I've never done any sailing. Well, I have been known to throw an umbrella in the canoe.
------------------ I had the chance to sail a Maid of Kent. Three sails, the compass, chart and rudder were more than I could manage all at once, as the crooked wake revealed.
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As a kid I built working model sailboats. When set to sail at nearly a right angle to the wind they would run back and forth along a nearly straight line, occasionally turning in surface turbulence, and usually return to the launch site. The trick was to trim a fairly small jib tighter than the main so it balanced the side thrust on the main without seriously hindering forward motion.