"Ellen MacArthur" wrote in message
reenews.net...

"Jeff" wrote
Of course, gybing to avoid tacking is particularly stupid if you're
trying to get upwind.

Duh, tell that to Christopher Columbus and everybody else on tall
ships.....

Cheers,
Ellen

No, not everybody.
Read Alan Villiers 'The set of the Sails' about how the captain of the four
masted 'Lawhill' tacked away from a leeshore at the mouth of the Gironde
river with a small crew of young boys while other captains were getting tugs
to tow them as much as 50 miles offshore before setting sail.
Also his book 'The voyage of the Joseph Conrad' .
He tacked the Joseph Conrad for a week just to make a few miles in a fairly
narrow channel. She ended up in Mystic Seaport. don't know if she is still
there.
Tall ships could be tacked if they had a good crew and a captain who had the
guts to do it. Bear away a bit, get up some speed and go for it!