Reading the wind

[snowleopard]

Most people these days rely on wind instruments to tell them the speed and direction of the wind. Is reading the wind by looking at the surface of the sea becoming a dying art?

Do you estimate wind speed from looking at the waves and if so, how accurate are you when you compare your reading with a wind meter?

Can you read the direction of the wind from surface ripples?

When using a wind instrument, do you allow for the fact that wind speeds are higher at masthead height?

Because of my rotating mast a conventional wind instrument is impractical so I do it the old fashioned way. When I sail on other boats, I generally find my estimates are about 1 Beaufort point lower that the instruments.

My windex fell off so I also have to read wind direction from the sea and that works pretty well, in daylight at least.

 

[Adonnante]

Snowy stated.
Because of my rotating mast a conventional wind instrument is impractical

Why so? boats sail to the apparent wind and measuring direction relative to the centreline of a rotating mast seems ideal for trimming.

Just noticed the following- http://www.catchthewindinc.com/news...ier-bmw-oracle-racing-33rd-americas-cup-match

Can't imagine it would make much difference to my time to St Marys however and probably costs more than our boats.

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

1. Yes it is.
2. No.
3. No.
4. No.

 

[dt4134]

It's a necessary skill for racing, despite all the instruments. For a start you need to be able to read the sea surface to anticipate shifts, gusts & lulls.

Most of those I race with take pride in being able to guage the wind speed and sea conditions as well as spotting shifts and gusts. I reckon I'm pretty accurate up to F7 and I know some who are exceptionally accurate. You can feel a change of a couple of knots in wind speed requiring a change in trim, the instruments are more to confirm that (if they're working).

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Most people these days rely on wind instruments to tell them the speed and direction of the wind. Is reading the wind by looking at the surface of the sea becoming a dying art?

Do you estimate wind speed from looking at the waves and if so, how accurate are you when you compare your reading with a wind meter?

Can you read the direction of the wind from surface ripples?

When using a wind instrument, do you allow for the fact that wind speeds are higher at masthead height?

Because of my rotating mast a conventional wind instrument is impractical so I do it the old fashioned way. When I sail on other boats, I generally find my estimates are about 1 Beaufort point lower that the instruments.

My windex fell off so I also have to read wind direction from the sea and that works pretty well, in daylight at least.

I learnt to sail long before wind instruments were common (even windexes were unusual - a burgee was the usual mast decoration!), and although I like the convenience of the wind display, it doesn't replace looking at the sea and the sails. The wind instrument only tells us what the wind is doing at one particular location! Looking at wind shadows and ripple and so on can give fore-warning of shifts in the wind strength and direction in time to make preparation for them.

Anyway, there are only two wind strengths - too much and too little!

 

[peterb]

Direction, yes, though sometimes with conflicting wave trains it can be difficult.

Force; I can only remember the odd forces:

1 Ripples

3 Waves break glassily

5 Many white horses

7 Foam streaks down the waves

9 Visibility starts to be affected

11 Who cares?

 

[snowleopard]

Direction, yes, though sometimes with conflicting wave trains it can be difficult.

That's a response I've often heard. If you read wind direction from the waves you will miss the common situation where a wind shift has resulted in wind blowing at an angle to the waves. I find the only reliable way is to look at the smallest ripples (typically 5mm height) that react to the wind as it is at that instant. That works right up to the point where you can't see the surface for spume.

 

[snowleopard]

Why so? boats sail to the apparent wind and measuring direction relative to the centreline of a rotating mast seems ideal for trimming.

I can see that and have considered the relative-to-mast option but decided against it, partly because it requires one to add the alignment of the mast into the equation to get the actual direction. Detail trimming I do by the teltales in daylight at least.

 

[snowleopard]

A question for those who rely on the instruments for wind direction - when doing a MOB under sail, how do you work out where you need to be to start the return leg on a close reach?

 

[Gerry]

After losing our mast top instruments for the Second time(lightning) I made the amazing discovery that i actually sail the boat better without them!

Instead of being obsessed with the angles on the indicator I rely on the feel of the wind on my face, the appearance of the waves and the set of the sails. It was one of those eureka moments as I pointed the boat into the wind to take in a reef when it was accomplished faster, safer and more comfortably than ever before. The difference? I was feeling the boat!

As for wind speed, who wants to know! If it says on the dial it's over 25 knots I got anxious, now I don't know so I don't worry! We reef when it feels right and make decisions on observation of the prevailing conditions.

In fact it's such a better experience that we are not going to replace them.

www.gerryantics.blogspot.com

 

[DogWatch]

Yes but I regularly underestimate wind strength which is probably a good reason for me to own the instrument..

All I have read about multi's; it is the gusts that you should be aware of, this means the sea-state in the short term is not a good indicator, though when I feel the boat go sideways I tend to give in a reduce sail. I suppose I like the instrument as a back up and confirmation. I use it a fair amount on the mooring, as we are sheltered by holiday flats, it can often allow me to see around the corner (sort of); OTOH, it has at times made me weary to go when the wind is funnelling up the estuary, so it is a double edged sword that one.

When sailing I do use the direction, I have difficulty looking up the mast, so it gives me a low down burgee.

