close reach

noun

The point of sail where the wind is blowing just ahead of the beam of the vessel

“We're sailing on a close reach.”

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Meanings

nounclose reach (plural close reaches)

plural close reaches

  1. nauticalThe point of sail where the wind is blowing just ahead of the beam of the vessel

    We're sailing on a close reach.

verbclose reach (third-person singular simple present close reaches, present participle close reaching, simple past and past participle close reached)

present singular third person close reaches · participle present close reaching · participle past close reached · past close reached

  1. nauticalTo sail on a close reach
Cite this entry
APA

close reach. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/close%20reach

MLA

“close reach.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/close%20reach. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “close reach,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/close%20reach.

Source: close reach on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.