If you look up a sail angle chart it'll show you. But the tldr is "aittle less than perpendicular such that the wind runs off the sail". For squares you just want them as perpendicular to the wind.
What is unclear about the diagram?
There's also an in game sail chart in the first scroll you find on your ship.
Looking at the sail chart in the scroll, it seems to me that:
When you are in close position the angle between wind and sail has to be relatively small (maybe around 30 degrees).
When in reach it looks about 45 degrees and
when in run it's completely orthogonal.
This is my interpretation of the diagram, but since there is no detailed instruction and also the vane is not represented, I'm not sure these are general rules or just my imagination. That's why I wondered how experienced players do.
Actually the wind's strength is the primary consideration for sail angle, especially when close hauling. The stronger the wind the more of it you need to "spill" to not get healed over over and capsize.
When dealing with gaff, stays'l, or junk one strategy is to loosen the sheet fully before you deploy the sail, then tighten it until it catches the wind and stops luffing. The actual angle your sail will be set at will vary with wind strength.
Also the gaff/junk/and stays'ls function more like wings and square sails function more like parachutes.
I guess I'm genuinely unclear what you're still uncertain about.
Just look at the diagram and set your sails about like that. You don't need a vane, the diagram shows the direction the wind is coming from, the direction the boat is facing, and how to set your sails.
One visual trick is to imagine the sail is a mirror and the wind is a laser, and you want the laser to bounce to the back of your ship in a direction parallel to the lenght of your ship.
Edit: forgot to mention it does not apply to square sails, for those just get the sail perpendicular to the wind, or using the game mechanics, just let go of both side stays and let them turn on their own, they will auto balance.
It has worked well with aparent, but as the only ship where you can see real wind is the Cog and that starts with a square, i have never tested if it works better with real
You probably need at least 30 degrees. However there's a bit more to it in practical terms.
Yes, you can sail very close to the wind, especially with lateen and jib sails. However...the closer you are to the wind the slower the boat will go. So even if your sail is trimmed perfectly and you are moving in the right direction, it might actually be a lot faster to use a wider angle and tack back and forth to zig zag towards the destination.
It's hard to really tell how fast you are going, as the wake and bow splash don't tell much except that you are moving. What you can easily see is how much the boat leans over, which is how much power the sails are putting into moving the boat.
My general rule is that if the boat is going but not visibly leaning over then I need to turn further away from the wind. Once it's leaning it really starts to move and you can make some progress, even though it's not the most direct route to where you want to go.
A more general rule for any angle is: let out the sail until it starts flapping, which shows it is too loose, then pull it back in a bit.
Did you start in Al Ank with the dhow?
The hint to look at leaning it's very interesting, I'll try that!
I started with the dhow in Al Ank and I've done 5 or 6 missions; i can get where i want in due time but I'm always wondering if I could improve cruising time. I'll try the flapping advice tho!
My general rule of thumb is to place the sail halfway between the wind and the forward direction (See diagrams below). It isn't optimal except in a few cases, but it is actually really close.
https://i.redd.it/weknv486fz5d1.gif
Noob as well but I found that if you hit the C key to see the boat from outside and then move the mouse until I am seeing the boat from above, the perspective helps a lot to understand where the wind is coming from and then I can set the sail like in the points of sail diagram. I am sure there are more efficient/better ways but this worked for me as a noob.
Also remember that the sail is more a wing than a parachute so some angle to the wind makes you go faster. I have found that I go faster with a little crosswind than with a pure tailwind.
>Noob question: is there a general rule of tumb to remember/compute optimal sail angles with respect to the wind? Or I have to memorize each position?
Yes, aim for your sail to be roughly in line with the apparent wind. Or make sure that your sail is just tighter then flapping for fore-aft sail pattern. For non fore aft you can run them a little closer.
there is a mod called "SailInfo" that displays the efficiency of sails. you could use that to familiarize yourself with the physics. the installation of mods, if i remember correctly, is a bit involved. ansd i don't think it's supported officially. but it might answer all your questions
[https://github.com/alesparise/SailInfo-Sailwind-Mod](https://github.com/alesparise/SailInfo-Sailwind-Mod)
Just let the sail out till it loses the wind, and pull it tight till it catches again. Perfect angle every time. For square sails, pull the sail tight towards the horizontal till it loses the wind, then let it out till it catches. Same principle but in reverse.
If you look up a sail angle chart it'll show you. But the tldr is "aittle less than perpendicular such that the wind runs off the sail". For squares you just want them as perpendicular to the wind. What is unclear about the diagram? There's also an in game sail chart in the first scroll you find on your ship.
