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xkcd #3013: Kedging Cannon
(xkcd.com)
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this post was submitted on 19 Nov 2024
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A fun next lesson is the benefit of apparent wind. In addition to the wind relative to the water, you have added wind generated by the movement of the boat. Since the lift generated is related to the speed of the wind relative to the boat, the faster the boat goes, the more lift you get. As a result, it is possible to actually sail faster than the wind speed of the wind relative to the water.
I'm pretty sure I did a bad job explaining that. Google can explain it better for sure.
Similar thing - aparent wind shifts the wind direction forward. As such, how close a boat can sail to the wind decreases as the boat speeds up.