Lesson 6 of 6

Tacking & Gybing

The two ways to change course on a sailboat — one through the wind, one away from it.

Why We Tack

You can't sail directly into the wind. So to reach a destination that's upwind of you, you zig-zag — sailing at your best upwind angle on one side, then turning through the wind to sail the same angle on the other side. Each turn through the wind is a tack.

The bow crosses through the no-go zone and comes out on the other side. The headsail, which was pulling on the leeward side, has to be released and re-trimmed on the new leeward side. The mainsail swings across by itself.

The Tacking Process

  1. Visualise your endpoint. Identify where you're heading on the new tack — an object, a bearing, a compass course. You're aiming within a 40–60° arc of the wind direction on the new side.
  2. Announce "Ready to tack." The helmsman signals the manoeuvre is about to happen.
  3. Confirm crew readiness. The crew confirms they're prepared to release and trim the headsail sheets.
  4. Turn into the wind. The helm comes toward the wind. The boat starts heading up through close-hauled.
  5. Announce the turn. "Tacking!" — crew releases the working sheet, lets the sail cross, picks up the new working sheet and trims.
  6. Trim sails for the new point of sail. Settle on course and adjust.

VMG — Velocity Made Good. When tacking upwind, the fastest angle isn't always the closest to the wind. VMG is the balance between sailing angle and boat speed that gets you upwind fastest. It's something you develop a feel for.

Watch

Why We Gybe

To reach a destination downwind, you similarly zig-zag — but this time the manoeuvre is a gybe. Instead of the bow crossing the wind, the stern crosses the wind. You turn away from the wind until you've crossed from one broad reach to another.

The key difference: during a tack, the boom swings slowly as the boat passes through the no-go zone. During a gybe, the boom is on a downwind run and can swing fast and hard across the boat when the wind catches the other side of the sail. This is why gybing demands more preparation and respect.

The Gybing Process

  1. Visualise your endpoint. Know your course on the new gybe before you start turning.
  2. Announce "Prepare to gybe." Everyone heads-up — this is the more physical manoeuvre.
  3. Bring the mainsail in. Trim the mainsheet to bring the boom toward the centreline before the turn. Timing depends on conditions — in light air you bring it in more; in strong wind you keep the motion controlled and deliberate.
  4. Confirm crew readiness. Crew releases the lazy preventer if one is rigged, prepares new headsail sheet.
  5. Turn away from the wind. Helm turns the boat until the stern crosses through the wind.
  6. Execute the boom swing and trim. The boom crosses to the new leeward side. Ease the mainsheet on the new side, trim the headsail, settle on course.

Watch

An uncontrolled gybe is dangerous. If the boom swings unexpectedly with full force, it can injure crew, break gear, or in extreme conditions capsize the boat. On a run or deep broad reach, always fit a preventer — a line from the end of the boom to the bow — to stop an accidental gybe. We use them any time we're sailing downwind.

You're Ready

That's the six foundations. You know the safety brief, the boat, how wind works, how to read your point of sail, how to trim the sails, and how to change course. When you step on the boat, nothing will be completely new.

The rest comes from doing it. See you on the water.