Points of sail: the boat in relation to the wind

First think about the bow and where the wind comes from. Close-hauled sailing has the wind coming from forward, as close to its direction as the boat and conditions allow. On a beam reach, the wind is roughly across the side. On a run, it comes from behind. Other reaches describe relationships between these positions.

The illustrated positions are schematic. They do not assign an upwind angle, speed or wind limit to every sailboat. A polar is a performance document with its own conditions and conventions; this picture is simply a vocabulary map.

There is also true and apparent wind: the boat’s motion changes the wind experienced aboard. Check which one an instrument or document displays. Understanding these differences helps you follow practical teaching without confusing geographical direction, wind and sail trim.