VMG

VMG (Velocity Made Good) is the speed a vessel is effectively making towards a chosen waypoint, mark, or wind direction. In sailing, it separates useful progress from raw boat speed: a yacht may sail faster on a reach, but if that course points away from the objective, its VMG may be lower. Upwind and downwind VMG show how efficiently tacking or gybing angles convert wind into progress.

For boaters, VMG helps optimise course, trim and passage time. Racers use it to choose the fastest angle to a mark or layline, while cruisers use it to judge whether a heading, sail plan or tide is genuinely helping. VMG is closely tied to True Wind Angle, Layline and Tidal Current, because wind shifts and stream can change the best course over ground.

PredictWind Weather Routing uses forecast wind, current and vessel performance data to compare routes by progress made, not just distance sailed. With accurate polars, VMG becomes a practical measure for faster, safer decisions offshore or around the cans.