Upwind strategy?

[soopad00pa]

I haven't done any really long upwind stretches, but I'm faced with a couple days of wind on the nose and I'm trying to decide whether to just sit around and wait (again) or to sally forth like a salt. Conditions are forecast to be fairly mellow - 10k, 2ft@8sec - so hopefully it wouldn't be too miserable.

My question - is there a good route finding method of determining tacks most efficiently? I currently point as high and close to my target as I can and then inevitably tack too early and hafta repeat the process filled with shame and frustration. On the flip side, I don't wanna end up halfway to Bermuda before I turn...

Thanks for any insight.

[danstanford]

Not sure what your boat is but if available a polar chart will tell you what angle gets you fastest up wind (VMG to wind). Each tack takes some lengths from your progress but it you follow the wind shifts and tack to the lifted take when headed you will more than make up for the loss.
In my boat's case the best angle is determined by the wind strength. For example in 10 kts of breeze I make the best VMG at 40 degrees TWA at just over 6 kts of boat speed. For comparison, at 6 kts of wind my best angle is about 44 degrees TWA at just over 4.5 kts of boat speed. The latter gives me just under 3 kts VMG.

[Windpilot]

I just completed an upwind passage from Hawaii to California this summer, 24 days 5 hours singlehanded. 3,150nm. 41 Hunter cutter rigged.
I had land based route advice as well as predict wind.
I came to the conclusion that although the above was tremendous help wind speed and directions were very general and rarely spot on.
What I'm saying is run a course that logically makes sense for your boat, the conditions and more importantly your safety.
Your conditions sound like they're benign, for me awa around 45 to 55 was fast and comfortable.
Enjoy putting miles under your keel and once outside of traffic/shipping lanes and I made it a "game", spent lots of time looking at wind patterns, chasing the wind.
Funny, I would want more wind, 10 kts of wind, especially downwind can also be miserable days on end.
Good luck!! Enjoy

[JPA Cate]

Hello, soopad00pa,

Will this take place in protected waters or the open ocean?

If the open ocean, and you really mean 24 hrs. travel, we would time our tacks for watch change times, so that the one who is off watch gets pretty much uninterrupted sleep. Because having rested crew is of great importance. However, obviously if something is in the way, you may want to tack sooner. Safety of the boat is more important than rest just then.

How close you sail to the wind to get your best VMG is something you can determine for yourself, by paying attention to your speed over the ground, as well as your apparent wind angle. Set and drift will come into it as well. If you don't feel like doing maths when you're tired, you'll wind up saying to yourself that the ideal maximum performance is less important than you setting up a schedule for yourself that you can follow through with in real time.

Ann

PS. we did 6800 n. mi. on the wind, one year, but it was almost entirely open ocean.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by soopad00pa

My question - is there a good route finding method of determining tacks most efficiently?

Choosing laylines. There are many strategies.


As a starting point you need to understand the angle at which you get the best Vmg, which will vary depending on your boat, the condition of the sails and bottom, sea state, and wind speed. Chartplotters will determine Vmg for you, and you can experiment with small changes in heading to see whether it gets better or worse.


Typically there will be wind shifts along the route. You want to take advantage of them, so that you're on the better tack more of the time.


Predict Wind is the software that most people use on longer voyages.

[thomm225]

The more you do it, the better you will get at sailing upwind.

In racing, the upwind leg is usually the first leg of the race be it a buoy race or even a distance race many times.

So racers usually spend a lot of time learning the best methods to get their boat to the upwind mark first, and then if the course is short enough, you can usually win the entire thing.

All my return sails here are upwind. So I have developed quite a few strategies over the years. They are short sails of 20- 70 miles, but a good strategy helps like knowing the tide and the rotation of the wind throughout the day.

