What point of sail is a broad reach?

[claymore]

Silkie has a fine 6 pack too - but would you happen to have one of those plastic thingys that keeps it all together?

[ljs]

"Life's a reach, and then you gybe."

You've been sailing with Silkie and Shard too long...!

[jim.r]

Achsully, on a broad reach the apparent wind may be on the beam whilst the true wind is a ft the beam .. are the points of sail defined in true or apparent wind?

[claymore]

True - surely?

[So_Sage_of_Lorne]

True - surely?

Apparently - True!

[Silkie]

Real sailors (i.e. those of us without sophisticated wind instruments) would surely refer to apparent wind, having no easy way of doing otherwise.

[aquaplane]

Apparently a beam reach is a mythical point of sailing.

The capitain of Seminole has yet to take advantage of this desirable situation. Either he is sailing downwind and twitching looking for a gybe, or beating, and we all know gentlemen don't beat.

Once I thought I was on a beam reach but the waves were on the quarter as for a broad reach, and the sails were set for a close reach due to considerable forward motion (I had a big silly grin at the time).

[claymore]

True Wind Surely.

When you are introducing people to sailing dinghies you keep things down to basics so a typical question would be "Where is the wind coming from?"

The learner then points to where the wind is coming from and knowledge/understanding is confirmed.

it would be a nonsense to try to talk about apparent wind as it would overcomplicate the situation.

People's awareness of apparent wind comes much later on in the learning curve. So - when setting sails on Claymore, Claymore thinks to himself 'Now Claymore- where is the wind today?" - "Over the side Claymore" may come the response - "Very good Claymore, now set Claymore's sails about halfway out and lets see how Claymore goes then shall we?"
"Very good Claymore - I've done that and Claymore is moving along nicely, but as we settle to our course, perhaps her sails need adjusting
"Now there is a funny thing - before we started this we seemed to have 10 knots on the windthingy and now we have about 15 - that must be the wind increasing - apparently"

Simple.

[jim.r]

Definitely true, one of the first things someone should be aware of when starting sailing is the difference between true and apparent wind. If you look at close hauled in the same diagram as broad reach in a text book .. the wind is'nt from almost directly ahead .. which is where apparent wind would be .. but from true

[jim.r]

Definitely apparant. Apparant is the wind you sail in. If your apparant wind was from almost dead ahead you would not be sailing, you'd be stopped dead. So, close hauled is sailing with the wind just far enough off the bow to allow progress.
When you're stopped you aren't reaching, running or anything else, your stopped. How can you have a point of sailing when you're stopped? And if you're not stopped how do you know where the true wind is to use as a reference. As your speed increases and your apparant wind moves forward, so your point of sailing changes, perhaps from a close reach to close hauled.

Why don't you get a boat that'll go to windward?

[claymore]

If the wind is blowing from the East and you are sat in a boat - it really makes little difference whether or not you are moving - the wind is still in the east.

[jim.r]

Hah! I win! One of my opponents resorts to hurling abuse and the other pretends the argument is about where the wind is. Game, set and match, I think.

What abuse?

[claymore]

It was always about where the wind is.....

Are those temporary traffic lights keeping you awake all day?

[claymore]

It is a very large house - I understand a Mosque is being attached to the rear.....