Where you point and where you go are two very different things. Flat sails by there very nature allow you to point high but pointing high is not what counts, you have to go where you point. That's the little detail that separates boats that really go to the windward versus those that don't.

Conditions on the water also have a very large effect. In flat water, you can often go to the windward in an amazing fashion but throw in a few waves and things can change rather dramaticly.

Lastly the hull on which the rig sits has the final say as that is what keeps you from sliding off to the leeward.

At the end of the day, it's not how high you point but the course made good that counts. For LC, tacking through 90 deg in flat water can be reliably done. She can point higher but leeway then becomes an issue. Throw in some waves and tacking through 120 deg is more like it.

Annie Hill wrote:It sounds very good, Michael, but if your compass is reading correctly, then you should be able to check.  Of course, this doesn't take leeway into account and your tacking angle as shown by a GPS track is unlikely to be as good.

I had flat sails on a previous boat, Badger, and with a nice breeze, on flat water, she would tack through 80.  However, as soon as the sea got up, the tacking angle deteriorated.  Flat sails give less drive, so you don't go as fast to windward (I would, personally, say they make little difference on other points of sailing), but other people have said that they have been able to point up high with flat sails.

The best way of finding out how well your boat points, really, is to sail in company with another boat going to windward.  Ideally another Corribee.  But such comparisons can lead to disappointment and , really, if you are happy with your little ship, that's all that matters!

Hi Annie, those numbers are boat heading by compass in flat water! I guess it will be worse in the rough stuff, but I did thousands of miles in my Trimarans which were worse!

I hav been reading the Forums for details of acceptable tacking angles? Lots of opinions but not a lot of 'this is what to expect'. 

In my blog http://mikeinkwazi.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/going-to-windward.html I reported my flat sail Corribee tacking in 80 degrees (ie 40 degrees either side of the wind) to me this is good. Am I deluded?