reading wind direction

Hi,

I have been observing the experienced sailors sailing in our club.
They seem to be always aware where the wind with just an occassional glance at the burgee.
How do they do it?

use a wind indicator....

my favorite is the Black Max: http://www.apsltd.com/Tree/d285000/e283528.asp

Look at what's happening to the boats nearby (esp. upwind and ahead), and most importantly at the finest ripples on the top of the water.

If it's a start or not go into safety or irons i.e. tack, the boat and sail will show u right away! (besides finding current direction). For more advanced explanation; pinch ur boat, it's when ur just past close hauled, and then head up an inch on the tiller, watch ur telltales when they blow forward and the luff of ur sail luffs, your inside 45 degrees to the wind, fall off till ur tell tales run parrallel and the eye or dead center of the wind will be at 45 degrees to your bow (give or take a few depending on how well your sail is rigged and assuming you have trimmed your sail properly!). A wind indicator would be my first choice, however. Third would be the least reliable, water ripples.

softshuffle said:

Hi,

I have been observing the experienced sailors sailing in our club.
They seem to be always aware where the wind with just an occassional glance at the burgee.
How do they do it?

Click to expand...

The trick is to realize that the burgee doesn't just point to an arbitrary direction; it is moved by the wind so that it is positioned on the downwind side of the flagpole. For example, if the burgee is blowing towards the south then you can usually assume that the wind is coming from the north.
This effect can be observed anywhere there is moving air (also known as wind). For example, these burgees indicate, approximately, that the wind is coming from the left side of the photo:


However, it is important not to be confused by the direction of burgees that are not located in conditions where there is moving air (also known as wind). For example, the wind is not blowing from the ceiling in this photo:



Likewise, do not be confused by burgees that are located in moving air but are restrained in some way. For example, the burgee in this photo does not indicate that the wind is coming from the right side of the photo:



Similarly, do not be confused by the direction of burgees and flags used in places where there is no air at all. For example, the flag in this photo does not indicate that there is plenty of wind for sailing on the moon:

Bravo!

I like to use casette tape and tape it to the mast and that works much better than a wind dial the casette tape is much more sensitave.

Very clever sailchris. Just about had to clean my monitor after the guffaw.

But we need to remember way back to the early days when we were learning to sail and stuff like this was not already wired into our brain.

Go to a beginning sailing class and watch the instructor ask the kids to point to where the wind is coming from. They haven't learned the talent yet.

Softshuffle:
The only answer is to become aware of the wind all the time. Watch everything that it affects, yes especially flags, and also be aware about how it feels on your skin and face. Turn slightly and be aware of how that feeling changes.

Watch how the wind changes direction over time (puffs or gusts) and see how those puffs often come from a different direction from the main (or "prevailing") wind.

It just takes practice and being aware.

softshuffle,
I do apologize if you are in fact a new or beginning sailor. As a level 1 (dinghy) US sailing instructor, I should have given you a more "learn to sail" approach. I tell my students, children and adults, the best way to know where the wind is coming from is watch the boats in the harbor, their mooring and anchor lines will point to where the wind is blowing from. Essentially, like the bur gee example, so thoughtfully depicted, the wind will push the boats or bur ges's directly 180 degrees or the total opposite direction of where it is pointing, i.e. if the boats anchor lines and bows point east the wind is blowing "towards" the west, it would be described in a weather report as coming "from" the east. Make sure u look at the majority of boats at anchor as some harbors like where I teach there are a few boats at low tide that are aground and hence will not show u where the wind is as they cannot move being "beached". On a side note, if the current where u sail is not that strong, a sailboat will always want to "point" or "head" into the wind, i.e. it natively shows you where the wind is blowing from. If there are no boats at anchor swinging with the wind, nor bur gees to aid you, then you will have to rely on other sailors as mentioned above, the heading up or tacking trick, or ripples on the water (providing you don't have a wind indicator, which sits at the top of your mast and points to where the wind is, again, (blowing from).

Happy sailing!

Thank you all for the advice.
I am a newbie.
I have just got a wind indicator which I will try out this weekend.
It feels now that I need an extra pair of eyes in addition to the other eight arms to help me.......