Close Hauled
A boat is sailing close hauled (also called beating or working to windward) when its sails are trimmed in tightly and it is sailing as close to the wind as it can without entering the no go zone. This point of sail lets the boat travel diagonally to the wind direction, or "upwind". A boat is considered to be "pinching" or "feathering" if the helmsman tries to sail above an efficient close-hauled course and the sails begin to luff slightly. This can be an effective technique to maintain control of the boat on a windy day by "de-powering", or spilling some wind, but is otherwise inefficient.
Read more about this topic: Points Of Sail
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