When Should You Tack?
Knowing how to tack is beginner sailing. Knowing when to tack changes everything.
One of the first things we learn when sailing is how to tack.
Push the tiller away. Let the bow turn through the wind. Move across the boat. Change sides. Settle onto the new tack and get sailing again.
Eventually the mechanics become almost automatic.
But then comes a much more interesting question:
Why did you tack there?
That is where simply sailing a boat begins to turn into racing a boat.
A perfectly executed tack at the wrong moment can lose far more distance than a slightly untidy tack made for the right reason.
And on inland water, particularly somewhere like the River Thames, deciding when to tack becomes especially fascinating. The wind shifts, the river bends, trees interfere with the airflow, other boats occupy the water you want to use, and the fastest route towards the next mark may change several times within a minute.
So rather than asking:
"Can I tack?"
we need to start asking:
"Should I tack now?"
First, Remember That Every Tack Has a Cost
Tacking is not free.
Before the tack, the boat has useful forward speed.
As you turn towards the wind, the sails temporarily produce less driving force. The boat continues largely because of its momentum.
Then the bow passes through the wind, the sails fill on the opposite side and the boat accelerates again.
During that process you lose some speed and therefore some distance.
The amount lost depends on the boat, conditions and crew.
A light dinghy may accelerate again quickly.
A larger boat carrying several people may behave quite differently.
A long, narrow boat such as an A-Rater also has considerable momentum, but that certainly does not mean we can tack carelessly. Poor steering, excessive rudder movement, badly timed crew movement or slow sail handling can turn a tactical manoeuvre into a substantial loss.
So there is an important principle:
Do not tack simply because you can. Tack because the new tack offers something worth having.
Tack on a Header
One of the most important reasons to tack is a wind shift.
Imagine you are sailing close-hauled towards an upwind mark.
Initially your course looks good.
Then the wind changes direction and suddenly your bow is pointing further away from the mark.
You have been headed.
This is often a strong signal that it may be time to tack.
After tacking, that same wind shift may allow you to point much more directly towards the mark.
This is why good sailors are constantly comparing their course with the mark, the shoreline and other fixed references.
They are not merely steering the boat.
They are watching what the wind is doing.
Header or Lift? Learn to Recognise the Difference
Suppose you are sailing on starboard tack.
If the wind changes so that you can point more directly towards your destination without changing tack, you have been lifted.
Usually that is good news.
Stay on the lifted tack unless there is another reason to leave it.
If the wind changes so that you must steer further away from the destination to keep the sails working efficiently, you have been headed.
That may be the signal to tack.
A simple tactical rule therefore becomes:
Sail the lifts. Tack on the headers.
It is not a universal law, but it is an excellent principle to understand.
Do Not Tack Just Because Another Boat Tacks
This is remarkably tempting.
The boat ahead tacks.
Almost immediately, you tack too.
But why?
Perhaps its helm spotted a wind shift.
Perhaps they are avoiding another boat.
Perhaps they are heading for stronger wind.
Perhaps they are covering a competitor.
Or perhaps they have simply made a mistake.
One of the important stages in becoming a better sailor is learning to make your own tactical decisions.
When another boat tacks, ask:
"What have they seen?"
That is very different from automatically following them.
Look at the Water Before You Tack
This connects directly with one of the most useful skills in inland sailing: reading the water.
Suppose there is a darker, rippled patch of water 30 metres ahead and slightly to your left.
That may indicate stronger wind.
If you tack immediately, perhaps you sail away from it.
If you continue for another twenty seconds, perhaps you sail directly into it and gain both extra wind and a favourable shift.
The opposite can happen too.
Ahead may be a large glassy patch beneath trees.
The shortest route may lead directly into it.
Tacking away may involve sailing further geographically while actually reaching the mark sooner.
This is why sailing cannot be reduced to:
shortest distance = fastest route.
The fastest route is the one that combines distance, boat speed and wind most effectively.
River Sailing Makes the Decision Even More Interesting
On open water you may have enormous freedom about when to tack.
On the Thames, geography has other ideas.
There is only so much river.
Sooner or later there is a bank.
That creates what sailors often call a boundary.
You cannot continue indefinitely on the tack you prefer.
But that does not mean the best tactic is necessarily to sail right to the bank before tacking.
Quite the opposite.
If you sail too far into the edge of the river you may encounter:
disturbed or lighter wind close to trees;
wind shadows from buildings;
awkward bends;
shallow water;
moored boats;
other river traffic;
less room to complete the tack.
You may then be forced into a tack at exactly the moment you least want one.
Good tactical sailing involves anticipating that boundary.
Do not wait for the riverbank to make the decision for you.
Sometimes the Bank Can Help
There is another complication.
Current may not be identical across the entire river.
Depending on the river, its level, recent rainfall and local geography, current can vary across the channel.
If you are sailing against a significant current, there may be tactical value in considering where that current is weaker.
Conversely, if the current is helping you, stronger current may sometimes be advantageous.
But current should not be considered independently of wind.
There is little advantage in finding slightly weaker adverse current if doing so puts the boat into a large wind shadow.
You are constantly balancing competing factors:
wind + current + distance + traffic + position.
That is what makes inland racing so interesting.
Do Not Sail All the Way Into a Bad Corner
Imagine two boats approaching the side of the river.
Boat A continues until there is virtually nowhere left to go.
Then it tacks.
Unfortunately, it has entered disturbed air close to the trees. Boat speed falls before the tack, the tack itself is slow, and acceleration afterwards is poor.
Boat B tacks twenty metres earlier while still carrying good speed and sailing in cleaner wind.
