Tacking is necessary to move a sailboat upwind. The boat must weave against the wind to advance. Tacking involves changing the sail from one side to the other while the helmsman turns the bow into the wind and the crew slacks and tightens the sail.
In sailing, different trims or sail trims are necessary to move the boat from one point to another. Whenever a sailboat needs to move in a direction that is upwind, the operation necessary to keep the bow turning through the wind and alternately filling the sails on one side and then the other, is called tacking. Tacking is required because a sailboat is not capable of sailing directly into the wind. You must effectively weave against it to advance.
The turn begins by close trawling to starboard or port to port. Fence means the boat is moving (or tacking) as close to the wind as possible and the sail is well trimmed to take advantage of the current wind direction from the left or right side. If the wind is blowing from the left side of the boat to face the left side of the sail, the boat is said to be on a port (left) tack. If the opposite is true, it is said to be on a starboard (right) tack.
Tacking refers to the maneuver of changing from one side to the other. To accomplish this, it is important to first determine that there is enough room to safely change direction. If there is enough room for maneuver, the helmsman (person running the boat) will call out, “Ready to go!” When the buddy (crewman) is in position and ready to respond, he or she responds, “Ready!” Hearing this, the helmsman will turn the bow of the sailboat into the wind by using the rudder. As the turn progresses, the sail will move away from its current best position to take advantage of the wind direction to a weaker position in which the sail will move (flutter).
At this point, two very important things must happen simultaneously. As the helmsman continues to turn the bow (front of the boat) into and through the wind, the partner will slack the sheet (line connected to the sail) to allow the sail to move and fill from the other side. As the bow moves through the wind and the sail fills on the opposite side, the helmsman and crew must change their position to sit on the windward side. As the helmsman steadies the bow to continue on his new heading, the buddy tightens (trims or secures) the sail so it does not slack. This is called “putting it home” and completes the tack maneuver.
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