A sailor’s life is much influenced by wind and tide, and the terms Up and Down are much used in the sense of towards or away from wind or stream. Thus up-helm means that the tiller should be moved to the upwind side of the boat, which is usually topographically up as well, being towards the higher side of a heeled boat. Down-helm is the opposite. To sail Higher, or to Point higher is to sail nearer to the wind, but ‘Lower’ is rarely used in this sense. (See also: Bear away, to)