APAD: Sailing close to the wind

Meaning:

   To sail close to the wind is to take a risky course of action - on the edge

   of law-breaking or calamity.

 

   In its original sailing meaning, to sail close to the wind means to steer the

   boat as near as possible to the direction the wind is coming from.

 

   If the wind were coming from the 12-o-clock direction close to the wind might

   be around 10-o-clock or 2-o-clock. Going in those directions the sails will

   be full and the ship will travel along briskly. Just a small error in

   direction would point directly into the wind and the ship will abruptly lose

   wind and speed. Thus `close to the wind' is exhilarating but risky.

 

Background:

   The expression `close to the wind' has been known in sailing circles for

   centuries.

 

- www.phrases.org.uk [edited]

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Besides lucre from trade, fair or otherwise, sailing itself sounds exciting and

engaging. This proverb suggests that a good nose for the wind is essential and

the course needs to be closely watched and adjusted from time to time. Sailors

and able-bodied seamen should be rewarding careers in the 16th and 17th

centuries and every British boy must've dreamed of conquering the sea.