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In geography and seamanship, windward (/ ˈ w ɪ n d w ər d, ˈ w ɪ n ər d /) and leeward (/ ˈ l iː w ər d, ˈ lj uː ər d /) are directions relative to the wind. Windward is upwind from the point of reference, i.e., towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is downwind from the point of reference, i.e., along the ...
Standing on the leeward side of the vessel, a sailor observes being blown towards an exposed shoreline by the wind. Here again the reference point from which a shore is viewed determines whether it is the lee shore or a leeward shore. On a lake, the reference point is a body of water, so the windward shore is upwind of the center of the lake.
In English, the term Leeward Islands refers to the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. The more southerly part of this chain, starting with Dominica, is called the Windward Islands. Dominica was initially considered a part of the Leeward Islands but was transferred from the British Leeward Islands to the British Windward Islands in 1940.
Aweather: toward the weather or windward side of a ship. [10] Aweigh: just clear of the sea floor, as with an anchor. [11] Below: a lower deck of the ship. [1] Belowdecks: inside or into a ship, or down to a lower deck. [12] Bilge: the underwater part of a ship between the flat of the bottom and the vertical topsides [13]
Weather helm is the result of a leeward and aft shift of a vessel's vector center of effort (the direction to which the force generated by the sails is pushing). This shift is caused by excess pressure on the mainsail , which overpowers the windward lateral resistance generated by the jib (or other head sail) and keel or centerboard.
The Windward Islands are the southern, generally larger islands of the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean islands or West Indies.Located approximately between latitudes 10° and 16° N and longitudes 60° and 62° W, they extend from Dominica in the north to Trinidad and Tobago in the south, and lie south of the Leeward Islands and east of Leeward Antilles.
Conversely, a boat on an upwind course may find itself trapped in the dirty air of a boat immediately to windward. Right-of-way rules give priority to the leeward boat and can make it advantageous to be the boat without the weather gage, especially just before the start or when the boat to leeward can point higher into the wind.
The islands of the Lesser Antilles are divided into three groups: the Windward Islands in the south, the Leeward Islands in the north, and the Leeward Antilles in the west. The Windward Islands are so called because they were more windward to sailing ships arriving in the New World than the Leeward Islands, given that the prevailing trade winds ...