How to Sail a Gunboat 68 Upwind: Mastering Apparent Wind

WWhat is the reality of sailing a large performance catamaran upwind in a building breeze? In this onboard footage from a Gulf of Leon delivery, we experience conditions from 18 to 32 knots, demonstrating the necessary sail changes and the core concept of apparent wind in action.

We break down a common point of confusion: why the true wind angle increases as the boat accelerates. More importantly, we show the practical limitation this creates at the deck level—specifically, how the range of your jib car track can dictate your optimal sailing angle. This is a hands-on look at the trade-offs between pointing high and maintaining speed that every performance sailor needs to understand.

CHAPTERS:
0:00 Departure from Canet
0:45 Heavy Weather Sail Changes
1:30 The "Civilized" Inside Helm
2:30 Wind Eases, Speed Stays High
3:30 The Apparent Wind Effect Explained
5:00 Jib Car Position: The Real-World Limiter
6:15 The Trade-Off: Pointing vs. Speed

USEFUL LINKS
➜ Supporting blog post https://youngbarnacles.com/gunboat-68...
➜ Want to go deeper? Access our detailed composites videos, project files, and community on the Youngbarnacles Members Hub: https://youngbarnacles.com/plans/all-...
➜ Need world-class engineering for your project? Learn more about our professional design and consultancy services at SYAS Performance: https://syasperformance.weebly.com/
➜ Free Sailing Library: Check out our free guides on composites, systems, and seamanship: https://www.youngbarnacles.com/resources

MUSIC
YouTube Audio Library ➜ https://www.youtube.com/