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Key learning points
The no go zone is an area about 45 degrees either side of where the wind is blowing from,
and the boat will have no forward drive in this zone.
Close hauled is on the edge of the no go zone. Sails are pulled in fully and the centreboard
is pushed fully down.
Close reach. Turn 20 degrees away from the close hauled point of sailing. Sails set so
they just stop flapping. Raise the centreboard a quarter of the way up.
Beam reach is about 90 degrees to the wind. Release the boom so it’s approximately 45
degrees over the side of the boat, so the sails don’t flap. Centreboard should be
half way up.
Broad reach is about 120 degrees to the wind. And sails set so they are just not flapping.
Centreboard is about two thirds up.
A training run is a further 30 degrees away from a broad reach. Boom is almost 90 degrees
to the boat, and centreboard is three quarters of the way up.
Dead run is sailing directly away from the wind. Boom is 90 degrees to the boat, centreboard
stays at three quarters up.
You must understand and establish where the wind is blowing from, and adjust your sails
and centreboard to suit each point of sailing.
Next steps
Watch this video as many times as is necessary to get an understanding of the points of sailing
and how to recognise them, and what to do with the sails and centreboard on each point.
Then on the water try to get a good understanding of the wind direction at all times to establish
what point of sailing you should be using.