3 ms·
It's the keel that makes it possible to sail upwind in any useful sense. There are functional equivalents possible e.g. a catamaran can have very narrow-but-dee
by coryrc 3y ago
It's the keel that makes it possible to sail upwind in any useful sense. There are functional equivalents possible e.g. a catamaran can have very narrow-but-deep hulls, but it's the the fact that a keel provides very little drag straight ahead and a lot at 90 degrees which allows you to sail close-hauled.
I remain unconvinced it's impossible downwind, given gliders and parasailing work.