Jewel of Muscat

The ship is tacked by putting the helm alee, heading up into the wind, letting the foresail back (thereby turning the bow on to the other tack), then wearing both sails around onto the setting for the new tack.

Sometimes Jewel has been caught in ‘irons’ (the ship refusing to go through the eye of the wind) when trying to tack, particularly when the wind is light and there is little speed. There have also been instances of tacking accidentally when sailing close to the wind. This can happen when there is a sudden wind shift, or if the helmsman is not concentrating on the steering.

Sailing close to the wind with a ship like Jewel demands attention.