In the name of furthering nautical knowledge, USS Brandywine and HMS Terpsichore engaged in a tacking competition. When not turning through the wind, Brandywine would only sail straight. Terpsichore would only do sideslips as described here.
The result:
The first tack:
The next leg:
The second tack and final leg of the demonstration:
As you can see, Terpsichore was sailing faster, but not sailing as close to the wind. Brandywine was slowly beating her to windward.
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