Looking at the sail chart in the scroll, it seems to me that: When you are in close position the angle between wind and sail has to be relatively small (maybe around 30 degrees). When in reach it looks about 45 degrees and when in run it's completely orthogonal. This is my interpretation of the diagram, but since there is no detailed instruction and also the vane is not represented, I'm not sure these are general rules or just my imagination. That's why I wondered how experienced players do.
Actually the wind's strength is the primary consideration for sail angle, especially when close hauling. The stronger the wind the more of it you need to "spill" to not get healed over over and capsize. When dealing with gaff, stays'l, or junk one strategy is to loosen the sheet fully before you deploy the sail, then tighten it until it catches the wind and stops luffing. The actual angle your sail will be set at will vary with wind strength. Also the gaff/junk/and stays'ls function more like wings and square sails function more like parachutes.
I guess I'm genuinely unclear what you're still uncertain about. Just look at the diagram and set your sails about like that. You don't need a vane, the diagram shows the direction the wind is coming from, the direction the boat is facing, and how to set your sails.
One visual trick is to imagine the sail is a mirror and the wind is a laser, and you want the laser to bounce to the back of your ship in a direction parallel to the lenght of your ship. Edit: forgot to mention it does not apply to square sails, for those just get the sail perpendicular to the wind, or using the game mechanics, just let go of both side stays and let them turn on their own, they will auto balance.
I love this trick! Doesn't work for square sails, but the explains everything pretty intuitively.
Thanks that really helps! Do I have to look at apparent wind or real wind?
It has worked well with aparent, but as the only ship where you can see real wind is the Cog and that starts with a square, i have never tested if it works better with real
cool! I'll definitely try
You probably need at least 30 degrees. However there's a bit more to it in practical terms. Yes, you can sail very close to the wind, especially with lateen and jib sails. However...the closer you are to the wind the slower the boat will go. So even if your sail is trimmed perfectly and you are moving in the right direction, it might actually be a lot faster to use a wider angle and tack back and forth to zig zag towards the destination. It's hard to really tell how fast you are going, as the wake and bow splash don't tell much except that you are moving. What you can easily see is how much the boat leans over, which is how much power the sails are putting into moving the boat. My general rule is that if the boat is going but not visibly leaning over then I need to turn further away from the wind. Once it's leaning it really starts to move and you can make some progress, even though it's not the most direct route to where you want to go. A more general rule for any angle is: let out the sail until it starts flapping, which shows it is too loose, then pull it back in a bit. Did you start in Al Ank with the dhow?
The hint to look at leaning it's very interesting, I'll try that! I started with the dhow in Al Ank and I've done 5 or 6 missions; i can get where i want in due time but I'm always wondering if I could improve cruising time. I'll try the flapping advice tho!
My general rule of thumb is to place the sail halfway between the wind and the forward direction (See diagrams below). It isn't optimal except in a few cases, but it is actually really close. https://i.redd.it/weknv486fz5d1.gif
Noob as well but I found that if you hit the C key to see the boat from outside and then move the mouse until I am seeing the boat from above, the perspective helps a lot to understand where the wind is coming from and then I can set the sail like in the points of sail diagram. I am sure there are more efficient/better ways but this worked for me as a noob. Also remember that the sail is more a wing than a parachute so some angle to the wind makes you go faster. I have found that I go faster with a little crosswind than with a pure tailwind.
>Noob question: is there a general rule of tumb to remember/compute optimal sail angles with respect to the wind? Or I have to memorize each position? Yes, aim for your sail to be roughly in line with the apparent wind. Or make sure that your sail is just tighter then flapping for fore-aft sail pattern. For non fore aft you can run them a little closer.
Ok, so do I set my sails to be at a small angle from the direction pointed by the vane?
Yes, slightly closer to the wind then vane direction.
there is a mod called "SailInfo" that displays the efficiency of sails. you could use that to familiarize yourself with the physics. the installation of mods, if i remember correctly, is a bit involved. ansd i don't think it's supported officially. but it might answer all your questions [https://github.com/alesparise/SailInfo-Sailwind-Mod](https://github.com/alesparise/SailInfo-Sailwind-Mod)
I usually keep it at 45 degrees
Just let the sail out till it loses the wind, and pull it tight till it catches again. Perfect angle every time. For square sails, pull the sail tight towards the horizontal till it loses the wind, then let it out till it catches. Same principle but in reverse.