| Hardly. Sailing ships (unlike powered vessels) cannot sail faster than the wind (usually a llot slower!). |
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On a run, or a broad reach, absolutely! Fore and Aft rigged, close hauled?.....if the sails are designed,cut,and sewn right, and hull drag is minimum.........??
On the wind, sailing vessels use the apparent wind, which is the vector sum of the true wind, and the wind that is created by the forward motion of the ship. This combined wind, and the shape of the sails (airfoil) create "lift" which pulls the hull through the water. Where hull drag is minimil, and there is little or no leeway, as in an iceboat, the "ship" can sail faster than the true wind. The problem here, is that as the ship moves faster, the apparent wind "heads" the sails, and the ship must fall off, reducing the force of the apparent wind, and moving it more abeam than ahead...you can't get something for nothing, and I'm not going to get into the debate over using the headsalis for their own power, or for directing wind across the mainsail, to develop more power there. In practical application, it is hullspeed, the theoretical limit to how fast the size,and shape of the hull, can be moved through the water, that determines maximum speed. There is, if you will, a "sweetspot"( combined shape of entry, run, wetted surface,etc. ) were the lines of the hull are the fastest. the degree of heel where this sweetspot exists can be different on opposite sides, so the fastest degree of heel to port, is not necessarily the fastest degree of heel to starboard. The mark of a great helmsman, is being able to feel when the sweetspot is reached, know how to adjust the sheets so the the center of effort of the sails, and the point of fastest hull speed (fore and aft) are matched, and keep her there.