Description

Although it is impossible to sail directly into the wind, it is important to know how to sail as “close” to the wind as possible. The highest most catamarans can point into the wind and sail efficiently, is an angle between 35 and 50 degrees off the wind. When sailing on this point of sail, the wind will be coming across the bows of the boat and the telltales should be pointing straight back parallel with the water. To set your sail for best effectiveness, let it out until the inside (weather) telltale just begins to luff, then pull it back in just to the point when the telltale stops luffing. Look at the telltales to be sure that those on either side are aligned with each other. This tells you that air is flowing smoothly and uniformly over the sail. If the outside telltale begins to luff, just let the sail out a little. Keep both telltales streaming together.