Ellen MacArthur wrote:
"Jeff" wrote
(lots of things that don't matter so I deleted them)

I you have any intention of understanding how boats work, or how to do
basic navigation, you will have to learn this stuff.


THIS is what matters and this is what happened in my question.
Your just being thick on purpose. Your wrong and I can prove it with an example.

If I'm being thick (and its happened once or twice before) I'm
certainly not doing it on purpose.


In irons and the wind is pushing you backwards at 2 miles an hour over the bottom.
The current is going the same direction over the ground and at the same speed. 2 mph!
Your going backwards over the ground at 4 mph. Not through the water.
The boat has NO freaking motion through the water and the rudder won't work.

Hello?! If the boat is moving 4 mph over ground, but the current is
only 2 mph, then the boat must be moving 2 mph through the water!
Thus the rudder works.

I knew you'd come around to my way of thinking.

Duh! Forget about looking at the land. There doesn't have to be any land in sight
and you're still dead in the water.

Consider this: assuming the current and the wind have different
strengths (which is the original question) if you get into irons you
will start to slow down. Then you will be dead in the water. Then
you will start to go backwards. at this point your rudder works
again. There is no magic that says if there's a current you can't go
backwards through the water.

Consider also: you've been plopped in the ocean with no position
revealing instruments, but you do have speed and wind gauges. You
sail for some time and then get rescued. Your rescuers ask if you
encountered any current. What can you tell them?

Enough!

never!