Unfurling the Sails by Sarah Branson

Author:Sarah Branson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sooner Started Press

PART III

Sailing in Bosch, Lesson Three

Reading the Wind

As a sailor, you must come to understand your most important medium, the wind. While nowadays we have many instruments that provide a boater with the wind direction and speed, a true sailor must be able to read the wind without the gadgets of today.

Winds are named for the quarter they blow from. A north wind comes from the north and blows to the south, and so on. But winds seldom stay the same as you sail, so here are ways to determine wind direction as you sail.

The sailor themself can use their body to assess wind in multiple ways. A simple wet finger extended to the sky can give you a good idea of direction. Putting your face to the wind and turning your head slightly from side to side to feel the specific direction on your cheek as well as the variation of sound in your ears is another method.

Your boat can also tell you with the yarns or tell-tales on your sails that catch the wind, and your sails themselves will fill and luff depending on the wind’s direction.

Finally, the waves in the body of water can clue you in as small ripples will run perpendicular to the wind.

Wind speed can also be determined by observing the color of the water. The darker the water and the closer together the ripples, the faster the wind is blowing.

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