Boat A technically sailed further on the original tack.
Boat B may nevertheless emerge ahead.
This is an important tactical lesson:
Using every metre of available water does not necessarily mean using the river efficiently.
Traffic Can Decide When You Tack
River sailing has another variable that open-water diagrams often overlook:
other river users.
A beautifully planned tack becomes irrelevant if a cruiser, narrowboat, paddleboarder, canoe or another racing boat occupies the space you intended to use.
Good sailors therefore think several moves ahead.
Rather than waiting until a collision-avoidance decision becomes urgent, ask:
What will the river look like in thirty seconds?
If continuing will put you into an awkward situation, an earlier tack may preserve far more tactical freedom.
That is particularly important in a fleet.
Sometimes You Tack Because of Another Racing Boat
Now we enter racing tactics.
Suppose another boat is ahead of you.
If you remain directly behind it, you may be sailing in disturbed air.
Tacking away could give you cleaner wind and an opportunity to find a different shift.
Alternatively, suppose you are ahead.
You might tack to remain between a close competitor and the next mark — a basic form of covering.
Suddenly the question "When should I tack?" is no longer simply about wind.
It is about position.
This is where sailing becomes rather like chess.
You are not merely thinking about where your boat is now.
You are thinking about where several boats may be after the next two or three moves.
The Layline Trap
Another common mistake is reaching the layline too early.
The layline is approximately the course from which you should be able to reach the mark without another tack.
It can be tempting to reach it as soon as possible.
That feels reassuring.
"Good. Now I can sail straight to the mark."
But arriving at the layline early can remove your options.
Suppose the wind shifts unfavourably.
You cannot tack further towards the mark because you are already committed.
Suppose the wind becomes lighter.
Again, your options are limited.
Suppose several boats arrive and begin affecting your wind.
You may have nowhere useful to escape.
Staying nearer the middle of the course for longer can preserve tactical choices.
Options have value.
A Simple Exercise: Give Every Tack a Reason
Here is an excellent exercise for sailors trying to improve.
Every time you tack, say — either aloud or mentally — why you are doing it.
For example:
"Header."
"Stronger wind on the other side."
"Avoiding the wind shadow."
"Approaching the boundary."
"Traffic ahead."
"Getting out of dirty air."
"Positioning for the mark."
"Covering the boat behind."
If you find yourself saying:
"I don't really know."
that is useful information.
You have identified an area of your sailing that can improve.
Try Delaying the Tack
There is another excellent training exercise.
Choose a familiar beat and deliberately experiment.
On one run, tack when you normally would.
On another, continue for perhaps another ten seconds before tacking.
Then try tacking ten seconds earlier.
Observe what happens.
Where do you cross the river?
What wind do you find?
What angle do you obtain?
Where do you end up relative to the mark?
This is much more useful than simply being told that there is one "correct" place to tack.
You begin developing tactical judgement.
The Crew Can Help
On a multi-crew boat, the helm should not have to observe everything.
Someone may be watching the wind.
Someone may be looking at boats behind.
Someone may notice traffic.
Someone may be judging the distance to the bank.
Someone may see the next gust arriving.
This becomes particularly relevant aboard Champagne, where communication between the crew matters enormously.
A simple warning such as:
"Pressure coming from the left."
or:
"Cruiser ahead — probably need to tack."
allows the helm to make the decision before it becomes urgent.
That produces a much better tack because everyone is prepared.
The Best Tack Is Often the One You Planned
A rushed tack tends to be expensive.
The helm suddenly decides to turn.
The crew are not ready.
Someone moves late.
The jib is released late.
The new sheet is pulled too slowly.
Weight remains on the wrong side.
The boat emerges slowly and badly balanced.
Compare that with:
"Ready about?"
Everyone knows what is coming.
The crew prepare.
The helm chooses the moment.
The boat turns smoothly.
The old sheet is released.
The new one comes in.
Crew weight moves at the correct moment.
The boat accelerates on the new tack.
Same manoeuvre.
Completely different result.
Sometimes the Correct Decision Is Not to Tack
Perhaps this is the most important lesson.
You receive a small header.
Should you tack?
Maybe.
But perhaps there is visibly stronger wind ahead.
Perhaps another boat would leave you in dirty air after the tack.
Perhaps traffic makes the new course awkward.
Perhaps you are only seconds from a larger expected shift.
Perhaps you would be forced to tack back almost immediately.
Good sailing is not about following tactical rules mechanically.
It is about weighing the evidence.
The rule "tack on a header" is useful.
The better question is:
"What do I gain by tacking now?"
From Boat Handling to Boat Thinking
Learning to tack is an essential part of learning to sail.
But eventually something changes.
You stop thinking:
Push the tiller. Move across. Change the sheets.
Those actions become automatic.
Your attention moves outside the boat.
You notice the ripples approaching across the water.
You notice that the boat is being headed.
You see that the opposite bank is becoming darker.
You realise the boat ahead is sailing into less wind.
You notice the cruiser that will occupy your route thirty seconds from now.
You begin thinking about where you want the boat to be next rather than simply where it is now.
That is a significant step in becoming a better sailor.
Because the real skill is no longer executing the manoeuvre.
It is deciding whether the manoeuvre is worth making.
Knowing how to tack gets you across the river.
Knowing when to tack can get you there first.
Next in the Improving Your Sailing series: we can take this idea one stage further and explore "When Should You NOT Tack?" — unnecessary tacks, chasing every tiny wind shift, losing speed through over-manoeuvring, and why sometimes patience is the fastest tactical decision.
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