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

It’s called ‘tacking’.
Basically the ship will zigzag forward, using the wind to blow it at an angle, by adjusting the position of the sails. Have a look at this link- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacking_(sailing)