Reading the wind

[oldsaltoz]

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.

At last someone who uses the same method. I to started sailing before instruments were common place, you learn to read the conditions and feel the wind. My only concession was a small length of wool on the side stays and back stay to check the angle of sheeting to parent wind.

These days we have a full complement of instrumentation but I only glance at it a few times in full days sailing, though I have been known to decide when to rig for silent running based the reading.

.

 

[webcraft]

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Telltales on the shrouds are very useful, but wind on face is pretty good as well. When running, take your hood down and feel wind shifts on the back of your neck.

As for the numbers - handy but not essential. Sometimes it's nice to know that the rising wind that is starting to alarm you a little is still in fact under 30 knots . . . all the boats I have met who claim to have been in F10 or above have not had a wind speed readout

- W

 

[rivonia]

As my wind speed is not working I have to rely on observation. BUT it would be great to now the actual speed for when we have the spinniker up, I just dont want it to suddenly go BANG and be blown out.

Peter

 

[Deleted member 36384]

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?

A tip - place the MOB in the triangle formed by the kicker, mast and boom. Dump the main sheet. If the sail flaps (works for aft swept shrouds or in line with mast shrouds) the boat will stop if not, bare away and round up again until it does, then approach MOB, keeping him in the target triangle.

 

[snowleopard]

I can see a few benefits for a wind speed reading. When putting an inexperienced person on watch it would be nice to be able to say e.g. 'call me if the wind goes above 20 knots or under 10'

It would be handy to have a true speed reading to remind one when romping off downwind. On the tradewind crossing we were screaming along under full sail, until she kept accelerating down a wave and overtook the one in front with 17 knots on the speedo. That was a wakeup call and we put a couple of reefs in but had we known, like a nearby boat with a wind instrument, that the true wind was 35 knots we would have reefed earlier.

Then of course there are always those who say 'no wind instrument and you say it was F9? It was probably only F6'

 

[alant]

A tip - place the MOB in the triangle formed by the kicker, mast and boom. Dump the main sheet. If the sail flaps (works for aft swept shrouds or in line with mast shrouds) the boat will stop if not, bare away and round up again until it does, then approach MOB, keeping him in the target triangle.

Will try that next time, if only to compare.

 

[webcraft]

I can see a few benefits for a wind speed reading. When putting an inexperienced person on watch it would be nice to be able to say e.g. 'call me if the wind goes above 20 knots or under 10'

It would be handy to have a true speed reading to remind one when romping off downwind. On the tradewind crossing we were screaming along under full sail, until she kept accelerating down a wave and overtook the one in front with 17 knots on the speedo. That was a wakeup call and we put a couple of reefs in but had we known, like a nearby boat with a wind instrument, that the true wind was 35 knots we would have reefed earlier.

Then of course there are always those who say 'no wind instrument and you say it was F9? It was probably only F6'

Good point - it is very easy to end up careering downwind in much more wind than you realise, and then when you do finally come into wind to reef you have 40 knots blowing over the deck . . . been there more than once, got the (wet) t-shirt

Must be worse in a cat where the higher speeds make you even less aware of the TWS going downwind.

- W

 

[snowleopard]

Must be worse in a cat where the higher speeds make you even less aware of the TWS going downwind.

True, going downwind at 10 knots in 30 knots of wind makes it all seem fairly civilised. The saving grace with my rig is that I only have to let the sheet go to reef, not turn into it.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

But all of these ideas only tell you of a wind shift as it hits the boat. How do the Ben Ainslie's of this world managed to spot a wind shift so early that they've positioned themselves to use it before it happens?

 

[Deleted member 36384]

But all of these ideas only tell you of a wind shift as it hits the boat. How do the Ben Ainslie's of this world managed to spot a wind shift so early that they've positioned themselves to use it before it happens?

The wind direction can sometimes alternate by a few degrees each side of the mean direction. The amount of alteration can even change to a regular pattern. If you notice this you can predict it. Also clouds and looking ahead at the gust pattern on the wave can give you advanced warning if a lift or headed advantage will occur.

Ainslie can probably do this blindfolded just by feeling the pressure!

 

[contessa26]

Reading the wind?

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?

Reading the wind? Wind on cheek? Tongue in cheek, Aneometer? Keeping a weather eye to windward?

Sorry about the following, but, I once saw in the wheelhouse of an old fishing boat lying at Askøy, the following well known device:

A small piece of rope nailed to a board entitled 'Weather Station', accompanied by the following guide:
Rope vertical - Calm
Rope flapping - Windy
Rope horizontal - Stormy
Rope dry - Dry
Rope wet - Rainy
Rope white - Snow
Rope rigid - Frost
Rope invisible - Fog
Rope gone - Hurricane

Happy sailing.

 

[froglet]

Love it

 

[boatmike]

I can always tell the exact direction and speed of the wind without even going down to the boat. The direction is always within 2 degrees of where I plan to sail to and the speed is either too bloody much or feck all.

 

[pagoda]

Reading the wind? Wind on cheek? Tongue in cheek, Aneometer? Keeping a weather eye to windward?

Sorry about the following, but, I once saw in the wheelhouse of an old fishing boat lying at Askøy, the following well known device:

A small piece of rope nailed to a board entitled 'Weather Station', accompanied by the following guide:
Rope vertical - Calm
Rope flapping - Windy
Rope horizontal - Stormy
Rope dry - Dry
Rope wet - Rainy
Rope white - Snow
Rope rigid - Frost
Rope invisible - Fog
Rope gone - Hurricane

Happy sailing.

I love that lot!

From windsurfing -> dinghies -> yacht I never had any wind instruments until recently.
Use your eyes, how the boat feels.. how much wind on each ear !.... how are those seagulls flying 100m ahead?
Stuff that like works for me.

My son - the racer, wants to know to the nearest 0.25 Kt what is going on apparent vs actual.... works for him?

It takes all sorts, but NO wind instruments other than your eyes tell you what's coming...

Graeme

 

[Jamesuk]

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 am a dinghy sailor and so I transfered what I learnt from that to yacht sailing,

By Day:
I use the SAILS for direction and a compass if I did not have a windex.
I gauge the strength of wind like I do the the weather forecasts (on as many sources as made available including how the boat feels.)

I look out to sea for gusts and any other cloud formations, squalls etc.

At night:
If the wind instrument is not working well I use a torch to see the windex, If that is not working well I use the Ensign flying off the Back stay, If the ensign is not up, I use the Pressure on the rudder (Weather helm) if the idiot installed hydraulic steering, I use experience and boat speed and an engine depending on conditions. But on another normal day I use all the above! Interesting about the Seaguls tho!!

 

[Jamesuk]

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?

I hope not

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?

Yes, from dinghy sailing backround one must and yes usually quite reassuring anything upto a force 6 Im usually around 5 knots off after its more like 10 knots

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

From a photo shot of ripples? I dont think I have ever tried, but in real life, yes, I can usually get a gist of the strength and duration of the gust too

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

Yes, but I dont see it as too important unless racing

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.

The Beaufort scale is a happy average, but when you have an exact sail plan performance chart it becomes more important to be exact, more so in racing .

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 would always use the Sails first, personally, by day and by night, "if you feel the mast quietly jurking then come off, if violently jurks then "thats quite a wind shift" take required action. If all else is equal.