118 seamanship secrets
- Leeway by backstay wake angle. Steady up on a course for a few minutes
until you see a wake trail to windward. Swing the boat quickly, lining up the
backstay with the wake trail. Glance at the compass heading. Th e diff erence
between the two headings is your leeway angle.
STEERING UPWIND TO CORRECT FOR LEEWAY ANGLE
To correct for leeway, be sure to apply the correction to your steering course in
the proper direction. You want to steer the boat closer to the wind to counteract
the eff ect of leeway. If the wind blows from the port side, subtract the angle
from your course. If the wind blows from the starboard side, add the leeway
angle to the course.
For example, you are close-reaching on starboard tack, steering a course
of 350 degrees magnetic. You sight astern with the handbearing compass for a
reading of 170 degrees magnetic. Five minutes later, you sight down the wake
line, and the bearing is 164 degrees magnetic. Th e diff erence gives you a leeway
angle of 6 degrees. You’ll need to point 6 degrees higher, so add the angle to
your 350-degree course and steer a new course of 356 degrees magnetic.