What direction is the fastest....?

Question

What direction in sailing is the fastest?
Upwind?
Downwind?
Accross the wind?

Answer 1

I agree with the answer above, but will add that it depends not only on the hull type but also the rigging.

I've crawled downwind because I didn't have a spinnaker available on my sloop-rigged boat, for example.

I think that as a general, all-purpose answer, though, it's across the wind (a beam reach).

Answer 2

It depends on the boat. A light planning hull will go fastest downwind in stong winds but a dispacement hull may go fastest with the wind just forward of the beam. The fastest direction between two distant ports is the path of least resistance.

Answer 3

along the wind

Answer 4

downwind