How to Sail Wing on Wing

Sailing wing on wing is a technique that puts the foresail on the opposite tack of the mainsail as the boat runs downwind. The result is that the two sails spread out in front of the boat, catching the wind, like two spread wings. To use this effective sailing technique to gain some speed out of light winds follow these steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Get to a downwind point of sail. Sailing wing on wing requires that you sail on a run, or at least a broad reach that borders a run. Fall off of the wind and ease the main as you normally would. Keep your foresail in a broad reach or downwind sailset so that you don't lose power.

2. Flip the foresail over. Once you're on your run, pull the foresail over to the opposite tack (technically speaking, you are backwinding the foresail). In many cases you will need to pull the sail itself across the beam of the boat since it will naturally want to rest on the tack that the mainsail is on. Keep someone standing forward to fluff the foresail out on the opposite tack so that it catches the wind.

3. Keep your eye on your point of sail. As you get ready to set the wing on wing sailset, you will have a tendency to focus on the foresail and forget the rest of the boat. However, you need to constantly make sure that you do not jibe the boat since jibing is not only counterproductive in this case but also dangerous.

4. Prop the foresail out. A spinnaker pole is a good way to prop the foresail out so that it stays in wing on wing formation. Clip the spinnaker pole to the clew of the foresail and then to the mast. Set the pole out at a 90-degree angle to the boat. From this position, keep wind in the sails by steering the boat downwind and by making sure that wave action doesn't jar the sails excessively.

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