⛵ HAPPY SAILING/ Points of Sail Simulator
WIND ⚠ ACCIDENTAL GYBE! BOAT SPEED 0.0 kts APP. WIND - kts - °
Current State
In Irons
0° to wind
Boat speed0.0 kts
Wind & Apparent Wind
True Wind
12 kts
Boat Speed
0.0 kts
App. Wind Spd
— kts
App. Wind Angle
— °
The blue arrow shows where the true wind blows from. On a reach AWS > true wind; running, AWS < true wind.
Status
⚠ In irons — bow into wind, sails luff, no drive.
⚠ By the lee — accidental gybe risk. Bear up or gybe.
↓ Over-sheeted — too tight. Ease until the luff just lifts.
↑ Luffing — sheet in until the flutter stops.
⚡ Great trim! — sails set well for this point of sail.
Steer the Vessel
Boat heading0° (in irons)
← turn to porthead to windturn to starboard →
Sail Trim — degrees off centreline (0°=in, 90°=out)
Mainsail45°
0° in≈ half wind angle90° out
Headsail45°
0° in≈ half wind angle90° out
Wind
True wind speed12 kts
3 kts calm30 kts strong
Wind direction0°
where the wind blows from (independent of heading)
Tips & Tricks

Points of Sail

In Irons (0°) — bow into the wind. Sails luff, no drive, no steering.

Close-Hauled (~45°) — sails hard in, best upwind progress.

Close Reach (~65°) — comfortable, fast, sails eased a touch.

Beam Reach (90°) — wind on the beam, often fastest. Boom ~45°.

Broad Reach (~135°) — fast, comfortable downwind.

Run (180°) — dead downwind, boom right out. Gybe risk.

By the Lee — wind crossed the stern; accidental gybe imminent.

The Half-Angle Rule

Optimal boom angle ≈ half the wind angle. 90° beam reach → 45° boom; 60° close reach → 30°. A starting point — fine-tune with telltales.

Apparent Wind (red arrow)

True wind is what you feel stopped. Moving forward creates a headwind; combined, that's apparent wind — what the sails actually feel.

• On a reach, AWS is greater than true and swings forward.
• Running, AWS is less than true.
• Raise true wind speed and watch boat speed and AWS climb together.

Telltales

Both telltales streaming aft = perfect airflow. Windward one lifting = ease or bear away. Leeward one stalling = sheet in or head up.

Escaping In Irons

Back the jib to one side; the wind pushes the bow off. Past ~30° the sails fill and steering returns.