In admiralty law , this nautical term means the arrangement or trim of a vessel’s sails when she endeavors to make a progress in the nearest direction possible towards that point of the compass from which the wind blows. But a vessel may be considered as close-hauled , although she is not quite so near to the wind as she could possibly lie. Chadwick v. Packet Co., 6 El. & Bl. 771
Black’s Law Online Dictionary
