Is it possible to sail faster than the wind?

Question

I've heard it said that because of aerodynamic lift on the sail it is possible for a yacht to sail faster than the wind. I'm not asking if it is theoretically possible, but whether in your experience this is possible?

Answer 1

Remember that "the wind" is a variable factor.

First it comes and goes in gusts. In the gust, a boat can accelerate, then when the wind drops at the endof the gust the boat will take time to decelerate again: so the boat can easily be travelling faster than the wind at the point. This is especially so in very light to calm winds.

Second: In flat calm conditions when the wind is zero, you can still sail. If you lean the boat one way, and then lean it quickly the other: this action will "pump" the sail through the air, generating its own wind, thus moving the boat forward.

Third: The wind on the boat is actually Apparent wind, not true wind. As the boat moves forward, the wind it feels is in a different direction and a different speed to the true wind. This potential increase in wind and new direction can be beneficial to the boat, allowing it to sail faster. As it sails faster, so the apparent wind changes again, allowing it to sail faster still. This way it is perfectly possible, and quite common for fast skiff type boats with large spinnakers, for the boat to be sailing faster than the true wind speed.

Answer 2

Hobie cat made a twin mast catamaran prototype, I don't know if it went full production through.  It has sports car handling and set a speed record of 50+ mph. It could sail at something like 150% wind speed and could tack so quick it pulled close to 2 g's. I saw it in action a while back and it was amazing.