No wind, no sail
Wind is the very basis of sailing. Without wind, you're not going anywhere. It is therefore essential to feel the wind and to know how to determine its direction, its speed, but also its changes in order to adapt your sail trim.
But in order to do so, we must first understand that there are two types of wind: the real wind and the apparent wind. The wind you feel on your sails or the wind you feel on your face is not the same as the wind that waves the water or slams a flag on land.
True wind, apparent wind and speed wind
The wind you perceive on your boat is called the apparent wind, while the wind you perceive ashore is the true wind. To understand the difference between the two, here is a simple example.
When you are on your bike and pedaling, the wind you feel on your face is the apparent wind . In the same way, when you put your hand through the window in the car, it is again the apparent wind. In a boat, it is the wind you feel when you are sailing. As you move forward, the boat creates its own wind (just like in a car or bicycle), which is called the speed wind .
The real wind is the meteorological wind, the one that blows over the elements. At sea, you will observe it when your boat is stationary.
In the end, the apparent wind is the sum of the speed wind - the wind you feel on your face as you gain speed - and the real wind, which blows over the sea. It is materialized by the orientation of the wind vane or pennons on your sail.
What are the characteristics of the wind apparent??
- The apparent wind is always shifted further forward of the boat than the true wind, except when sailing downwind.
- Speed increases the effect of wind speed on the direction and velocity of the apparent wind.
- The apparent wind is always lighter when sailing away from the true wind than when sailing towards it, except in the case of a very fast boat.
What wind to hold compte??
To go fast and trim your sails properly, the only wind that counts is the apparent wind, the wind you can feel. The difference between the real wind and the apparent wind creates changes in wind speed that will have to be well understood in order to perform well and find the right angle that the sails make with the wind.
