When making headway, how does the bow tend to the wind?

• A. Bow seeks the wind
• B. Stern seeks the wind
• C. Bow backs into the wind
• D. Bow points away from the wind

Answer: (A)

When a vessel makes way, wind forces act on the forward part of the hull and on any sails or superstructure, creating a yawing moment that tends to rotate the ship so the bow points into the wind. This tendency, often called weather helm, comes from the wind’s center of effort being ahead of the hull’s center of resistance, which steers the bow toward the wind. In practice, you counter this with a touch of opposite rudder to hold the desired course. So the bow tends to the wind, i.e., the bow seeks the wind.