What is a "fetch"?

[KeithH]

Can anyone help with a nautical term? What is meant by sailing a close fetch? I have heard people referring to a "fetch" in the same way as you would talk about say, sailing close hauled or reaching. But all I can find in dictionaries about "fetch" in the nautical sense is a distance of open water eg across a bay or estuary, and not a point of sailing at all.

So is sailing a "close fetch" the same as ... sailing a "close reach"? Or does it mean something else entirely?

regards



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[Benbow]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

Interesting word. You can say ' I can fetch that buoy if I tack now ' Meaning I can reach it in one tack. So to me a fetch is simply a windward leg on one tack. However it also seems to mean on the wind but not quite close hauled or not quite a beat. Something like sailing 'full and by'.

Confused ? Me too.



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[Nich39Nige]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

A fetch is a reach with the wind slighty forward of the beam. A close fetch is a reach.

Wot I learned anyway!

Nige

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[Goodge]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

Re : A fetch is a reach with the wind slighty forward of the beam. A close fetch is a reach.

I would agree that a fetch is wind slightly forward of the beam but not sure of your definition for close fetch.

If a reach is 90 degrees to the wind and close hauled is 45 degrees , I would suggest that a close reach is nearer to 'close hauled ' than to a reach
I would say a close reach is just off the wind.



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[aitchw]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

So it's a 'close reach', not yet close hauled or, as previous post, 'full and by'.

Don't you just love the terminology and the more obscure the saltier it all sounds.

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[aitchw]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

Nahhh. A reach at 90 degrees is a beam reach, close hauled is as near the wind as you can sail without pinching, so full and by is just enough off close hauled to really motor and a close reach is a bit more off the wind than that and that's good enough for me. As far as I'm concerned fetching is what the dog does when I throw a stick.

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[Gunfleet]

It's the distance over open water that a wind travels unimpeded before it reaches your position. You could always try a nautical dictionary. By the way it's a concept so anglo-saxon that the French for a fetch is 'fetch' - untranslateable cf Merrien

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[aitchw]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

Don't you just love it when the French have to use good old English. It really p****s of the Academie Francais.

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[Gunfleet]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

tee hee. It reminds me of the time someone asked me what was English for 'un pull'

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[aitchw]

Excellent!!! N.M

N.M.

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by aitchw on 09/09/2004 17:29 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[alldownwind]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

Where I was brung up it means to get to a target point to windward on one tack, i.e. without tacking. "I can fetch that mark without tacking". All the other stuff sounds like a close reach to me.
Also, as someone else has said, it's a distance across water in relation to the gain in height of a wave. Eh? Oh, well, I know what I mean....

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[jmp]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

My understanding of the term is a windward leg or course which can be achieved without tacking.A close fetch being such that one can just make it ,ie close to the wind.Broad reach,Reach ,and close reach relate to wind directions from abeam to I suggest about 45*abaft,or forward.A fetch I consider to be in the forward sector and might clash with a close reach at its extremeties farthest from the wind.
Please excuse my inability to type a degree icon!

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[aitchw]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

That makes a lot of sense especially as the term then has a different meaning from those used to describe points of sailing.

I can't call up the degree symbal either without looking it up every time.

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[Phoenix of Hamble]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

For me, the language has always been:

Close Hauled - Fetch - Reach - Beam Reach - Broad Reach - Run

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[Aja]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

Close-hauled, but with the sheets cracked off slightly. I would also agree that it is a beat where a mark or waypoint could be made on one tack.

Regards
Donald

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[kds]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

Yes NAS - I agree.
BUT there has also been the other understanding of the term - to mean a distance over the water that the wind has to build up a wave pattern.
I love the language and feel that it does enhance the whole ambience of the sport. And I am a scientist !
Ken

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[DanTribe]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

I asked my dog this question & he brought me a stick.

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[Biddy]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

Is it related in anyway with carry ? ... my missus is always telling me to 'fetch' this and 'carry' that !!!!


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[danera]

For me it goes like this:

Irons - Sailing backwards - pinching - are you sure the boat won't fall over - tipping - please, not the spinnaker - has the wind dropped?

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[ashanta]

Re: What is a \"fetch\"?

The terms used to be Close hauled, fine reach, beam reach, broad reach and running and my understanding of a fetch was as described by a previous forumite as a sail, forward of the beam making the tack in one "fetch". Otherwise you are tacking or "beating".

Peter.

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