Sailing Wind Pressure Beaufort Scale

The Beaufort Scale or Wind Pressure Scale was a way for the British Navy to document the amount of wind encountered on the open ocean.  For me, it is a way to tell about how much wind there is at my local lake and put a number and a name to it.

The main reason for this post  is to tell you about a handy little book I found in a local used book store.  It called “Royce’s Sailing Illustrated”  by Patrick M. Royce. My copy is the 6th addition.  It’s a lot of fun to look through and has lots of handy information.  I have scanned page 137 for you, it’s Royce’s great layout and illustration of the Beaufort wind pressure scale.  Take a look.  He comments on how easy the scale is to remember, “forces 1-2 ripples; 3-4, waves; 5-6 whitecaps; 7, whitecaps and swells”  Of course there are lots a variables, especially if you sail on lake like we do.

I like to keep a log book for each sail, writing down the time, date, weather conditions, water and air temperatures and wind and water action.  This helps me identify the conditions for the sail day and log it in.

So there you have it, Patrick Royce’s fine little drawing of the Sailing Wind Pressure Beaufort Scale.  To look for his book, here is the ISBN # 0-930030-03-6. You can also go to Wikipedia more information about the Beaufort Scale.

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And thanks for stopping by.  Terry