wind at boat's heels

Question

Hi,if wind is "more at boat's heels", where is it exactly? Thanks!

Enoon · Accepted Answer

That doesn't look right; it is missing an article, probably, at least. Please provide a complete sentence. A boat heels, meaning it tilts to the side, but I don't think it has a heel.

PoppyBlue · Answer

Thank you, enoon!
The sentence is: He altered the course to run the ship with the wind more at its heels.

He did that so the ship would sail more smoothly.

Enoon · Answer

PoppyBlueThank you, enoon!The sentence is: He altered the course to run the ship with the wind more at its heels.He did that so the ship would sail more smoothly.

I am not conversant in sailing terminology, but I have never seen "heel" used as the word for a part of a boat in that context. A "nautical dictionary" on line ( http://www.seatalk.info/cgi-bin/nautical-marine-sailing-dictionary/db.cgi?db=db&uid=default&FirstLetter=h&sb=Term&view_records=View+Records&nh=3 ) says that the heel is, variously,

"1) The bottom end of the mast. 2) The amount of leaning angle of a vessel under sail. 3) The aft end of a keel. 4) The hollowed base of a lead weight on the end of a leadline."

You can see that none of those definitions admits of a plural. I think the writer is a hack who dimly remembered "nip at one's heels" and sloppily threw his garbled version in there. He meant "more aft".

PoppyBlue · Answer

Thank you so much! I thought it sounds very odd, especially when I found the same definitions that you provided.

Your help is much appreciated

wind at boat's heels

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