Free tool

Points of Sail Trainer

A sailboat can't point straight into the wind, and the closer it tries, the more its sails luff. Drag the boat below all the way around the compass and watch its point of sail — and what its sails should be doing — change in real time.

Drag the dial (or use the arrow keys) to turn the boat through the wind.

Close-hauledPort tack

Sailing as close to the wind as the boat can manage, sails hauled in tight.

Heading: 52° from the wind

Want the fuller explanation? Read the points-of-sail guide.