Wally wrote:
EdGordonRN wrote:

Hmph. I never knew that. Harden up. We were saying "head up." If we
were on a reach we would say, "head up a little" to change direction
into the wind and go close hauled. So, what does head up mean, then?

Not sure - it might mean the same thing,

While they're similar, there's a subtle difference between "head up" and
"harden up".

To head up is to turn the boat to windward. This might be done to
respond to a change in wind direction or speed - i.e. when a puff hits
the apparent wind moves aft allowing you to head up without re-trimming
the sails.

To harden up is go to a higher point of sail. This involves trimming in
the sails and is usually accompanied by a change in direction as well
(heading up). But not always - i.e. if you're on a reach and encounter a
header you might harden up without heading up.

That said, on a dinghy where you're constantly trimming and feathering
anyway it may be a distinction without a difference.

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//-Walt
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