Apparently not always apparent.

Time and again I see students becoming confused about the "point of sail" that they are on. The confusion may have arisen by the way it was explained to them, or not enough information was given. First misconception is; the angle of the sails tells us what point of sail that we are on.  Students are presented with a visual of a boat with the sails hardened up and relate that to being close hauled. Sails eased way out relates to a broad reach. Somehow they missed the explaination (or it wasn't properly given to them) that the point of sail is the direction of the boat in relation to the wind, regardless of how the sails are set. The sails are trimmed to suit a particular point of sail.

The next issue is the student may not be aware of the dynamic changes happening with the wind as the boat speed increases or decreases. All the "points of sail" are based on APPARENT wind not true wind. Apparent wind is the wind we feel on the boat as it moves through the water.

If true wind speed and direction, as well as the course of the boat through the water remain constant, changes in boat speed will change the point of sail we are on and the sails will need to be trimmed.

On the other hand, if boat speed and direction remain constant a change in true wind speed will also change the point of sail we are on.

This is a large topic that is beyond the perameters of this post.

The point I am making is the student must be taught and gain an understanding of the dynamics of apparent wind early in the "learn to sail" process.