How can sailboats move forward into the direction of the wind by using their sail?

Question

I don’t get how this is physically possible if the direction you want to go is literally the opposite direction of the way the wind is blowing. How can it ‘push’ them the opposite way it is going?

In: 20

Answer 1

Ultimately, you’re extracting energy from the difference in speed between the air and the water. Imagine a wind turbine that drives an underwater propeller. It’s the same principle in a sailboat except the blade of the wind turbine is the sail, the blade of the propeller is the keel, and the boat is moving diagonally to the wind instead of spinning in a spiral.