All Topics  
Windward and leeward

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Windward and leeward
 
 
  Topics Windward and leeward Topic Home

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.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Windward and leeward'
Start a new discussion about 'Windward and leeward'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


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


The traditional nautical pronunciations are the elide
Relaxed pronunciation

Relaxed pronunciation is a phenomenon that happens when the syllables of common words are slurred together. It is almost always present in normal speech, in all natural languages ....
d forms or (also , ), and . However, nowadays these are sometimes regarded as old-fashioned, and the more literal and are common. The pronunciation for the Leeward
Leeward Islands

The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain of islands, part of the West Indies. They are situated where the Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean....
 and Windward
Windward Islands

The Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles....
 Islands and the Leeward Antilles
Leeward Antilles

The Leeward Antilles are a chain of islands in the Caribbean ? specifically, the southerly islands of the Lesser Antilles along the southeastern fringe of the Caribbean Sea, just north of the Venezuelan coast of the South American mainland....
 is normally the latter form.

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
Archipelago

An archipelago is a chain or cluster of islands that are formed tectonically. The word archipelago literally means "chief sea", from Italian language arcipelago , derived ultimately from Greek language arkhon and pelagos ....
 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
Precipitation (meteorology)

File:MeanMonthlyP.gifIn meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of Atmosphere water vapor that is deposited on the earth's surface....
). 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
Weather

Weather is a set of all the Phenomenon occurring in a given atmosphere at a given time. Weather phenomena lie in the hydrosphere and troposphere....
 and climate
Climate

Climate encompasses the temperatures, humidity, atmospheric pressure, winds, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and numerous other Meteorology elements in a given region over long periods of time, as opposed to the term weather, which refers to current activity of these same elements....
 factor on oceanic islands.

In the case of an archipelago
Archipelago

An archipelago is a chain or cluster of islands that are formed tectonically. The word archipelago literally means "chief sea", from Italian language arcipelago , derived ultimately from Greek language arkhon and pelagos ....
, "windward islands" are upwind and "leeward islands" are the downwind ones.

Significance

In aviation, "downwind" refers to a portion of an aircraft's landing pattern
Airfield traffic pattern

An airfield traffic pattern is a standard path followed by aircraft when takeoff or landing.At an airport, the pattern is a standard path for coordinating air traffic....
, the long side parallel to the runway but flown in the opposite direction is called the downwind leg.

On land, "downwind" is often used to refer to a situation where a point source
Point source

A point source is a localised relatively-small source of something.Point source may also refer to:*Point source , a localised source of pollution...
 of air pollution
Air pollution

Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages the natural environment, into the Earth's atmosphere....
 or a scent moves from a point upwind; from the direction of the wind to the point of the observer.

"Downwind" has specific connotations in industrial cities in the English North, where less desirable or expensive housing was often situated to the leeward of steelworks, blast furnaces, mills or other sources of intense pollution. Hence in some cities it is used as a generic, slang, pejorative and discriminatory term for less wealthy areas or their inhabitants.

Nautical and naval


Windward and leeward directions are important factors to consider when sailing
Sailing

Sailing is the art of controlling a boat with large pieces of canvas cloth called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and dagger or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to change the direction and speed of a boat....
 a sailing ship
Sailing ship

Sailing ship is now used to refer to any large wind-powered vessel. In technical terms, a ship was a sailing vessel with a full rigged ship of at least three masts, square rigged on all of them, making the sailing adjective redundant....
 - see points of sail
Points of sail

Points of sail describes a sailing boat's course in relation to the wind direction.First, there is a distinction between the port_ tack and the starboard tack....
. 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 maneuverable vessel. For this reason, rule 12 of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea

The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 are published by the International Maritime Organization , and set out the "rules of the road" to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea....
 stipulate that the leeward vessel has right of way over the windward vessel. Similarly, a square rig
Square rig

Square rig is a generic type of Sail-plan in which the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars which are perpendicular, or , to the keel of the vessel and to the masts....
ged 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
Artillery

Artillery is a military Combat Arms which employs any apparatus, machine, an assortment of tools or instruments, a system or systems used as weapons for the discharge of large projectiles in combat as a major contribution of fire power within the overall military capability of an armed force....
 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
Spanish Armada

The Spanish Armada was the Habsburg Spain fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Alonso de Guzm?n El Bueno, 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, leading to the Drake-Norris Expedition of 1589, also known as the English Armada....
.

The term "lee" derives from Old English hleo, "shelter", and was in use at least as early as 900 C.E.

See also

  • Windward Islands
    Windward Islands

    The Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles....
    , Leeward Islands
    Leeward Islands

    The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain of islands, part of the West Indies. They are situated where the Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean....
     and Leeward Antilles
    Leeward Antilles

    The Leeward Antilles are a chain of islands in the Caribbean ? specifically, the southerly islands of the Lesser Antilles along the southeastern fringe of the Caribbean Sea, just north of the Venezuelan coast of the South American mainland....
     (in the Lesser Antilles
    Lesser Antilles

    The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees, are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Greater Antilles form the West Indies....
    ).
  • Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
    Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

    The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Leeward Islands are the small islands and atolls in the Hawaiian Islands located northwest of the islands of Kauai and Niihau....
    , also known as Leeward Islands.
  • Windward Islands
    Windward Islands (Society Islands)

    The Windward Islands are the eastern group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean....
     and Leeward Islands
    Leeward Islands (Society Islands)

    The Leeward Islands are part of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Oceania. The archipelago comprises an Administrative divisions of French Polynesia of French Polynesia....
     (in the Society Islands
    Society Islands

    The Society Islands are a group of islands in the south Pacific Ocean. They are an administrative part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands; however, Cook states in his journal th...
    ).
  • Barlavento
    Barlavento

    The Barlavento islands , is the northern island group of Cape Verde archipelago.It can be divided in to two groups: Santo Ant?o, Cape Verde, S?o Vicente, Cape Verde, S?o Nicolau, Santa Luzia, Cape Verde islands and Ilh?u Branco and Ilh?u Raso islets lie to the west and are rocky, volcanic, agricultural islands....
     (Windward) and Sotavento
    Sotavento

    The Sotavento islands , is the southern island group of Cape Verde archipelago.There are four main islands: Brava, Cape Verde, Fogo, Cape Verde and Santiago, Cape Verde are rocky and volcanic agricultural islands, with the longest histories of human inhabitance and densest populations in the Cape Verdes....
     (Leeward) in Cape Verde Islands.
  • Lee shore
    Lee shore

    The terms lee shore and weather or windward shore are Seamanship terms used to describe a stretch of shoreline. A lee shore is in the "lee" of the wind, meaning the wind is blowing towards it....
  • Downstream
    Downstream

    The term downstream has several possible meanings:In geography, downstream means literally away from the source of a stream or river, and in meteorology, away from the source of an air parcel or mass, along the normal direction of water or air flow....
     and upstream
    Upstream

    In geography, upstream literally means "towards the source , or against the normal direction of water flow.Upstream may also refer to:...


External links