Sailing upwind: pointing, speed and balance.

The no-go zone and close-hauled

ASA describes a no-go zone of about 90 degrees centered on the wind direction, varying with the boat and the wind speed. The other 270 degrees can be sailed. Sailing upwind means sailing close-hauled along the edge of that zone, with the sails trimmed near the centerline, and tacking to zigzag toward a point that lies inside it. The centerboard or daggerboard, on boats that have one, should be down upwind according to the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, because that is where you need the most side resistance.

The groove

Upwind steering is about staying in the groove, the few degrees where, as Skip Dieball of North Sails puts it, the boat sails most efficiently at a consistent heel and speed. North Sails and Skip Dieball explain how to find it by the jib telltales and how sail shape makes it wider or narrower; that is covered in full on steering. The short version from Dieball: a narrow groove points high in flat water, and a wide one handles waves and gusts but points lower.

Gears and modes

Coach Luther Carpenter, in a US Sailing coaching paper, says a fast sailor should have at least four "gears" (settings) they are comfortable with. He prefers a high-and-fast mode over a low mode that chases forward speed, because the low mode gives up progress toward the wind (VMG, velocity made good).

Three other points from the same paper:

• The main matters most. The last few inches of mainsheet trim are the main factor in upwind speed.
• Do not depower the jib alone. Easing only the jib takes power out of the front of the boat, which forces you to trim the main harder and creates weather helm.
• Tune from gross to fine. Set rake, rig tension, pre-bend and mast controls first, then jib lead, halyard, cunningham and sheeting.

Balance, heel and the traveler

Upwind is where weather helm builds. Dieball (North Sails) aims for a little weather helm and says extra heel increases it; hiking hard is the most reliable way to keep the boat flat. On centerboard boats he raises the board gradually in heavier air to reduce helm.

Dave Flynn (Sailing World) says to lower the traveler as heel and weather helm build, and to ease the mainsheet as well only in very strong puffs. North Sails says that if you are fighting the helm or the rail is in the water, flatten the sails or head up to reduce power.

There is a limit to what hiking can do. Loe and Smith, writing in Sailing World, found that depowering to flatten the boat can be more effective than crew wearing themselves out hiking. The full set of depowering tools is on reefing and depowering.

Puffs and lulls

North Sails' advice in moderate to heavy wind is to steer by heel: feather up slightly in puffs, foot off a few degrees in lulls. Pip Hare (Doyle Sails) adds that if speed drops, bear away a little and quickly, because speed is easier to keep than to rebuild.

Reading the wind before it arrives helps. Moose McClintock (Sailing World) says darker water generally means more breeze, and flat water with no ripples means a lull. Carpenter notes the leading edge of a puff is the least stable wind and the core of the gust is steadier.

McClintock also gives an angle guide for whether a puff will lift or head you upwind:

What to do with lifts and headers when racing is on racing tactics.

Waves

In chop, North Sails advises bearing off until the outside telltales dance and adding twist to keep the bow down. Hare suggests steering gently up the face of big waves and bearing away slightly off the crest to avoid slamming, and Carpenter recommends planning a path around wave sets 6 to 10 boat lengths ahead.