 

[capnsensible]

Don't have wind instruments on our own boat, just masthead vane. My wife always says she prefers not to know when it would be big numbers!

It's not a black art, most people can get sail trim mostly right with a bit of practical experience.

Racing a bit is always going to help improve skills, for those that want to be more proficient.

Anyway you view it, practice counts!

Happy trimming.

 

[alant]

A question for those who rely on the instruments for wind direction - when doing a MOB under sail, how do you work out where you need to be to start the return leg on a close reach?

At start of return leg, use the pulpit as a gunsight, pointing toward your MOB target, to get 'him' just at back of lee pulpit.

Fully feather your main.

Check your wind inst.

(1) Anything lower than '1/4 to' & '1/4 past', you are too fast for pickup, drop deep off the wind until MOB is inline with your shoulder & quickly turn toward (using same gunsight),

If needle is still lower than (1) repeat & again check using 'gunsight'.
This can be done almost up to the MOB, trading distance for speed - must be decisive doing this, also carefully watching for potential gybe.

(2) When, '10 to' & '10 past' on your wind inst., this is ideal & you should continue until you reach MOB just off lee bow, with speed hopefully less than 1 knt, but with a little way on.

(3) If you are showing above '10 to/10 past' & getting well into the red/green, you are into a potential stall & may not reach casualty. Handle mainsheet in, should this happen.

Similar to above can be done, when picking a buoy up under sail, but needs greater skill because only boat will be tide affected.

Works well with 'inexperienced' Day Skipper candidates, who are not yet used to reading wind.

 

[johnalison]

I've cruised for thirty years without instruments and the last ten with. I wouldn't feel lost without the wind instrument but do find it useful in situations not mentioned. Not close-hauled, which I do better with the speed & the seat of my pants.

1. running close to a gybe; it's a lot less tiring than looking up all the time
2. motor-sailing, when I set it to "true" and steer usually at about 30 degrees
3. when yarn-spinning, I can choose the "max" reading and say something like "we were out in 44 knots yesterday"

 

[Roberto]

this is a picture of the masthead of one of those ocean racing machines, it looks like he wants to be absolutely sure about wind direction and speed :smile:

I can't remember the boat, the picture was taken here, there was an impressive skewer of boats: the tri Idec, one old Gitana monohull, the new Gitana tri, the vendee globe Safran, the tri Sodebo

 

[froglet]

I don't have any wind instruments so yes, it's judging by the waves and general
picture around me... I used to sail a hobie cat so I do look at the ripples too.
When sailing on better equipped boats than mine, I find I'm pretty accurate....

 

[grumpy_o_g]

I'm pretty good at spotting gusts coming up, especially considering I don't sail as regularly as most on here, but I've never been able to spot when I'm about to be headed or backed by the wind. Half the time it's happened and it's only when I've subconsciously adjusted the course to allow for it that I then notice I'm drifting off my heading - otherwise I wouldn't spot it at all. I have always been absolutely rubbish at dinghy racing for that reason.

Anyone got any tips or tricks?

 

[Lady Campanula]

I sail on lots of other peoples' boats and frequently find the masthead wind instrument - or the readout - has failed or is well inaccurate.

I also find it more than a little uncomfortable to be craning my neck skywards every few seconds to squint, against the sun or in the bright 'loom' of the masthead tricolour, at a Windex perched way up there. In consequence, I've long made it my practice to carry a set or two of ribbon 'telltales' in my bag, which I attach to the shrouds on tiptoe. That way, they're still just in my normal field of vision when helming.

Like these...

I also carry, if heading offshore for a while, a small redundant Dictaphone cartridge. The magnetised ribbon in those is ideal, secured with an inch of Duct Tape, for it doesn't absorb water in dripping-damp light airs - which is when I usually end up helming. Some sorts of such tape are fluorescent yellow or green, which is even better in the dark.

As for the first ripples, or dark patches of gustiness coming my way, yes I can also read those - in daylight, of course. And I can tell from 'sight' of the surface, where there is some modest sea running, broadly which way the tide stream is setting and when it has turned. That's VIP for working the eddies against the main tide stream, close inshore along, for example, the Gulet de Brest.

Some would say you can get that from some expensive instrument-package fits. Sure, but I'm quite 'low maintenance' and there's the added advantage that I'm entirely portable from boat to boat, and pub to pub.....

 

[KellysEye]

We thought we were quite good at reading the wind (strength, direction, shifts)...until. I once had the pleasure of sailing with John Chittendon the winner of the first Global Challenge. It was a fairly windless day and many boats were going nowhere. He kept the boat moving by 'knowing' which cloud had wind under it and which didn't. There were no visual signs on the sea and he said he was simply reading the clouds. It was an awesome display of skill.

 

[lw395]

Wind Instruments....

One of the biggest uses of an apparent wind instrument is when someone less experienced is helming or when changing helms. You can ask them to go for e.g 28 degrees on the B&G and it speeds up settling down the boat to a good course. It also helps comparing one day with another to have some numerical 'known good' starting points.

Windspeed is very useful when trying to decide which jib to put up at the end of a downwind leg, when your apparent wind is going to increase by 10 or 12 knots. I used to find it quite hard to decide whether we would be overpowered with the No1 just by judgement.

I never steer by them, though, there is too much delay.