[Greg]

Yeah, that's it.

Capt. Aubrey's sailing master didn't think the Sophie would make six points to the wind, either. She has two square-rigged masts, each with three squares plus the royals. Then they hang staysails on every chunk of rope that isn't busy doing something.

From the description, it sounds like the stern is more of a tub, but so far the text hasn't been really clear on either the bow or the stern.

Rose, the key thing about sailing into the wind is that the sail creates lift toward the direction you want to go (sort of) while the keel balances that force to keep you from going off all caddywumpus. It's sort of like how an airplane flies except that the wing is on its side and the keel does the job of the gravity vector.