explain "tack safe leeward"

Originally Posted by jollyrodgers
i hope you guys don't mind me chiming in here.
i keep see these monohull sailors that have the helm of these big cats trying to tack safe leeward. In the first match race on Saturday 9/17, Artemis had the room to cross, shut the door on Korea and lay the mark. Instead they tacked safe leeward, which is really hard to make work on a cat, then they failed to lay the mark, had an extra tack to do, and they got sent out to opposite/wrong side of the course. Korea didn't get covered, and picked up a nice shift, gust or whatever, and totally destroyed Artemis.
Seems to me Artemis guys, as awesome as they are, need to employ some primitive Hobie racing tactics from time to time.
"if you're not first you're last" -Reese Bobby in "Taledega Nights"