running rigging#Adjusting angle to the wind|running rigging]], using [[Brace (sailing)|braces]]—adjusting the fore and aft angle of each [[Yard (sailing)|yardarm]] around the mast—and [[Sheet (sailing)|sheets]] attached to the [[Parts of a sail#The corners|clews]] (bottom corners) of each sail to control the sail's angle to the wind.<ref name="Biddlecombe2">{{cite book |last=Biddlecombe |first=George |url=https://archive.org/details/artrigging00steegoog |title=The Art of Rigging: Containing an Explanation of Terms and Phrases and the Progressive Method of Rigging Expressly Adapted for Sailing Ships |date=1990 |publisher=Courier Corporation |isbn=9780486263434 |series=Dover Maritime Series |page=[https://archive.org/details/artrigging00steegoog/page/n33 13]}}</ref> The procedure is to turn the vessel into the wind with the hind-most fore-and-aft sail (the [[Spanker (sail)|''spanker'']]), often pulled to windward to help turn the ship through the eye of the wind. The main (and often mizzen) sails are braced around onto the new tack as the ship approaches the eye of the wind. Once the ship has come about, the remaining sails are adjusted to align properly with the new tack. Because square-rigger masts are more strongly supported from behind than from ahead, tacking is a dangerous procedure in strong winds. The ship may lose forward momentum (become ''caught in stays'') and the rigging may fail from the wind coming from ahead. Under these conditions, the choice may be to ''wear ship''—to turn the away from the wind and around 240° onto the next tack (60° off the wind).<ref name="Findlay2">{{cite book |last=Findlay |first=Gordon D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OzFWjOMvGs4C&pg=PA138 |title=My Hand on the Tiller |date=2005 |publisher=AuthorHouse |isbn=9781456793500 |page=138}}</ref>
-* ''Windsurfer rig'' – Sailors of [[windsurfer]]s tack by walking forward of the mast and letting the sail swing into the wind as the board moves through the eye of the wind; once on the opposite tack, the sailor realigns the sail on the new tack. In strong winds on a small board, an option is the 'fast tack', whereby the board is turned into the wind at planing speed as the sailor crosses in front of the flexibly mounted mast and reaches for the boom on the opposite side and continues planing on the new tack.<ref name="Hart2">{{cite book |last=Hart |first=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2-JKCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT380 |title=Windsurfing |date=2014 |publisher=Crowood |isbn=978-1-84797-963-6 |pages=176}}</ref>
-* ''Kitesurfer rig'' – When changing tack, a [[Kite surfing|kitesurfer]] rotates the [[kite]] end-for-end to align with the new apparent wind direction. Kite boards are designed to be used exclusively while planing; many are double-ended to allow an immediate change of course in the opposite direction.<ref name="Gratwick2">{{cite book |last=Gratwick |first=Andy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pELTBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA106 |title=The Kiteboarding Manual: The essential guide for beginners and improvers |date=2015 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4081-9204-7 |page=106}}</ref>
-*''Proa –'' Double-ended sailing vessels, such as [[Proa|proas]], may tack by [[Shunt (sailing)|shunting]]: turning off the wind, switching the sails and steering mechanism end-for-end and then proceeding on the opposite tack with the former stern functioning as the new bow, and with the outrigger on the windward side as before.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=World |first=Yachting |date=2021-04-08 |title=Jzerro: The oceangoing Pacific proa |url=https://www.yachtingworld.com/extraordinary-boats/jzerro-the-oceangoing-pacific-proa-130899 |access-date=2021-11-12 |magazine=Yachting World |language=en-US}}</ref>
 == See also ==
 {{Portal|Sports|Transport}}
+* [[Jibe]]
-* [[Glossary of nautical terms]]
+* [[Glossary of nautical terms (disambiguation)]]
 * [[Racing Rules of Sailing]]

v t e Sailing and manoeuvres
sport, racing, cruising
Sailing	Center of lateral resistance (Lee helm, Weather helm) Point of sail Forces on sails Hiking Racing Rules of Sailing Rounding up Sail twist
Manoeuvres	Close-hauled Heaving to Heeling In irons Jibe Reaching Running Reefing Tacking Wing on wing
Accidents	Broach Capsizing Chinese gybe Death roll Turtling
	Planing