Points of Sail & Right of Way Guide
An interactive points-of-sail diagram, plus who gives way to whom under the collision regulations and the caveats that matter.
The points of sail
Who gives way
Port gives way to starboard. A boat with the wind on its port side keeps clear of one with the wind on starboard. This is the first rule to learn and the one shouted across the water most often.
Windward gives way to leeward. On the same tack, the boat further upwind keeps clear. The leeward boat has less room to manoeuvre and is often blanketed.
Overtaking gives way. Whoever is overtaking keeps clear, whatever they are sailing and whatever tack anyone is on. This one overrides the others.
Power gives way to sail — with large exceptions. The familiar version is misleading. A vessel constrained by draught, one restricted in her ability to manoeuvre, one engaged in fishing, and any vessel in a narrow channel or traffic separation scheme all outrank a yacht under sail.
A sailing boat under engine is a power boat. Motor-sailing with sails up makes you a power-driven vessel, and in daylight you should be showing a cone. Plenty of collisions start with someone assuming the boat ahead is sailing.
These are simplifications of the collision regulations, which are worth reading properly rather than remembering as slogans. The overriding rule is that you must take whatever action avoids a collision, including breaking every rule above — being right is not a defence, and stand-on vessels are obliged to act when it becomes clear the other boat is not going to.
Why you cannot sail straight upwind
A sail is a wing. It works by air flowing across it, which needs the wind to arrive at an angle — point directly into it and the flow separates, the sails flog, and the boat stops. That dead sector, roughly forty degrees either side of the wind, is the no-go zone, and the way upwind is to zig-zag across it on alternating tacks.
The counterintuitive part is that the closest angle is not the fastest way up. Squeezing right to the edge of the no-go zone — pinching — feels efficient and is slower over the ground than bearing away a few degrees and going properly. Speed made good to windward is the number that matters, not the angle on the compass.
How to use
- Find the wind direction relative to your bow.
- Read the point of sail and how to trim for it.
- Check the right-of-way rules for boats you meet.
- Remember that right of way never removes the duty to avoid a collision.
Frequently asked questions
What is the no-go zone?
The arc roughly 40 to 45 degrees either side of the wind where a sailboat cannot make progress, because the sails cannot generate lift at that angle. Reaching a point upwind means tacking in a zigzag through it rather than sailing directly at it.
What are the points of sail?
From closest to the wind outward: close hauled, close reach, beam reach, broad reach and run. A beam reach — wind on the side — is usually the fastest and most comfortable, and a dead run is slower and more prone to an accidental gybe than beginners expect.
Who has right of way between two sailing boats?
Under the collision regulations, a boat on port tack keeps clear of one on starboard tack. When both are on the same tack, the windward boat keeps clear of the leeward boat. These are the two rules that settle most encounters between sailing vessels.
Does right of way mean I can hold my course regardless?
No, and this is the most important qualification. Every vessel has an overriding duty to avoid a collision, and the stand-on vessel must act if the other is plainly not giving way. Insisting on a right of way into a collision is a failure of seamanship and of the rules themselves.
What about sail versus power?
The common belief that sail always has right of way over power is too simple. A sailing vessel keeps clear of a vessel restricted in its ability to manoeuvre, one constrained by draft, one engaged in fishing, and any vessel it is overtaking. A yacht in a narrow channel does not outrank a ship.
Is this enough to go sailing on?
No. The collision regulations are a legal instrument with far more to them than a summary, and handling a boat is learned on the water. This is a reference for someone learning, not instruction, and a course with an instructor is what actually prepares anyone.
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