by Sailorjohn » Tue Jan 23, 2024 9:32 pm
Hmmm...where to start.
Have you sailed in the RW? Or is NG your first exposure to sailing? You can learn the basics of sailing in an hour; becoming a proficient sailor takes years, if not a lifetime. You learn something new every time you go out.
First thing, the wind you see on the boat is the apparent wind. If the boat is stationary, moored, then the apparent wind and true wind are the same. But once the boat is moving, the apparent wind is the vector sum of true wind and boat speed/direction. In general, you can't sail closer upwind than say, 40 degrees off apparent wind...closer to the wind the sails will be luffing (shaking and flapping) and lose their drive. I see you're sailing Anna, which is a fairly traditional racing/cruising sloop, quite close-winded. Older designs such as gaff rigs, won't point as high...say around 50 degrees off apparent wind. Square riggers can't point above 60-70 degrees (I have 4 years in Eagle, 295' barque, 23 sails). If manually sailing in NG, 45 deg is probably a good target for pointing upwind. The apparent wind indicators in NG have those red (port) and green (starboard) zones simply to show when you're on port or starboard tack. The individual sail gauges are for the sailb (Big, or mainsail), and sails (small or jib sail), and show the angle of the sail off the wind (green arrow), and the efficiency of the sail at that angle (orange arrow). The most efficient sail angle is between close reach and beam reach, around 70 deg or so offwind. Further offwind, broad reaching or running, the apparent wind drops below true wind as the boat is moving with the wind...so boat speed vector is subtracted from true. That's when it's nice to have a spinnaker!
When you start a sailing situation in NG, it is a little difficult because wind speed by default is only a few knots, from 000...dead ahead. The sails are luffing with boom flopping from side to side. You're in "Irons" with no headway...and will eventually wind up going backwards. You may have to 'cheat' and either turn the boat offwind, or push the wind direction away from 000. Or put your helm hard over either way and wait for the wind to push you backwards and gain sternway to swing the bow offwind. You can also simplify things by unchecking wind gusts, so wind will be steady. This all has less to do with sailing and more to do with NG format. BTW, the wind vane (which I seldom use) shows apparent wind...the propellor end faces the direction the wind is coming from.
You're on the right track. I suggest you put a few sailboats on waypoints in a triangular pattern racecourse, and try to manually sail the same course and beat 'em. It's not that hard to do, because autosail generally doesn't point as high, nor does it use tactics to time when to tack, when to 'pinch' closer to the wind, etc.
Fair winds
Hmmm...where to start.
Have you sailed in the RW? Or is NG your first exposure to sailing? You can learn the basics of sailing in an hour; becoming a proficient sailor takes years, if not a lifetime. You learn something new every time you go out.
First thing, the wind you see on the boat is the apparent wind. If the boat is stationary, moored, then the apparent wind and true wind are the same. But once the boat is moving, the apparent wind is the vector sum of true wind and boat speed/direction. In general, you can't sail closer upwind than say, 40 degrees off apparent wind...closer to the wind the sails will be luffing (shaking and flapping) and lose their drive. I see you're sailing Anna, which is a fairly traditional racing/cruising sloop, quite close-winded. Older designs such as gaff rigs, won't point as high...say around 50 degrees off apparent wind. Square riggers can't point above 60-70 degrees (I have 4 years in Eagle, 295' barque, 23 sails). If manually sailing in NG, 45 deg is probably a good target for pointing upwind. The apparent wind indicators in NG have those red (port) and green (starboard) zones simply to show when you're on port or starboard tack. The individual sail gauges are for the sailb (Big, or mainsail), and sails (small or jib sail), and show the angle of the sail off the wind (green arrow), and the efficiency of the sail at that angle (orange arrow). The most efficient sail angle is between close reach and beam reach, around 70 deg or so offwind. Further offwind, broad reaching or running, the apparent wind drops below true wind as the boat is moving with the wind...so boat speed vector is subtracted from true. That's when it's nice to have a spinnaker!
When you start a sailing situation in NG, it is a little difficult because wind speed by default is only a few knots, from 000...dead ahead. The sails are luffing with boom flopping from side to side. You're in "Irons" with no headway...and will eventually wind up going backwards. You may have to 'cheat' and either turn the boat offwind, or push the wind direction away from 000. Or put your helm hard over either way and wait for the wind to push you backwards and gain sternway to swing the bow offwind. You can also simplify things by unchecking wind gusts, so wind will be steady. This all has less to do with sailing and more to do with NG format. BTW, the wind vane (which I seldom use) shows apparent wind...the propellor end faces the direction the wind is coming from.
You're on the right track. I suggest you put a few sailboats on waypoints in a triangular pattern racecourse, and try to manually sail the same course and beat 'em. It's not that hard to do, because autosail generally doesn't point as high, nor does it use tactics to time when to tack, when to 'pinch' closer to the wind, etc.
Fair winds