[Kettlewell]

Good advice above, but offshore I favor being off the wind a bit to increase speed and comfort. Going dead to windward is usually less comfortable and more stressful because you have to steer carefully. If on autopilot, the slightest change in the wind means someone has to make adjustments. If you are off the wind a bit there is less precision in steering required. In other words, the best sailing angle for maximum speed toward the target is not always the best angle to make for a pleasant trip when offshore. Other factors come into play too: currents, vicinity to shipping lanes and other hazards, the size and experience of your crew, etc. For example, when beating down the NJ coast from NYC to Cape May I tend to tack offshore after the evening watch to put more distance between us and the coast and other vessels during the night. Plus, I'll stay further offshore than if I can see things. Then before dawn I take the tack towards shore while making sure that I can't hit the beach accidently before I can see things. Another thing I do offshore is overshoot on tacks so that when I can point towards my destination I am not hard on the wind but instead have some room to vary my course either side of the desired course.

[thomm225]

We have two shipping channels to deal with in the lower Chesapeake Bay and strong currents so luckily most sails of 20-70 miles or so during a day or night are rather short so you are pretty close to alert all the time.

[Stu Jackson]

As almost always, books have the answer, you know, those things with pages and no electrons (unless you do Kindle! ).


For this exercise let's forget wind shifts, currents, boat types and all the rest of the confusing but non-essential issues folks often invoke when this question comes up, as it does at least once or twice a year.


Lynn & Larry Pardey answered it and so did Eric Hiscock. You set a waypoint 1,000 miles to direct to windward (even if you next destination is only100 miles in that windward direction) and you build a cone and never exceed going off its base more than 20 degrees. Your first tacks are longer and get shorter as you move up the ladder. If you next destination is a bit offset from the wind direction, do the long board first. One of Eric's books even has a diagram of all this. As thomm225 said, one employs this technique in racing upwind legs, pretty much no difference. Of course, once underway, all the rest of "the stuff" comes into play. Have fun and a safe journey.

[soopad00pa]

Thanks for all the insight, everyone.

As to the mechanics of tacking, I've got that pretty well dialed and if I'm hand steering I can pinch nice and close, but that's not sustainable for a long time, at least not for me.

I like the idea of timing with the light - that hadn't occurred to me.

The cone tip is helpful - I'll have to track that book down.

I'm in Cape May headed for the lower Chesapeake and in the next 18h ish need to decide to double my trip by going up Delaware or sticking to the coast. I'd rather do the coast and while the idea of 36+h into the wind is unappealing, the weather looks pretty mild.

Thanks again!

[hlev00]

Absent current or expected wind shifts, sail the closest tack to your waypoint. Be careful of sailing too close as keeping speed up in ocean chop / seas is important. Also be sure to reef down. Too much heeling or rounding up is a killer. For me though I try to avoid close hauled, and even more waypoints dead to windward. You may be moving at 6 knots but are only making 4 or so to the way point. Likely even less.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

... You set a waypoint 1,000 miles to direct to windward (even if you next destination is only100 miles in that windward direction) and you build a cone and never exceed going off its base more than 20 degrees. ...

Nav in a nutshell: How to deal with wind shifts [Tacking inside a ‘cone’]
➥ https://www.pbo.co.uk/seamanship/nav...d-shifts-46762

[barcoMeCasa]

Originally Posted by soopad00pa

I haven't done any really long upwind stretches, but I'm faced with a couple days of wind on the nose and I'm trying to decide whether to just sit around and wait (again) or to sally forth like a salt.

Speaking as a full time cruiser I'd wait, good to practice not being in a rush & easier on the crew & boat on passage.

[Eagle ITA]

The best route is the one with the best VMG to your WP.
But on long passages I recommend about 5 degrees more downwind,
more confort for you, less stress for the boat.
...unless you're racing
"To decide whether to just sit around and wait or to sally forth like a salt" it's absolutely a personal choice, and depends on infinite factors (e.g. real weather conditions, rush, crew preparation, your desire to do it, .........)

[LakeSuperior]

A strategy not mentioned is to pinch and also employ the assistance of the iron genoa to maintain a reasonable hull speed. This has saved many hours of going nowhere in the short steep chop of Lake Superior.

This some of the resulting waves sets will actually stop the boat if sail only.