I understand the basic concept for sailboats as the sail acts as an airfoil much like an airplane wing generating lift when air flows over it. But with square sails I can’t grasp how ships that had them ever got from point A to point B without always relying on downwind to move forward.
In: Physics
They cannot sail directly upwind but they can turn so that the wind blows from the side and then move at an angle to the wind direction by turning the sails. This way, you can not only sail forward when the wind blows from the side but also zigzag and keep the general direction upwind if needed.
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