A truism in sailing is that Lee Shores should be avoided. Traditionally rigged boats had difficulties working their way to windward. Earlier this week there was a really good examply of this.
A pair of M32 catamaran's sailing in the Match Racing world championship event in Marstrand were in the prestart. They sailed downwind up to a rocky shore, where the competitors used the rocky, lee shore as a barrier to prevent their competitor sailing to leeward of them and gaining the right to luff them up head to wind. One of the boats headed up violently and attempted to tack away from the lee shore, but they muffed the tack and ended up drifting down to leeward up against the shore.
A classic example of why Lee Shores should be avoided.
Here's the video
