where did this come from?

[BR Mon]

This thread is now officially "In Irons"...I am going to give Captain D the "big boat right of way"...The OP asked why it is called a reach...I still say a reach is the sailors delight especially when the wind direction alows the boat to sail in a reach for a long period...Jamaica is not the only place I have heard a term used... Passengers most probably heard the term reach used by the crew...

[kim&betty]

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reach look at definition 2b intransitive verb