The sailboat is a boat that uses wind power to move forward, and it is an ancient water vehicle after boat and raft, with a history of more than 5000 years.

According to the number of masts, it can be divided into the sloop, two-masted sailing ship, and multi-masted sailing ship.

According to the type of ship, there are flat-bottom and pointed-bottom sailing ships.

According to the head type, there are broad-head, narrow-head, and pointed-head sailing ships.

In the past, sailing ships were generally used for fishing and transporting goods. Modern sailing boats are generally divided into two categories: racing and cruising, the former requiring speed and the latter safety and comfort.

It is widely believed that sailing downwind is the best way to sail, the wind comes from behind and pushes the boat forward.

The problem is that when the wind is parallel to the boat, there is no lateral pressure to balance the boat, so it is easy to lose balance and capsize the boat.

People often have a misconception about sailing boats, thinking that they are pushed by the wind.

The biggest source of power for a sailboat is the so-called Bernoulli effect, which means that when the air flows through an arc similar to a wing, it generates a forward and upward force of attraction, which makes it possible for the sailboat to move in the upwind direction at a certain angle.

When sailing downwind, the Bernoulli effect disappears and the boat cannot reach its maximum speed.

In a normal breeze, the speed of sailing downwind is the slowest, because there is no Bernoulli effect except the wind thrust, and in strong wind, the wind thrust is concentrated on the port or starboard side, and the boat keeps turning to the other side.

When a sailboat travels sideways, the force of the sidewind is turned into a sideways force, and the sailor adjusts his center of gravity so that only a very small amount of sideways force remains, called Leeway, while most of the force goes forward.

The limit angle of upwind driving is 35 degrees to the left and right of the wind direction, but generally, 45 degrees is the limit, which has a lot to do with the design of the boat.

The concept of driving upwind is quite close to that of driving sideways, but when driving upwind, the sideways force is bigger than the sideways force, and the forward force is smaller than the sideways force, which is more difficult to control.

Now you know why a sailboat sails faster upwind than downwind?