Student
Magnus Magnusson
Reykjav, Hofu borgarsva i, Iceland
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Status: Sailor
Qualified days: 0
Beat, close haul
Posted 2022, Jun 03 09:37
Just a little thought.
You suggested that beat was from being beaten up by the wind. My guess is that beat comes from old-Norse. I come from Iceland and our language is very old. In Icelandic when you sail close haul (beat), you say that you are “beita” or “beita upp í vindinn” (=to beat up into the wind).
We have always sailed through the ages and these words are very old in our language. The old Norse vikings travelled much to Scotland, Ireland and England, so maybe the word traveled that way!