Pointing and beating.

[WSguy]

Is there any difference in the use of these terms?

[GEM]

Beating refers to making way over ground to windward. It typically involves "pointing" almost as close to the wind as the vessel will go (pointing higher typically reduces drive and velocity falls off such that the vessel's speed over ground upwind is lower).

Pointing really refers to any point of sail (i.e., direction relative to the wind), though it seems like it is very commonly used in regard to pointing high upwind. So and so is "pointing high" often gets contracted to just "pointing", which is improper english and the source of your query. It's like when people say they had a "quality time" or "quality product", which in the vernacular they mean HIGH quality but technically their english is bad because quality is not intrinsically high - it can be low.

Thus, it is totally correct to say one is pointing offwind, across the wind, etc., because the point of sail is not dependent on the direction of the wind.

[RobSwift]

Fella, I gleaned something from your rather verbose message, and it was quite funny as well. Over Ground? What kind of English is that? I do hope you are sailing over water.

[GEM]

Hi again, ole buddy.

You are obviously uneducated in piloting and navigation.

Standard nautical (and aeronautical) jargon refers to progress made relative to the river/lake/ocean bottom as distance over ground. This is to differentiate it from distance throught the water (air), which is often quite a bit further due to the water (wind) current.

For instance, if you flew a plane at 500 mph, with a 100 mph tailwind, your velocity in the air is 500 mph, but your velocity over ground is 600 mph. Keep that up for long, and someone as uniformed as you would likely end up winning themself a Darwin award. The effect is equally effective on water as it is in the air.

Do yourself and everyone else on the water a favor. Take a sailing course.

[WSguy]

Hey, GEM, you are quite the Gem. Arrogant, stupid and rather unsophisticated posts like yours only tells us how poorly you have been educated, if you have been at all. Don't expect anyone to read them. I can't believe you are lecturing Robby Swift on sailing.

[Ken]

Guys,

Give me a break. I enjoyed GEM's post and learned something, but his second reponse to Rob was a bit overdone. However, Rob asked for it.

WSguy - you just increased your knowledge, relax a bit enjoy pointing or beating as the case may be.

Maybe more water time will take the edge off?

[Phill104]

Are we getting the curse of Sinbad here?

[GEM]

WSguy, Rob Swift,

People deserve to be treated with respect, and not mocked. So when you mock someone, I don't give a flip who you are, expect to get slapped. I post as one identity, because I'm not afraid of people knowing what I wrote.

Being a great windsurfer doesn't make one a SAILOR.
Baiting and/or mocking people makes one a jerk.
Those are not mutually exclusive.

So if, in fact, WSguy and Rob Swift are one and the same, then I conclude that Rob Swift is a great windsurfer, and doesn't know much about real sailing. That, or he is the kind of person who will be quickly forgotten - by fans and sponsors alike.

[WSguy]

Blah, blah, blah, personal attacks only underscore your lack of an education.

[charliewizz]

what you got a education !!!!