The world of sailing revolves around the conditions of the water and the wind. A sailboat can’t go anywhere if there is no wind.
When it comes to sailing, it is important to remember that safety needs to come first and that you should never go sailing in conditions that exceed your abilities.
If you are a beginner who has recently learned how to sail or if you haven’t sailed for a long time, you should sail in protected waters during light or moderate wind conditions.
Learning to figure out the direction of the wind and its speed are crucial in sailing because the wind changes all the time. Improving your skills when it comes to the wind is an important step in becoming a knowledgeable sailor.
The best way to track the wind is to increase your sensitivity and awareness about it and just feel it. Your body can sense the exact direction of the wind. All you have to do is let it do the job. The best part of the body to feel the wind is the face.
Here’s how you can practice feeling the wind. Close your eyes and turn your body in the direction where you think the wind is blowing from. If you have chosen the direction correctly, the wind will be blowing equally hard on different parts of your face. If you are not sure that it does, you can start moving your face slightly. The sound of wind should also be the same in each ear.
You do not have to be sailing or even be close to water to feel the wind. You can do it anywhere and at any time.
In addition to learning to feel the wind with your body, you can look for clues in your surroundings about the direction of the wind. A flag can show the direction. So can a sail and ripples of water.
Different birds and animals face the wind in a different way. When standing, seagulls would face the wind. Cows do the opposite and point into the wind their behinds.
Once you learn to identify the direction of the wind, you can start learning to assess the speed of the wind.
When sailing, you can do so by looking at the water. Whitecaps typically start forming on the waves when the speed of the wind reaches 12 knots.