Wind Power

1. 3 Responses to “What are the basics of sailing a large ocean-going vessel by wind power alone?”

2. By 45 auto on Dec 23, 2009 | Reply

   Yrs of experience would be a good basic start.There is nothing basic about sailing. 1 wrong move or line and disaster will happen.

3. By billcanoe on Dec 26, 2009 | Reply

   The basics of sailing the oceans can be narrowed down to two things: ocean currents and prevailing winds. Civilizations which studied these two phenomena became the explorers and rulers of the seas.

   Ocean currents can flow at relatively high speeds — the Gulf Stream has a max speed of 4 knots! Not knowing which way the currents flow could be catastrophic to a voyage. Planning a trip which takes advantage of current will add to the chances of success!

   Prevailing winds across the globe mean that there natural paths for sailing ships to take advantage of. Approaching the equator, the winds tend toward the west — these are the trade winds — westward crossings of the Atlantic or Pacific oceans is best done by getting into these trade wind or easterlie zones. North or South of these zones are a band of prevailing winds which blow from the west to the east — the “westerlies”. You can see these winds on this representation: (1)

   The best of all situations is where the ocean currents and the prevailing winds flow in the same direction. For instance, in the North Atlantic, the Gulf Stream and the westerlies form a “superhighway” from North America to Europe. When modern day tall-ships race across the Atlantic they use the same routes found centuries ago by explorers. (2)

   You can see that they use the trade winds to cross from Europe to North America. Then they use the Gulf Stream to go up the East coast, and finally catch the westerlies and the remainder of the Gulf Stream to cross to Europe.

   These basics will constrain all wind-powered vessels — especially those “square rigged”, ie: driven from winds coming from behind the vessel. Other types of sail craft may be able to sail “into the wind” a little better, but the wind and current will always be their main concern.

4. By Andy B on Dec 27, 2009 | Reply

   To be honest, i would seriously recommend attending a nearby nautical college who would teach you all the skills required for sailing small or large craft. Majority of them teach courses to RYA standards.

   There is a very high probabillity of an accident or fatality if you attempt to do this without any training whatsoever, and this would also lead to civil consequences. Please dont attempt this until you’ve been trained.

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