Definition
A layline is the track, on either tack, that leads directly to a windward mark or harbour entrance without needing another tack. It is drawn on the chart or plotter using the boat's close hauled angle corrected for tidal stream and leeway. Overstanding the layline wastes distance sailed, while tacking short means an extra pair of tacks, so laylines are approached with a margin in shifty or tide-swept water.
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