05-12-2025, 12:05 AM
Two different things.
Sailboats maximum speed downwind would be the speed of the wind. Sailboats achieve greater than wind speed by tacking off the wind, their maximum speed would be the speed at which their sail exactly misses incoming air, like lift on an airplane wing but in the horizontal direction.
Sort of the opposite of catching the incoming air ie being downwind.
Think I described that correctly.
Sailboats maximum speed downwind would be the speed of the wind. Sailboats achieve greater than wind speed by tacking off the wind, their maximum speed would be the speed at which their sail exactly misses incoming air, like lift on an airplane wing but in the horizontal direction.
Sort of the opposite of catching the incoming air ie being downwind.
Think I described that correctly.