E1.7 Because a sailboat cannot sail directly into the wind, and traveling straight downwind is usually slow, the shortest sailing distance is rarely a straight line. Thus sailboats tack upwind—the familiar zigzag course—

and jibe downwind. A tactician’s decision of when to tack and where to go can determine the outcome of a race.

Describe the process of tacking a sailboat as the wind shifts direction. Sketch a block diagram depicting this process.