I was thinking about the British first-rates, and the fact that they are pretty much impossible to tack in just one "aback" turn. The only way it might be possible is if you start the maneuver right from on the edge between red and yellow. But with the granularity and uncertainties of the maneuver cards it's pretty hard to arrange that

This doesn't strike me as terribly realistic. It's my impression that experienced sailors had no problem sailing very close to the point of being taken aback--they would edge up to the limit, and if they detected the signs of losing way then they could simply ease off slightly.

So here's the idea: if you don't have any sail/mast/rudder damage (and there's no wind direction change), and you do a "not too sharp" turn (say between veer 4 and 6) which would take you into the red zone, you have the option to rotate the ship around the mainmast so as to angle it on the red/yellow line, and therefore not taken aback

It seems more realistic to me. Having said that, it might make maneuvering too easy; and I'm not sure it adds enough to offset the complexity.

Any thoughts?