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Re: sailing upwind?

William Beaty wrote:

... suppose we build a machine that contains a pair of sailboats
with sliding connection to a long rod. Orient the rod perpendicular
to the wind, start with the sailboats near each other and at opposite
tacking angles, then let the whole assembly go. When the boats
reach the ends of the rod, they tack again. Each boat never sails
directly into the wind, but the "machine" as a whole does so.

One sliding connection or two sliding connections? Do you suggest
I drill a hole in each boat (from side to side) and insert a rod into it?
How should the sails be oriented?