How to sail directly into the wind: Tacking Guide.
Edit 2:
see my comment for my results of testing if tacking is faster or slower than rowing.
https://www.reddit.com/r/valheim/comments/1x3hryz/comment/pfclhqw/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Edit 3: lastly. i want i want to clarify something. this image is a guide for how to sail into the wind. not "how to get from point A to point B the fastest possible way." because if that were the case, there are several ways to move extremely fast in this game. and as you progress, you will continue to unlock faster methods of travel. but the purpose of tacking is to engage in the games sailing mechanics because thats fun. as compared to just setting your boat to move in a straight line for 20 minutes while you doom scroll lmao.
Edit: I'm seeing a lot of people say paddling is faster*.* which might be true in very very specific scenarios. But I'm referring to early game, and navigating in the Karve. Which has a better turn speed, and can tack in a much tighter line than the longship can. (Also, as someone who has briefly been a beginners sailing instructor, and as someone who has put about 750 hours into this game, I can guarantee that if you do it correctly, tacking in the Karve is much faster than paddling)
I've seen a lot of people complain about sailing into the wind over the years. But even more so now that there are a lot of new players.
So i made this diagram to demonstrate a real sailing technique called "tacking" which allows you to pretty easily sail directly into the wind.
hopefully it helps some folks who are struggling with the early game sailing.
Good hunting, Vikings. see you in Valhalla. 🫡