Martin_J
Well-Known Member
Don't quote me in this but I'm sure I've also heard the word "pressure" used for wind in some of the recent Americas Cup races...
Pressure
- Thread starter Wansworth
- Start date
dunedin
Well-Known Member
The context is yacht racing.
It is very common in top level competition to hear phrases like
- “pressure on the right” (more wind on the right hand side of the course) or
- “pressure in 10, 5, now” to prepare for gusts.
Lots of words are used out of their original context but still meaningful for their purpose, which in this case is between experienced race crews.
If you don’t like that word, then lots of other terms you might object to as well (some not quotable on here) - bust suspect many/ most on here are unlikely to be on a top race boat (dinghy or yacht) so don’t need to worry themselves.
[194224]
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Pressure doesn't mean force in the scientific sense of those two terms. Pressure is force divided by the area over which it acts.
It is the difference between two pressures that drives wind, not two forces.
franksingleton
Well-Known Member
I realise that words change meaning. I might have talked about having a gay old time in years gone by. I would get some funny looks now. Most people are aware of the current usage. I can understand jargon being used by specialists for specific purposes. However, I understood that the OP referred to the word “pressure“ being used to a general audience who might well not be familiar with the use of pressure to mean wind. To them, it would sound silly. I suspect that would include the majority of sailors who might well be interested in watching a race but not be in the know to that extent. I have not tried it, but I doubt very much that any dictionary would give pressure as a synonym for wind. Some, as Wandseorth apparently did, would be confused. I must check with my son, a leading RS800 racer, occasional yacht racer and dinghy championship race officer.
And yes, Baltika is quite correct. One pascal (unit of pressure) = 1 newton (N) of force applied over an area of 1 square metre.
franksingleton
Well-Known Member
OK. My son says he does use the word “pressure” to warn of a gust - basically, increase of pressure on the sails. Not sure why “pressure” rather than “gust”.
Wansworth
Well-Known Member
A gust of wind…….perfect concise description of the wind and how it is manifested……….or even a gust is enough..The English language has develpoed over millenniums to describe wind in all its manifestations to reduce it to “pressure” would seem retrograde………
Chiara’s slave
Well-Known Member
We say ‘more breeze coming’, or equivalent. Even though we have a guest Aussie on the boat this week.
franksingleton
Well-Known Member
Obviously, you know what you mean but that does not equate to a gust which is a brief, a few seconds, marked increase in wind. Gusts can be twice as strong as the mean wind. In extreme cases, even stronger. “More breeze” could just be an increase from F3 to F4.
Chiara’s slave
Well-Known Member
We draw our own conclusions from the signs. And the tone of voice. If it’s thought to be a monster gust I would say so, not just ‘more breeze’ which means just that.
flaming
Well-Known Member
I've heard the word "Pressure" used a lot in this context. To me it just seems like someone cool once said it, then all the cool people had to copy.
I would tend to use the word "Breeze" when discussing if there was more on the left or the right of the course. And the voice in my ear calling gusts definitely uses the word gust. Or "band of breeze" if it's more general.
I would tend to use the word "Breeze" when discussing if there was more on the left or the right of the course. And the voice in my ear calling gusts definitely uses the word gust. Or "band of breeze" if it's more general.
franksingleton
Well-Known Member
Dear old Admiral Beaufort was well aware of the confusion created by individual terminology. He did not invent his scale of winds, he formalized accepted usage and defined terms in, at the time, an unambiguous way.
In meteorological terms, gust has a specific meaning: the maximum three second average wind speed occurring in any period. A better measure of the overall wind intensity is defined by the average speed and direction over the ten minute period leading up to the reporting time.
Wansworth
Well-Known Member
What would his Smacks do with pressure
flaming
Well-Known Member
Tell that to my poor flogging mainsail....!
The Q
Well-Known Member
It is of course a railway station not a train station...
A train of what ? Camels? Wedding?
A train of what ? Camels? Wedding?
Cariadco
Well-Known Member
I was trying to be simplistic...!! but thanks for expanding, on my behalf.
