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 … See more

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. See more

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 … See more

• Glossary of nautical terms
• Racing Rules of Sailing See more

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 … See more

The method of 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 … See more