The “Distance” (Dist) indicates how far the boat has sailed within the selected time frame. A shorter distance on upwind legs suggests that the boat either took advantage of favorable wind shifts or sailed at a better angle to the wind. On straight-line legs, a shorter distance means the boat followed a more direct path to the next mark.
When rounding the marks, the distance may also be longer if the boat sails to the less favorable gate mark or if it rounds the mark more widely instead of taking a tighter turn.