Upwind Leg

An upwind leg, or beat, is the part of a race course sailed toward the wind, where a boat cannot point straight at the windward mark and must tack back and forth at the close-hauled angle (typically 40 to 45 degrees off the true wind for a keelboat). It is the most tactical leg: boats fight for clear air, the favored side of the course, and wind shifts, and the start usually feeds straight into it. The leg ends at the upper (windward) mark, where boats round and bear away onto a reaching or running leg.