Fortunately your instrument system’s masthead unit measures apparent-wind angle and apparent-wind speed. ANGLE VS. DIRECTION An important distinction to make on a sailboat is that any value that ...

The optimum sailing angle is about 90 degrees to the apparent wind in this reach-to-VMG downwind mode. The sail designer has a more accurate number that comes out of the design software ...

they're actually sailing into the wind at an angle, thus being driven by the apparent wind, not the actual wind. When going directly downwind, it would seem to be impossible to move faster than ...