How to sail

DESKTOP

Mouse and keyboard

• Hover over the wooden tiller: sail. Move off it: pause.
• Mouse left = turn right. Mouse right = turn left. Center = straight. Farther from center means a sharper turn—just like moving a real tiller.
• Hold left mouse: trim in. Hold right mouse: ease out. The A / D keys and the controls-panel buttons do the same.
• Hold middle mouse and drag: look around. All sails disappear and steering centers while you look; the race keeps moving if it was running. Release to return behind your boat.

MOBILE

Two thumbs

• Right thumb: hold the wooden tiller and slide left or right to steer. Left turns right; right turns left.
• Left thumb: hold the upper Trim in button or lower Ease out button. You can slide between them; the middle strip holds your current trim.
• Both thumbs work together. With just the trim pad held, the boat sails straight. Release both to pause.
• Tap Controls for race setup, the trim guide, and readings. The full-course map is hidden on mobile.

Read the two dials

True wind flow shows where the air is going relative to your boat: down means wind in your face; up means wind from behind. A right-pointing arrow means air flowing from port to starboard, and vice versa.

The red wedge is the no-go zone. Pointing directly into the wind makes the sail luff and the boat slow down. Turn away, build speed, then tack across the wind to work upwind.

Next mark points toward your target: up = ahead, left/right = that side, down = behind. Its color changes with the target.

Trim and telltales

Closer to the wind: generally trim in. Farther from the wind: generally ease out. Small changes are easier to judge than big ones; watch your speed and the Trim guide.

The red and green ribbons distinguish the two sides of the sail. Both streaming aft means good airflow. Fluttering or swirling means airflow is disturbed; color alone doesn’t tell you which button to press. Follow the Trim guide for the adjustment.

On a downwind run, fluttering can be normal. With no airflow, the ribbons droop. These are simplified arcade telltales.

Puffs and other boats

Darker patches on the water are puffs. Aim for them for more wind; the wind-speed reading lights up cyan. Strong puffs also let you point a few degrees closer to the wind.

A yellow sail means wind shadow: an upwind boat is blocking some of your air. Move into clear wind. The shadow reduces driving power by at most 15%.

A collision slows the offending boat. On opposite tacks, the port-tack boat gives way—wind from its left side, boom to its right. On the same tack, give room when overtaking or sailing to windward.

Round the marks and finish

Triangle courses use all three marks; upwind/downwind uses two. Follow the target dial for the selected course. Long courses double the windward-to-leeward distance; their triangle legs run 20° either side of downwind.

Sail around the outside of each mark. The colored semicircle shows the side that counts: the far side away from the next mark. Passing close on the inside won’t count. Give the buoy room and watch the target arrow change.

You may cross early before the gun, but if you’re over at zero, OCS means return fully behind the line and recross.

After everyone starts, the line and committee boat disappear. They return when the first boat reaches its final leg. Cross between the yellow mark and committee boat to finish. Your banner confirms your place and time.