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Information about Windward

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Windward is the direction from which the wind is blowing at the time in question. The side of a ship which is towards the windward is the weather side. If the vessel is heeling under the pressure of the wind, this will be the "higher side"

Leeward is the direction downwind from the point of reference. The side of the ship towards the leeward is its lee side. If the vessel is heeling under the pressure of the wind, this will be the "lower side".

Pronunciation

In general, the nautical pronunciation is ['lju:əd, 'lu:əd] (also monosyllabic [lɪʊəd, lʊəd])[1] and ['wɪndəd] ([-əɹd] in American English) but nowadays they are rather old-fashioned and ['li:wəd] and ['wɪndwəd] ([-əɹd] in American English) are more common. In any case, the pronunciation for the Lesser Antilles (Leeward and Windward Islands and the Leeward Antilles) is always the second.[2]

Meteorological significance

The terms "leeward" and "windward" refer respectively to what a game stalker would call downwind and upwind. The terms are used by seamen in relation to their ships but also in reference to islands in an archipelago and to the different sides of a single island. In the latter case, the windward side is that side of an island subject to the prevailing wind, and is thus the wetter side (see orographic precipitation). The leeward side is the side protected by the elevation of the island from the prevailing wind, and is typically the drier side of an island. Thus, leeward or windward siting is an important weather and climate factor on oceanic islands.

In the case of an archipelago, "windward islands" are upwind and "leeward islands" are the downwind ones.

Nautical and naval significance

Main article: Sailing


Windward and leeward directions are important factors to consider when sailing a sailing ship - see points of sail. Other terms with broadly the same meaning are widely used, particularly "upwind" and "downwind", and many variations using the metaphor of height ("come up", "drop down", "we're pointing higher than them" "head below that mark", and so on).

The windward vessel is normally the more maneouverable vessel. For this reason, rule 12 of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea stipulate that the leeward vessel has right of way over the windward vessel. Similarly, a square rigged warship would often try to enter battle from the windward direction (or "hold the weather gauge"), thus gaining an important tactical advantage over the opposing warship – the warship to windward could choose when to engage and when to withdraw. The opposing warship to leeward could often do little but comply without exposing itself unduly. This was particularly important once artillery was introduced to naval warfare. The ships heeled away from the wind so that the leeward vessel was exposing part of her bottom to shot. If damaged between wind and water, she was consequently in danger of sinking when on the other tack. See Spanish Armada.

See also

Notes

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (1997). English Pronouncing Dictionary, 15th edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-45903-6. 
2. ^ ''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

External links

For the computer operating system, see .
A syllable (Ancient Greek: συλλαβή) is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds.
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American English (AmE, AE, AmEng, USEng, en-US), also known as United States English or U.S. English, is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States.
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Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees,[1] are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas and Greater Antilles form the West Indies. The islands are part of a long volcanic island arc, most of which wraps around the eastern end of the Caribbean
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Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles.

Explanation of Name

These islands are called "leeward" because the prevailing winds in the area blow from southeast to ownwind from, or in the lee of, leeward of, the southeasternmost Windward Islands, the
..... Click the link for more information.
Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles.

Name and geography

The Windward Islands are called such because they were more windward to sailing ships arriving in the New World than the Leeward Islands, given that the prevailing trade winds in
..... Click the link for more information.
The Leeward Antilles are a chain of islands in the Caribbean – specifically, the southerly islands of the Lesser Antilles (and, in turn, the Antilles and the West Indies) along the southeastern fringe of the Caribbean Sea, just north of the Venezuelan coast of the South
..... Click the link for more information.
game stalker is a hunter who for sport, approaches close to his timid quarry before making a kill. The practice is commonly associated with the moors of Scotland where the principal quarry is red deer.
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Downwind refers to a position leeward, a distance along the direction of wind from another position (see Windward and leeward). Leeward is mostly used as a nautical term and in respect to mountains and other orographic features.
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Windward is the direction from which the wind is blowing at the time in question. The side of a ship which is towards the windward is the weather side. If the vessel is heeling under the pressure of the wind, this will be the "higher side"

Leeward
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archipelago is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago literally means "chief sea", from Greek arkhon (arkhi-) ("leader") and pelagos ("sea").
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The prevailing winds are the trends in speed and direction of wind over a particular point on the earth's surface. A region's prevailing winds often show global patterns of movement in the earth's atmosphere. Prevailing winds are the causes of waves as they push the ocean.
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precipitation (also known as hydrometeor) is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that is deposited on the earth's surface. It occurs when the atmosphere (being a large gaseous solution) becomes saturated with water vapour and the water condenses and
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weather is the set of all extant phenomena in a given atmosphere at a given time. The term usually refers to the activity of these phenomena over short periods (hours or days), as opposed to the term climate, which refers to the average atmospheric conditions over longer periods of
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Climate is the average and variations of weather over long periods of time. Climate zones can be defined using parameters such as temperature and rainfall.
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archipelago is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago literally means "chief sea", from Greek arkhon (arkhi-) ("leader") and pelagos ("sea").
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Sailing is the art of controlling a sailing vessel. By adjusting the rigging, rudder and dagger or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails (main and/or jib) in order to change the direction and speed of a boat.
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Sailing is the art of controlling a sailing vessel. By adjusting the rigging, rudder and dagger or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails (main and/or jib) in order to change the direction and speed of a boat.
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Sailing ship is now used to refer to any large, wind-powered, vessel. In technical terms, a ship was a sailing vessel with a specific rig of at least three masts, square rigged on all of them, making the sailing adjective redundant.
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Points of sail is the term used to describe a sailing boat's course in relation to the wind direction.

First, there is a distinction between the port tack and the starboard tack. If the wind is coming from anywhere on the port side, the boat is on port tack.
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The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGS) are published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and set out the "rules of the road" to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea.
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Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars which are perpendicular to the keel of the vessel and to the masts.
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Historically, artillery (from French artillerie) refers to any engine used for the discharge of large projectiles in war. The term also describes soldiers with the primary function of manning such weapons and is used organizationally for the arm of a nation's land
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Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles.

Name and geography

The Windward Islands are called such because they were more windward to sailing ships arriving in the New World than the Leeward Islands, given that the prevailing trade winds in
..... Click the link for more information.
Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles.

Explanation of Name

These islands are called "leeward" because the prevailing winds in the area blow from southeast to ownwind from, or in the lee of, leeward of, the southeasternmost Windward Islands, the
..... Click the link for more information.
The Leeward Antilles are a chain of islands in the Caribbean – specifically, the southerly islands of the Lesser Antilles (and, in turn, the Antilles and the West Indies) along the southeastern fringe of the Caribbean Sea, just north of the Venezuelan coast of the South
..... Click the link for more information.
Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees,[1] are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas and Greater Antilles form the West Indies. The islands are part of a long volcanic island arc, most of which wraps around the eastern end of the Caribbean
..... Click the link for more information.
Northwestern Hawaiʻian Islands or the Leeward Islands are the small islands and atolls in the Hawaiian island chain located northwest (in some cases, far to the northwest) of the islands of Kaua
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Windward Islands
Native name: Îles du Vent<nowiki />

Moorea

Geography
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Location Pacific Ocean
Coordinates
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Leeward Islands
Native name: Îles Sous-le-Vent<nowiki />

Bora-Bora

Geography
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Location Pacific Ocean
Coordinates
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Society Islands
Native name: Îles de la Société<nowiki />

Tahiti

Geography
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Location Pacific Ocean
Coordinates
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