Re: [Cal_Boats] Faster than the Wind - Downwind

The term for what you are describing below is a "velocity header". Paul In a message dated 7/30/2010 10:51:07 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, al… [at] PaloAltoPhoto.com writes: This is actually brings up an important racing tactic. If you are going, say, 6 knots and sail into a 3 knot wind, every indication you have on the boat is that you have been headed and should change course. Don't. What is really going on is you are sailing faster than the wind and you should consider that a good thing to be maintained as long as possible. Just let the boat slow down until you are going what the 3 knot wind wants to give you. Change course and you will just get a set of indicators that you need to change back and doing all those turns will just stop the boat. Telling the difference between sailing faster than the wind and being headed is the trick.