How does a sailboat go towards the wind?

Question

I realize a sailboat can’t go directly at the wind (or maybe it can🤷🏽‍♂️) but for the life of me I can’t picture it going anywhere but where the wind is bowing.

Also, lets say you were in a round pond, could you sail to any point you wanted to in the pond with the wind blowing steady in one direction?

In: 34

Answer 1

With the daggerboard or keel to limit the boat from side sliding, a modern sail boat can beat about 45° off the direction of the wind because modern sails act like a wing and create “lift” that pulls them up like a planes wing, but since the sail is vertical it acts as a forward driving force.