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Since a sailing ship is usually pushed by winds and currents, its captain must find a route where the wind will probably blow in the right direction. Tacking, i.e. using contrary wind to pull (sic) the sails, was always possible but wasted time because of the zigzagging required, and significantly delayed long voyages. The early European ...
The direction that the craft is traveling with respect to the "true wind" (the wind direction and speed over the surface) is called the point of sail. The speed of the craft at a given point of sail contributes to the "apparent wind"—the wind speed and direction as measured on the moving
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines [1] that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships came into practical usage during the early 19th century; however, there were exceptions that came before.
Leeward: side or direction away from the wind (opposite of "windward"). [17] On deck: to an outside or muster deck (as "all hands on deck"). [18] On board: on, onto, or within the ship [19] Onboard: somewhere on or in the ship. [20] Outboard: attached outside the ship. [21] Port: the left side of the ship, when facing forward (opposite of ...
This point of sail lets the sailing craft travel upwind, diagonally to the wind direction. [4] The smaller the angle between the direction of the true wind and the course of the sailing craft, the higher the craft is said to point. A craft that can point higher or sail faster upwind is said to be more weatherly. [11]
The ship may also lose momentum at wind speeds of less than 10 knots (19 km/h). [76] Under these conditions, the choice may be to wear ship—to turn the ship away from the wind and around 240° onto the next tack (60° off the wind). [78] [79] A fore-and-aft rig permits the wind to flow past the sail, as the craft head through the eye of 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 direction towards which the wind is going. The side of a ship that is towards the leeward is its "lee side".
Consequently, a wind blowing from the north has a wind direction referred to as 0° (360°); a wind blowing from the east has a wind direction referred to as 90°, etc. Weather forecasts typically give the direction of the wind along with its speed, for example a "northerly wind at 15 km/h" is a wind blowing from the north at a speed of 15 km/h ...