Velocity Made Good Meaning in Sailing

Velocity Made Good (VMG) represents the actual speed at which a boat is closing the distance to its target, either directly upwind or downwind. Because sailboats cannot sail straight into the wind, they must sail at an angle; VMG measures how much of that speed is actually moving the boat toward the mark rather than just sideways. One clear example involves a sailor seeing a high ‘speed through water’ but a low VMG, indicating they are sailing too far away from their destination. Modern GPS and wind instruments calculate VMG in real-time to help the crew find the most efficient angle for the fastest arrival. It is the ultimate metric for performance in upwind and downwind racing.